Forster (DER 334) - Naval Cruise Book

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. I- A ....-...--... ....,.3........m.g.,....,..,,- ..- E Q U99 FORSTER USS FORSTER, originally DE-334, is named in honor of Edward William Forster, Machinist, USN, who was killed in action during the Battle of the Solomon Islands on 10 August 1942. Forster, born in Jersey City, New Jersey on 8 October 1884, first enlisted in the Navy in 1919 and reenlisted seven times thereafter. Machinist Forster was wounded while serving aboard the cruiser USS VINCENNES and died two days later, being buried at sea from the Australian cruiser CANBERRA. F ORSTER was built as DE-334 by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Limited of Orange, Texas. Her keel was laid on 31 August 1943. FORSTER joined the Atlantic Fleet for active duty in March 1944 where she served as an escort vessel for convoys carrying strategic mater- ials to Africa and Europe. Her first mission was as escort in the screen of convoy UGS 37, enroute from Norfolk, Virginia, to Bizerte, Tunisia. The convoy crossed the Atlantic and entered the Mediterranean Sea without incident, however while steaming in company off the coast of Algeria on 11 April 1944, F ORSTER was attacked by German aircraft. In the action that followed, F ORSTER shot down at least one German aircraft and shared in the killing of at least one other. During this action USS HOLDER QDE-4015, one of the ships in company, was hit by a torpedo and lay dead in the water. FORSTER was ordered to proceed alongside and render assistance. Together F ORSTER's and HOLDER,s guns warded. off continuing air attacks until the wounded men from the stricken ship were transferred to FORSTER. In July 1945, F ORSTER was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. While .on her way to the Pacific war zone, the fighting came to an end. She con tinued, however, to the western Pacific where she served as a unit of Allied Occupaticf, Forces in the Far East. FORSTER was ci dered out of active service and assigned in ax the Reserve Fleet in January 1947. In 1951. ,X she was recommissioned as a U.S. Coas' W Guard weather ship. She served in this capac-W 5131- -x 'I-'T ity until she was again decommissioned on w g . 255' 25 May 1954. 1 l .2 I Q N3 F ORSTER remained as a part of the Re- 5 , serve Fleet until .early 1956 when she began 'sw' R ' a F RAM conversion to a radar picket escort l I 'tg z -I, vessel. As part of her more-than-four-million Nitizcx E. gk V ,VA ' ,L , .- dollar conversion, FORSTER was completely F- ,X :ZS lol. Q , QL ,IM tl y Q niodiernized. and fitted with the latest S-,.,,, X, - I s ,Q Pg: A I -h ass, , o e ectronic equipment needed for her in-nv P Xl' , I 'J ' , s. Ai - ' -- ' job. In addition, the living conditions weve . A ss rl , , its ---. greatly improved and provisions were HV s -- 'A-- i '5 ' the x'?oT--:--:-'I-:' 'ag H fOr better lighting, ventilation, and rec1'eatic:u2l facilities.

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' '- Y Y-- ':5 -1' 'W ' ' Upon completion of her FRAM overhaul in March 1957, FORSTER was transferred from Long Beach Naval Shipyard to Seattle, for duty as an early warning radar picket ship in Escort Squadron FIVE under Commander Naval Forces, Western Continental Air Defense Region. In J une 1958, FORSTER's homeport was changed to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where she became a unit of the Pacific Barrier Force, assigned duty on the Distant Early Warning QDEWJ Line. After serving 28 months in the Barrier Force, FORSTER reported to Commander Destroyer Flotilla ONE for employment as a unit of the U.S. SEVENTH Fleet. While a unit of the SEVENTH Fleet, FORSTER patrolled the Taiwan Straits, operated with Task Group 77.7 and served as Station Ship, Hong Kong. FORSTER also conducted a good will tour in the Philippine Islands visiting San Carlos, Negros, Surigao, Mindanao, Ormoc City, Leyte, and New Washington, Panay. In lVIay 1961 upon completion of her duties with the SEVENTH Fleet, FORSTER re- turned to Pearl Harbor and resumed her operations with the Pacific Barrier Force. On 19 September 1962, Admiral John H. Sides, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet presented the first Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy in the U.S. Pacific Fleet to the Commanding Officer, USS FORSTER, Commander Gordon R. Nagler, USN, for having achieved the greatest improve- ment in Battle Efficiency for the year 1962. On 29 December 1962, FORSTER departed Pearl Harbor, for three months employment in Operation Deep Freeze. After this employ- ment, F ORSTER returned to the Barrier. On 19 December, 1964, LCDR Jack Campbell, USN relieved LCDR .Ioel H. Berry, Jr., USN, of command at Pearl Harbor. On 241 March 1965, F ORSTER was ordered to the western Pacific where she became, one Q . I of the first units to participate in '4lVIarket Time coastal surveillance operations off the l D I coast of South Viet Nam. w, t- H From April through August 1965, FORSTER was assigned as a unit of Task Force 115, the South Vietnamese Coastal Surveillance Force. FORSTER made four Market Time patrols during this period and visited various ports along the coast of South Viet Nam, the I Philippine Islands, and I-Iong Kong. FORSTER departed the western Pacific and returned , N to Pearl Harbor arriving on 19 September 1965. After spending two months in a restricted shipyard availability and tender period, FORS- 55 TER conducted two weeks of type training followed by extensive preparations for de- U ployment. On 28 December 1965, FORSTER again departed Pearl Harbor for deploy- u5,N,T,L ment to the western Pacific where she resumed her duties as a unit of Task Force 115, the - Coastal Surveillance Force. AND NOW . . . I WEST PAC 6 6 an cl Sam, Y., SA, USN, reporting aboard for duty, sir.