USS Forster (DER-334)

USS Forster (DER-334) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, named for Naval Aviation Pilot First Class John H. Forster, who was killed in action during the Battle of Midway. Commissioned in 1943, the ship served primarily in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, providing vital convoy escort and anti-submarine warfare support. Following the war, she was converted into a radar picket ship (DER) and served in the Atlantic Barrier as part of the Continental Air Defense Command's early warning network during the Cold War.

Construction and commissioning

The vessel's keel was laid down on 4 May 1943 by the Consolidated Steel Corporation at their shipyard in Orange, Texas. She was launched on 1 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. John H. Forster, the widow of the ship's namesake. The ship was commissioned as USS *Forster* (DE-334) on 30 November 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander R. S. Paret, United States Naval Reserve. Her construction was part of the massive Emergency Shipbuilding Program initiated to counter the threat posed by German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Service history

Following shakedown training near Bermuda, *Forster* was assigned to Task Force 63 for transatlantic convoy escort duty. From February 1944 through May 1945, she made eight round-trip voyages between New York City and various Mediterranean Sea ports, including Bizerte, Oran, and Naples, protecting vital supply lines for the Allied invasion of Sicily, the Allied invasion of Italy, and the invasion of Southern France. Her duties involved screening against Kriegsmarine submarines and defending against attacks by the Luftwaffe. After Victory in Europe Day, she underwent overhaul at the Boston Navy Yard and was then assigned to training duties out of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

In 1951, *Forster* entered the Charleston Naval Shipyard for conversion into a radar picket destroyer escort, redesignated DER-334. This major refit involved installing advanced AN/SPS-6 and AN/SPS-8 air search radars and enhanced communications equipment to serve as a seagoing radar station. From 1954 to 1960, she was a mainstay of the Atlantic Barrier, operating on extended patrol lines stretching from Newfoundland to the Azores under the operational control of the Continental Air Defense Command. Her mission was to provide early warning of potential Soviet bomber attacks against the United States during the height of the Cold War.

Decommissioning and fate

With the advent of more advanced airborne early warning systems and the deployment of the Distant Early Warning Line, the need for surface radar pickets diminished. USS *Forster* was decommissioned on 1 July 1960 at the Boston Naval Shipyard. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. She was transferred to the United States Maritime Administration and placed in the James River Reserve Fleet near Fort Eustis, Virginia. After several years in reserve, the hull was sold on 20 January 1967 to the Boston Metals Company of Baltimore, Maryland, and subsequently scrapped.

Awards and recognition

For her World War II service, USS *Forster* earned one battle star, authorized for participation in convoy escort operations supporting the Allied invasion of Sicily. Her crew was eligible for the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. Her prolonged Cold War service in the Atlantic Barrier was recognized with the National Defense Service Medal.

Category:Edsall-class destroyer escorts Category:Ships built in Texas Category:World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Category:1943 ships