History of USS Eversole
DE 404

January 26, 1944
EVERSOLE draft called and assembled at Unit X, Norfolk, Virginia our address while in training: Unit B DE 404 USNTS Norfolk 11, Virginia.

February 24 & 25, 1944
EVERSOLE crew taken by Navy bus to Virginia Beach for training cruises aboard a diesel powered destroyer escort.

February 26 to March 6, 1944
EVERSOLE crew on leave.

March 14, 1944
EVERSOLE crew departs Norfolk enroute Houston, Texas. Ensign Calvin I. Light, Assistant Engineer is in charge.

March 16, 1944
Arrived Houston, Texas. We are assigned to the YMCA. No liberty for those on the restricted list. We went anyway and were relieved to hear that someone had tossed all the I.D. cards out the window.

March 17, 1944
Navy bus takes us to the Brown Shipbuilding yards on the Houston ship channel. We saw the USS EVERSOLE DE 404 for the first time. She is a beauty. Captain Marix inspected the crew and excused all restrictions and Captain's reports.

March 21, 1944
Moored at the Tennessee Coal & Iron Corporation docks Houston, Texas. The USS EVERSOLE DE 404 is commissioned and crew went aboard to live. Lt. Cmdr. George E. Marix USN assumed command. Got underway to tie up near a railroad siding and began loading stores and ammo. A starboard K-gun accidentally discharged and propelled a depth charge onto the dock.

March 23, 1944
Underway to San Jacinto ammunition depot. Tied up at a railroad siding and commenced loading ammo.

March 25, 1944
Ceased loading ammo.

March 26, 1944
Underway from San Jacinto ammunition depot through the Houston ship channel. Arrived Galveston, Texas.

April 7, 1944
Underway from Galveston, Texas enroute Bermuda, BWI, to begin the shakedown cruise. In company with the USS DENNIS, DE 405.

April 12, 1944
Enroute Bermuda. Radar contact dead ahead. IFF showed no reply. Went to general quarters and proceeded to investigate contact with all engines ahead full. Closed in on target at 23 knots and fired two rounds of starshells in an attempt to identify the target. Target was not illuminated. Challenged target using merchant ship challenge. Challenge improperly answered. The unknown ship, later identified as the merchant ship SS ESSO SPRINGFIELD fired one round at the USS EVERSOLE. We fired two rounds of starshells. The target fired at us a second time. We illuminated with a 24 inch searchlight. The captain's belief that the ship might be a fast surface raider was strengthened when the target fired a third shot at us. We doused the searchlight and turned 90 degrees away from target with all guns and torpedo tubes on the ready. We sighted the unidentified target on the port bow and fired four rounds of starshells. Target fired three shots at us. The first shot passed over the stern, the second shot passed over the stack and the third just missed number one 5 inch gun mount AA. Soon after the identity of the ship was established and a tragedy was narrowly averted.

April 13, 1944
Arrived at Bermuda, BWI and dropped anchor in Great Sound, Hamilton. Later moored alomgside the USS HAMUL AD20.

May 10, 1944
Shakedown completed. Departed Bermuda, BWI enroute Boston , Massachusetts. In company with the USS DENNIS DE 405.

May 12, 1944
Arrived Boston U.S. Navy yard and entered the Marine railway.

May 15, 1944
Departed marine railway and moored in Charleston Navy yard.

May 20, 1944
Departed Boston enroute Hampton Roads, Virginia in company with the USS DENNIS DE 405.

May 22, 1944
Arrived Norfolk, Virginia NOB and moored alongside the USS DENNIS DE 405. Refueled and departed Hampton Roads in company with DE 405 escorting the USS ARLINGTON AP174 to Panama.

May 28, 1944
Arrived at Colon, Panama canal zone.

May 29, 1944
Passed through the canal and moored alongside the DE 405 at Balboa.

May 30, 1944
Departed Balboa enroute San Diego in company with DE 405.

June 6, 1944
Arrived San Diego and moored at Naval repair base. Several CVE's were moored close by.

June 13, 1944
Underway for Pearl Harbor, T.H. In company with DE 405. SOPA in DENNIS DE 405. Escorting Windham Bay CVE 92.

June 19, 1944
Arrived Pearl Harbor. Attacked by Gruman avengers which unleashed torpedoes with dummy war heads, one hitting our bow causing slight damage. Moored at the DE docks in Pearl Harbor.

June 21, 1944
Underway for submarine exercises with the USS NEEDLEFISH.

June 26, 1944
Underway from Pearl Harbor enroute Eniwetok, M.I. escorting SS CAPE COD.

June 30, 1944
Crossed the international date line. 180 degrees meridian.

July 2, 1944
Arrived at Eniwetok, Marshall Islands.

