Action during WWII
After returning to the states, Fessenden received her first assignment. October 21, 1943 she got underway from New York, bound for Norfolk, Virginia with the New York section of a UGS convoy.. While at Norfolk she acted as a training ship for crews of escorts soon to be commissioned. After a brief stay she set sail for Cristobal in the Canal Zone as an escort for three Navy ships. Arriving at Cristobal, she turned around and returned to Norfolk on November 5, 1943. November 16, 1943 she sailed to New York, escorting the USS Philadelphia, In New York she again started off with the New York section of another UGS convoy on December 2. This time at Norfolk, Fessenden continued on with the convoy to her first Atlantic crossing. The trip to Gibraltar was made without incident, and the convoy was turned over to British escorts on December 21, while the U.S. escorts proceeded to Casablanca in French Morocco.
December 28, 1943 they rejoined the homeward bound convoy at Gibraltar and returned to New York on January 18, 1944. Necessary repairs were made at the New York Navy Yard, and Fessenden was ready to go again. Proceeding to Norfolk on January 29, 1944, she was assigned to escort another convoy to Gibraltar. She left February 2, and on February 18, broke off from the convoy to escort a tanker to Casablanca. Once more she turned around at Casablanca to escort the returning convoy. Again the round trip was made without contacting the enemy, and all ships arrived safely.
The next trip will forever be remembered by all hands. The now familiar pattern continued as Fessenden left Norfolk on April 3, 1944 as an escort for a convoy bound for Bizerte, Tunisia. It was at dusk on April 20, as the convoy was proceeding about three miles off shore nearing Bone, French West Africa, when the attack began. An estimated 18 to 24 German bombers and torpedo planes came in and penetrated the Anti Aircraft barrage. The convoy was hard hit and although not credited with any planes shot down, it was believed that severe damage was inflicted on several before they were driven off. The Escort Commander later commended Fessenden for the intensity of her A.A. barrage. At a later date all hands were awarded a battle star for their European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon.
May 1, 1944, the return voyage was started with another homeward bound convoy. On May 3, one of the escorts, USS Menges was torpedoed while investigating an underwater sound contact astern of the convoy in the early morning. Two hours later USS Fechteler, patrolling just off Fessenden's port beam, was hit. The remainder of the trip was uneventful and May 21 found Fessenden in the New York Navy Yard for repairs. After completing repairs at the Navy Yard and a week of training at Casco Bay, Maine Fessenden sailed for Norfolk. At Norfolk she was assigned to another UGS convoy, a an escort, leaving June 12, 1944. The crossing was without incident and at Gibraltar she left the convoy for a special assignment. The new duty was to escort two Italian submarines captured by the Allies, the Jalea and the Onice to Bermuda. July 2, 1944, just two days out of Gibraltar one of the submarines, the Jalea developed engine trouble and was ordered to return. Proceeding with the Onice, Fessenden arrived at Bermuda on July 16. Alone she proceeded on to New York for the usual availability, arriving July 22. After repairs she went to New London, Connecticut to assist in submarine training, then on' to' Casco bay for intensive refresher training August 3, through September 2, 1944.
September 5, 1944, Fessenden sailed for Norfolk, Virginia, arriving the next day. Here she joined the rest of Escort Division Nine and USS Mission Bay (CVE 59). Anti Submarine warfare had reached a new stage. Not content with merely driving the U-Boats off, Fessenden was part of the "Killer Groups" whose job it was to hunt the enemy and sink them. The submarine hunt started from Norfolk, September 8, 1944, as the group sailed south. On September 13, between Bermuda and the U.S. coast, Fessenden encountered a hurricane in which the DD USS Warrington, with her crew of 20 officers and 301 men capsized and sank. All but 5 officers and 68 men were lost. They continued across the Atlantic and arrived at Dakar, West Africa on September 20, 1944, for a day of refueling. No one was allowed to go ashore due to an outbreak of bubonic plague. Then the group began operations south of the Cape Verde Islands. A submarine was caught on the surface by airplanes a few days later, but before surface ships could get a chance at her, she shot two planes down and submerged.
In the afternoon of September 30, 1944, USS Howard, USS Blakely and USS Fessenden gained contact. Fessenden being the closest of the DE's, under command of LCDR William Dobbs, assisted by Sound Officer, LT Sol Blatt Jr., made her first attack on the enemy at 1630, scoring four direct hits with ahead thrown charges from her Mark 10 projectors, and the German submarine, U-1062 was sunk at Latitude 11-36 N. and Longitude 34-44 W. However with Assistant Gunnery Officer, ENS Alvan Finn stationed on the Fantail with the depth charges, she dropped 17 depth charges as the 3 DE's in a line, laid down a slow barrage. Oil bubbled to the surface and continued for several days. No debris was recovered. as the Fessenden and Howard attempted to regain contact in the area of the ever increasing oil slick. October 6, the search was discontinued. Later wire recording indicated the submarine had broken up and sunk. The original Class "C" assessment was changed to Class "B" and all personnel aboard were awarded a baffle star. This was Fessenden's first "Kill".
