In 1951 Fessenden
was sent to Boston Naval shipyard, Boston, Massachusetts for conversion to a
DER. Conversion from World War 11 Destroyer Escort to Destroyer Escort Radar
Picket Ship consisted of enlarging the ship's "Nerve Center" - Combat
Information Center - to handle data fed by the new Air Search; Surface Search;
and Height Finder radars. The center portion of the main deck had to be enclosed
and superstructure added to provide living quarters for the 160 man crew. These
modifications added more than 400 tons to the ship's displacement. She would now
in addition to being small, be more top heavy, rougher riding, far from
comfortable, and would be required to remain on station regardless of weather
conditions. The Edsall DER conversion consisted of adding an SPS-6 long-range air
search radar, an SPS-8 height-finding radar, an SPS-4 surface search radar modified for "zenith search" (directly above the ship), IFF (identification
friend or foe) equipment, an aircraft homing beacon, electronic surveillance systems, and additional communications. Later upgrades
replaced the SPS-6 air search radar with the SPS-12, thereafter the SPS-28;
the SPS-8 height-finding radar with the improved SPS-8B; the SPS-4 surface and zenith search radar with the SPS-10 surface search radar; and the
aircraft homing beacon with TACAN (tactical air navigation). The Edsall
DERs carried a crew of 150 men, and their diesel engines gave them tremendous endurance, an operating range of 11,500 nautical miles at eleven
knots. The design was not without problems: the DERs were crowded,
difficult to steer at speeds below eight knots, and had very little reserve buoyancy (for stability in a flooded condition). However, these limitations
did not detract from the outstanding operational performance of the DERs, which provided significant capability in an economical package.
March 4,1952, USS Fessenden (DER 142) was recommissioned. The DERs were organized into four escort squadrons, two on each coast. In the Atlantic Fleet, CORTRONs 16 and 18 were
home ported in Newport and docked at Goat Island. They patrolled the Atlantic Contiguous Barrier from 1954 until relieved of that duty by the AGRs in the late 1950s. These DERs patrolled the Atlantic Barrier from July 1956 until July 1961.
Six DERs, the Harveson, Joyce, Strickland, Kirkpatrick, Fessenden and the
Ottersteter formed Destroyer Escort squadron 16.
First to command after conversion was LCDR Emery L. Burgess, USN. Present at the ceremonies were Rear Admiral J.L. McCrea, USK then COMONE and Captain P.D. Gold, Jr., USN, then COMNAVSHIPYDBSN. Following her reactivation Fessenden was sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for "shakedown, and antisubmarine training out of Key West, Florida. Following this training Fessenden returned to her home port in Newport, Rhode Island to assume her duties patrolling the DEW (Distant Early Warning) Line in the North Atlantic.
Goat Island was the home base for DERs in Newport. This was the site of the former torpedo station. The ferry landing can be seen to the left of the DERs at the dock.
Upon return, Fessenden began operations under COMEASTSEAFRON in connection with CONAD, (Continental Air Defense). During the period July 1952 to December 1953 she participated in special exercises "Springboard and Red Light'. August 8, 1953, LCDR E. L. Burgess, USN, was relieved of command by LCDR Jewett A. Baldridge, USN.
December 16, 1953, Fessenden entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for routine overhaul, followed by refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. June 7, 1954, having completed training, Fessenden returned from Guantanamo Bay to Newport, Rhode Island, and resumed her regular operating schedule. February 27, 1956, CDR J.A. Baldridge, USN, was relieved by LCDR Floyd D. Smith, USN who held command until November 26, 1956 when he was relieved by LCDR John W. Glover, USN.
June 1956, Fessenden was in Chelsea Naval Shipyard, Boston, Massachusetts for repairs and maintenance, followed by Shakedown and Anti Submarine training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. September 1956, Fessenden returned to Radar Picket duty in the North Atlantic. She returned from her sea patrols only for maintenance and refresher training, which included a trip to Hamilton, Bermuda. For the most part, picket duty was long, bore some, and both mentally and physically tiring.
February 1957 was a "Picket to remember'. Battling hurricane force winds for five days in the North Atlantic, the engines failed several times, fuel contaminated the fresh water holding tanks, the heating systems broke down and food also spoiled. During this time Green Water showed on the windshield of the Pilot House, a roll of 63 degrees was recorded, and a wave completely tore the port 20 MM gun tub apart and the gun was lost.
May 1957, Fessenden was assigned to locate and escort the Mayflower 11 on her voyage to America. This proved to be no easy task, then when located, no official mention was ever made regarding Fessenden's part in the search. The radar picket stations on the Contiguous Barrier were originally patrolled by DERs. The DERs were withdrawn on 31 March 1960 in favor of radar picket ships (AGRs), which had been converted from Liberty-type cargo vessels between 1957 and 1959.
July 15,1957, Fessenden, along with USS Strickland (DER 333), USS Joyce (DER 317), USS Harveson (DER 316) and USS Brister (DER 327) set sail from Newport, Rhode Island heading for their new home port, Pearl Harbor, T.H., stopping at Ciudad Trujillo, in the Dominican Republic, then through the Panama Canal to Balboa for a 4 day layover before continuing to San Diego, California. Following a two week stay in San Diego, she continued on, arriving at Pearl Harbor on August 18, 1957. These five DERs; plus two already in the Pacific, pioneered Escort Squadron 7, and CORTRON Seven was commissioned.
Fessenden's job now would be to help close the 1500 mile window of attack on the west coast of the United States by patrolling the Pacific from Midway Island to Alaska, along with Radar Patrol Aircraft. Between August 1957 and July 1958 she made stops at Hilo, Hawaii, and Kodiak, Alaska. June 1958, Fessenden entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for extensive overhaul. During this period her Bridge was completely rebuilt and moved forward, and on July 12, 1958, CDR John W. Glover, USN, was relieved of command by LCDR Richard L. Ploss, USN. After completion and more training, Fessenden resumed her normal duties. October 26, 1959, LCDR Louis J. Collister, USN, Relieved LCDR R.L. Ploss, USN. as Commanding Officer.
March 18,
1960, Fessenden left the Hawaiians for San Francisco, California, and on June
30, 1960 she was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Stockton, California.
September 1, 1966, Fessenden was stricken from the rolls, and finally on
December 20, 1967, USS Fessenden (DER 142) was expended as a target, being sent
to her final resting place by a torpedo. USS Fessenden (DE 142) and USS
Fessenden (DER 142) and the men who sailed her did the job that was asked of
them, and did it well, and definitely earned their place in Naval History.
On December 20, 1967, Current was assigned to the Pearl Harbor Fleet Training Group to assist in a gunnery training exercise. In a
scripted training exercise, Current towed the decommissioned USS Fessenden DER-142 from Pearl Harbor to the Hawaiian Area
Naval Gunnery Range, approximately sixty miles southwest of Oahu. In the coordinated exercise, Current set the Fessenden adrift and
took a pre-determined station to observe the gunnery drill. The Fessenden was the target of a series of missiles, and gun fire from
destroyers and a torpedo from a submarine. Each of the destroyers was given the opportunity to fire on the Fessenden with no apparent
direct hits. Because the ship was still afloat after the gunnery training, a submarine surfaced near Current's station then quickly submerged.
A few minutes later the submarine fired a torpedo at the stricken ship. The Fessenden was hit amidships. In a tremendous ball of fire, the
main mast fell and the ship apparently broke in half then quickly sank.
***
*** From the History of USS Current ARS 22 (a rescue salvage ship).