Howard D. Crow DE-252

Howard D. Crow

(DE-252: dp. 1,200; 1. 306'; b. 30'7"; dr. 8'7"; s. 21 k.; cgl. 186; a. 3 3", 2 40mm., 8 20mm., 2 dct., 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (h.h.), 3 21" tt.; cl Edsall)

Howard D. Crow (DE-252) was launched by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex., 26 April 1943; sponsored by Miss Viola Elaine Warner; and commissioned 27 September 1943, Lt. Comdr. D. T. Adams, USCG, in command.

Manned by the Coast Guard, Howard D. Crow conducted shakedovm training out of Bermuda during October and November, reporting to Norfolk for convoy duty 1 December. The destroyer escort sailed with her first convoy 15 December, saw it safely to Casablanca, and returned to New York 24 January 1944. In the months that followed Howard D. Crow made 10 arduous escort voyages to British ports, protecting the supplies which sustained the great land offensive which was to end the war with Germany.

The destroyer escort was berthed at New York when Germany surrendered 8 May 1946, and after extensive refresher training in the Caribbean sailed from Guantanamo Bay for the Pacific War 2 July. Arriving Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal 25 July, Eoward D. Crow continued into the western Pacific for a tour of vital weather-reporting duty, so important to the operation of the great fleets. She sailed from Midway 13 December 1945, and after stopping at the Panama Canal and New York arrived Green Cove Springs, 15 March 1946. She decommissioned 22 May 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

With the Korean conflict came greater demands on the far-flung Navy, and Howard D. Crow recommissioned 6 July 1951 with a Navy crew. After shakedown training she reported to Key West as Sonar ~School training ship, helping develop new equipment and tactics in antisubmarine warfare. Moving north to Newport in 1952, the ship took part in fleet antisubmarine exercises off the coast. For the next 6 years Howard D. Crow followed this pattern of operations—antisubmarine training, exercises in the Atlantic and Carthhean, and periodic overhauls. In 1957 she took part in important NATO exercises with almost 50 ships from a dozen countries and in 1958 the versatile ship acted as communications ship during a successful Jupiter nose-cone recovery off Puerto Rico.

Howard D. Crow was assigned to Galveston, Tex., as reserve training ship in September 1958. In this capacity she conducted 2-week training cruises for reservisks, and at the same time maintained the ship in a high state of readiness for any emergency. Her periodic training cruises took the escort vessel to Key West and the Caribbean. In August 1961, however, the Berlin situation worsened, and Howard D. Crow was one of several reserve training ships returned to active service to increase the nation's readiness. She conducted refresher training at Guantanamo Bay and operated with the fleet in the Atlantic and Caribbean until August 1962.

The ship returned to reserve training duty 1 August 1962, again based at Galveston. She continued through 1963 into 1967 to provide at-sea training for naval reservists so vital in keeping America's defenses at the highest possible level of training and skill.