USS Greiner (DE-37)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Built as: | BDE-37 for the United Kingdom |
| Laid down: | 7 September 1942 |
| Launched: | 20 May 1943 |
| Redesignated: | USS Greiner |
| Commissioned: | 18 August 1943 |
| Battle Stars: | 3 for World War II |
| Decommissioned: | 19 November 1945 |
| Struck: | 5 December 1945 |
| Fate: | Sold, 10 February 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class: | Evarts-class destroyer escort |
| Type: | GMT (diesel-electric tandem motor drive, short hull, 3" guns) |
| Displacement: | 1,140 (std), 1,430 tons (full) |
| Length: | 289 ft 5 in (88.2 m) overall 283 ft 6 in (86.4 m) waterline |
| Beam: | 35 ft 0 in (10.7 m) |
| Draft: | 11 ft 0 in (3.4 m) maximum |
| Range: | 4,150 nm |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Complement: | 15 officers / 183 enlisted |
| Armament: | 3 × 3"/50 Mk 22 (1 × 3), 1 × 1.1"/75 Mk 2 quad AA (4 × 1), 9 × 20 mm Mk 4 AA, 1 Hedgehog Projector, Mk 10 (144 rounds), 8 Mk 6 depth charge projectors, 2 Mk 9 depth charge tracks |
| Propulsion: | 4 GM Model 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6,000 shp, 2 screws |
USS Greiner (DE-37) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort constructed for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was promptly sent off into the Pacific Ocean to protect convoys and other ships from Japanese submarines and fighter aircraft. She performed dangerous work in numerous battle areas, and sailed home proudly with three battle stars.
She was named for Lt. (j.g.) Kenneth Frederick Greiner, who was killed when the Japanese attacked American-held islands in the Aleutians. She was originally intended for Great Britain under lend-lease, was launched as BDE-37 20 May 1943 by the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, and commissioned 18 August 1943, Lt. Comdr. F. S. Dowd in command.
Contents |
[edit] World War II Pacific Theatre operations
Following shakedown and training exercise along the California-Washington coast, Greiner sailed for Pearl Harbor, reaching there 31 October 1943. A series of training and patrol operations kept her in the Hawaiian area until 23 December, when she sailed for recently won Tarawa as flagship of Escort Squadron 28. Greiner spent virtually a year in the Gilberts-Marshalls area, as the great American island offensive swept westward toward Japan. The ship performed a variety of tasks, including the most important job of escorting transport vessels to the assault areas. She rescued 13 men from a downed PBM 26 January 1944, and shelled Kusaie Island, in the Carolines, in reply to a salvo from Japanese batteries 1 June 1944.
Greiner spent 3 months at Pearl Harbor for repairs and operations July-October 1944, and after antisubmarine exercises in Hawaiian waters spent December patrolling around Wotje, Mill, Jaluit, and Maloelap atolls, leapfrogged earlier in the war. She spent the remainder of the war in the Gilberts and Marshalls plane-guarding and screening escort carrier forces, except for a short voyage to Okinawa 29 June to 3 July 1945.
Greiner steamed back to the United States from Kerama Retto 3 July 1945, and arrived San Francisco, California, 28 July via Ulithi, Eniwetok, and Pearl Harbor.
[edit] End-of-war decommissioning
She decommissioned at Oakland, California, 19 November 1945 and was stricken from the Navy List 5 December. The ship was subsequently sold to J. G. Berkwit & Co. 10 February 1945, and resold in 1947.
[edit] Awards
 |
Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) |
 |
American Campaign Medal |
  |
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with three service stars) |
 |
World War II Victory Medal |
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