The group continued its anti-submarine patrols in the South Atlantic. After rejoining the task group, operations were continued. October 12, 1944 they entered the realm of Neptunus Rex. All hands were duly initiated with the traditional ceremony into the Order of the Deep. October 14, Fessenden and USS Howard put into Recife, Brazil for refueling and provisioning while the remainder of the group went to Bahia, Brazil for the same purpose. Rejoining the task group at Bahia, they proceeded With antisubmarine operations in the South Atlantic. No contacts were made and the group arrived at Capetown, South Africa for refueling. October 30, turning back to Racife, operations were continued but without success. From Recife the group continued on to New York arriving November 20, 1944. On this trip the ship traveled about 30,000 miles in less than three months and sunk her first submarine. (At the end of this history, see deck log and war diary of USS Mission Bay for September 30, 1944, Fessenden's battle report, and related reports on the sinking of the German submarine)
Necessary repairs were made and Fessenden proceeded in company with Escort Division Nine to rejoin USS Mission Bay in Norfolk on December 17, 1944. From Norfolk the task group went to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Here intensive training exercises were held until January 15, 1945. On January 19, Fessenden and USS Farquhar were detached to report to Naval Training Center, Miami, Florida for duty as training ship. Those duties were completed February 8, and the two ships rejoined the task group and returned to Guantanamo the 15th of February, the group left Guantanamo under sealed orders.
After crossing the Atlantic, they turned around and started to provide air coverage for another group astern. Arriving at Bermuda on February 27, 1945, the mission being completed, it was learned that the other group was the President of the United States, and his party returning from Yalta. At Bermuda the ship had ten days of rest and recreation highlighted by a visit to the ship by Colonel and Mrs. R.K. Fessenden, USA (Retired), son of the man for whom the ship was named. March 6, 1945, the ship was detached and proceeded to New York with USS Howard and USS Blakely for another Navy Yard availability.
The availability over, Fessenden rejoined the task group at Norfolk on March 24, 1945. This time the group proceeded to North Atlantic waters, putting into Argentia, Newfoundland for logistics. Then in conjunction with several other task groups, they set up a barrier patrol to head off all German submarines in these waters. April 24, 1045, one of the planes crashed attempting to land on USS Mission Bay while the group was at flight stations. Fessenden moved up to take the survivors aboard. One survivor was just about to go down as Robert E. Jewell, U.S.N., of Detroit, Michigan, leaped into the icy water and supported him until they were both brought aboard. For this, Jewell was later awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. The next day the ship put into Argentia for fuel and provisions.
A few days later the barrier patrol was resumed. With the cessation of hostilities in Europe, the task group proceeded to New York, with Fessenden tying up in the Navy Yard Annex in Bayonne, New Jersey. May 24, 1945, Fessenden left Bayonne and reported for duty at the submarine Base in New London, Connecticut to assist in submarine training. After a week of this duty, she joined the USS Mission Bay at Quonset Point, Rhode Island as an escort during carrier qualification operations. June 8, 1945 found the ship in the New York Navy Yard for repairs.
June 20, 1945, LCDR Harold N. Poulson, USNR, relieved LCDR William A. Dobbs, USNR as Commanding Officer. June 28,1945, upon completion of repairs, Fessenden, in company of USS H.C. Jones (DE 137) and USS Blakely (DE 140) left New York bound for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. At Guantanamo Bay, Fessenden had a two week period of refresher training. July 16, 1945, in company with Escort Division 9, she proceeded on to the Pacific. Through the Panama Canal, north to San Diego, California, then across to Pearl Harbor, T.H., she sailed. At Pearl Harbor the ship had two weeks more of training exercises, leaving August 27, reroute Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands.
September 14, 1945, Fessenden left Eniwetok and sailed to Majuro Atoll, also in the Marshalls where she was assigned to guard a Japanese garrison at Wotje, and on September 17, Fessenden Commanding Officer, LCDR Harold N. Poison, relieved the Commanding Officer of USS Baron as Atoll Commander, Majuro's representative for the Japanese Naval garrison at Wotie. Fessenden accepted the surrender of the Japanese on Wojtie, numbering about 2000 Japanese commanded by an Admiral, and an equal number of Korean (slaves for the Japanese). For two years the only contact these troops had with Japan had been by radio. The U.S. Flag was raised on the island and Fessenden continued to lay at Wotje to supervise it's demilitarization and the evacuation of the Japanese to return to Japan.
Until it's duty was completed November 30, and once again Fessenden was badly in need of repairs. December 4, 1945, Fessenden left Wotje, calling at Majuro Atoll, Kwajalein Atoll, and Then finally arriving at Eniwetok where repairs could be made prior to next assignment January 4, 1946, Fessenden cleared Eniwetok, bound for San Diego, New York and Green Cove Springs, Florida. March 31, 1946, Lieutenant H.E. Garvey, USNR, assumed command from LCDR Poulson, USN. Then on June 24, 1946, USS Fessenden (DE 142) was decommissioned and assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs, Florida.