History:
HOLT (DE-706), a destroyer
escort, was laid down 28 Nov 1943, launched by Defoe
Shipbuilding Co. of Bay City, Mich., 15 February 1944; sponsored
by Mrs. Robert Holt, mother of the namesake, and commissioned at
New Orleans, La., 9 June 1944, Lt. Comdr. Victor Blue
commanding.
HOLT conducted her shakedown
cruise off Bermuda and after a short stay in Boston reported to
Norfolk, Va., 8 August 1944. Until 19 August she helped carry
out shallow water tests in the Patuxent River, Md. and then
joined Escort Division 74 at Norfolk. HOLT screened escort
carriers WAKE ISLAND (CVE-65) and MISSION BAY (CVE-59) from
Norfolk to Newport, R.I., and departed 5 September 1944 on
antisubmarine operations along the Eastern seaboard. She came
upon the torpedoed Liberty Ship SS GEORGE ADE 12 September and
joined in the search for the U-boat which had attacked her. The
search had to be called off, however, as a hurricane approached
the next day. HOLT returned to Norfolk, and after escorting
coastal convoys to Boston and New York, sailed from Norfolk for
the Pacific.
The escort and her division
transited the Panama Canal 23 October and arrived Hollandia, New
Guinea via the Galapagos and Society Islands 21 November. The
ship then became a unit of the 7th Fleet and departed 28
November to join carrier forces in Leyte Gulf providing
protection for the vital military operations ashore. She
completed this duty 11 December, and steamed with a convoy
toward Mindoro for the establishment of a motor torpedo base on
that island. During this invasion, an important step in the
retaking of the Philippines, HOLT's gunfire protected her supply
convoy and shot down several planes attempting to attack the
invasion forces during the landings 15 December. The destroyer
returned to Leyte with a convoy 17 December and remained in San
Pedro Bay until 22 December 1944.
HOLT's next duty was guarding
supply ships on the voyage to Hollandia, and after a stop at
Manus Island, she got underway once more from Hollandia 8
January 1945 with the resupply convoy for Lingayen Gulf.
Steaming by way of San Pedro Bay, the task group reached
Lingayen 21 January, and HOLT began antisubmarine patrol in
support of troop movements ashore. She remained in the gulf
until 27 January, downing a suicide plane which nearly crashed
her 23 January and provided protection for the convoys off the
beaches.
Departing Lingayen 27
January, HOLT arrived San Pedro Bay 1 February, and after
escorting another convoy to Lingayen Gulf entered
recently-liberated Subic Bay 12 February 1945. HOLT served as an
escort to and from the harbor entrance until she steamed from
Subic Bay 27 March to aid in one of the final operations for the
securing of Luzon. Arriving off Legaspi 1 April, HOLT provided
fire support during the landing that day and then returned to
Subic Bay to convoy supporting forces back to Legaspi for the
landings 7-8 April. Possession of this area allowed American
forces to control the shores of San Bernadino Strait, thus
shortening the supply routes from Leyte Gulf to the assault
areas on the western shores of the Philippines.
Returning to San Pedro Bay,
HOLT next steamed to Morotai to join a convoy in support of the
assault on Taraken Island, Borneo. The first target in the
series of Borneo landings, Taraken was taken by Australian
forces under Marine and Navy air support 1 May, and HOLT arrived
with supply ships 5 days later. The ship was forced to remain
constantly on the alert for suicide swimmers and limpet mines
while in the roads, but departed Borneo safely 9 May for San
Pedro Bay.
After repairs in floating
drydock, HOLT was assigned to weather patrol, and cruised the
eastern South China Sea sending reports to help guide movements
of the vast fleets then operating in the Pacific. On this duty
until 18 December 1945, she departed that date with 75 persons
on board for San Francisco via the Marshalls and Pearl Harbor,
arriving 9 January 1946.
Decommissioned 2 July 1946,
HOLT was assigned to San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet,
until December 1962, when she began preparations for transfer to
a foreign country. Loaned to the Republic of Korea 19 June 1963
under the Military Assistance Program, she serves as CHUNG NAM
(DE-73). Purchased outright by South Korea on 15 November 1974,
CHUNG NAM’s hull number was changed to DE-821 in 1980. She
was deleted on 31 January 1984.
HOLT received two battle
stars for World War II service.
Please contact
webmaster if you
have (official) relevant information. |
|
|