July 5, 1944
Departed Eniwetok, M.I. enroute Pearl Harbor, T.H.

July 8, 1944
Crossed the international date line. 180 degrees meridian. Spotted a free floating mine and fired at it for 45 minutes. Outcome in doubt. Still not sure it was sunk. Radar contact was made on a target and general quarters was set. Target was identified as the USS ARCTIC AF7 bound for Pearl Harbor. We escorted her through the night.

July 11, 1944
Arrived at Pearl Harbor and moored at the DE docks.

July 15, 1944
Underway from Pearl Harbor enroute Eniwetok, M.I. in company with USS PREBLE DM 20, escorting convoy consisting of SS TOMAHAWK AO 88, SS CAPE CLEAR. SS FAIRLAND, SS MARSHFIELD VICTORY, and USS MISSISSINEWA A059.

July 20, 1944
Crossed the 180th meridian.

July 23, 1944
SS CAPE CLEAR left the convoy to be escorted by USS PREBLE DM20 through Gea Pass, Kwajalein, M.I. DM20 rejoined convoy.

July 24, 1944
Arrived at Eniwetok, M.I. Underway from Eniwetok to Majuro, M.I. in convoy with USS SALEM, CM11, SS ROBERT C. LUTTLE, SS JOHN D. ARCHIBALD.

July 25, 1944
Left convoy to return to Eniwetok.

July 26, 1944
Arrived at Eniwetok, M.I.

July 31, 1944
Underway patrolling outside Eniwetok Harbor.

August 1, 1944
Continued patrolling Eniwetok Sighted USS WYFFELS APD 6 on collision course. APD 6 hit our stern a glancing blow. No damage sustained.

August 2, 1944
Relieved of patrol by USS FAIR DE 35. Returned to anchorage at Eniwetok, M.I.

August 9, 1944
Uderway for Manus Island, Admiralties as escort for carrier division 22 plus USS MIDWAY, CVE63. Escorts USS BULL DE 402, USS DENNIS DE 405, and USS SHELTON DE 407. Cardiv 22 includes USS SANGAMON CVE 26, USS SANTEE CVE 29, USS SUWANEE CVE 27 and USS CHEANAGO CVE 28.

August 12, 1944
Underway for Manus Island. Attempted to refuel from the USS SANTEE but were pulled in by propeller suction and sideswiped SANTEE, causing minor damage to our rigging and hull. Left fueling position. Returned to fueling position alongside SANTEE. Completed fueling operation. Crossed the equator. The entire crew are now shellbacks.

August 14, 1944
Arrived at Manus Island and moored alongside DE 405. Shifted berths to moor alongside USS MEDUSA AR1 in Seeadler harbor.

August 26, 1944
Underway in company with USS DENNIS for anti submarine exercises with SS 157 ( S47 ). Returned to Seeadler Harbor.

September 1, 1944
Moored starboard side to USS DENNIS DE 405 in Seeadler Harbor.

September 2, 1944
USS RICHARD M. ROWELL DE 403 arrived Manus and is now moored along our port side. The entire cort. Div. 63 is now together for the first time. We are the first complete division of five-inch DE's to report for duty in the pacific theatre and the first division of DE's assigned to screen a group of CVE's providing direct air support for amphibious operations.

September 10, 1944
Enroute with TG 77 for the invasion of Mortai Island in the Halmaheras. Underway through Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island, with Cort Division 63 & Car Division 22 in two units. Task unit 77.1 consisting of CVE's SANGAMON, CVE 26, SUWANEE, CVE 27, CHENANGO, CVE 28 & SANTEE, CVE29. Escorts: BULL, DE 402, DENNIS, DE 405, BUTLER, DE 339 & RAYMOND, DE 311. Task Unit 77.2 consisting of CVE's FANSHAW BAY, CVE 70 & MIDWAY, CVE 63. Escorts: ROWELL, DE 403, EVERSOLE, DE 404, EDMONDS, DE 406 & SHELTON, DE 407.

September 15, 1944
D-Day at Mortai Island in the Halmaheras. MacArthurs amphibious forces landed. Carriers of Car Division launched their planes at 0530 for first strikes. At 0715 cruisers & destroyers shelled shore installations. Our planes provided air cover for the construction of airfields at Morotai. During the night, Task Units 77.1 & 77.2 made nightly sweeps toward Mindanao in the Phillipines.

September 19, 1944
Fueled from the USS SUWANEE CVE 27.

September 25, 1944
CVE's USS SUWANEE & USS CHENANGO escorted by DE's BUTLER & RAYMOND left the formation and retired to Manus.

September 26, 1944
Screening CVE's SANGAMON & SANTEE in company with other escorts of escort Division 63. EVERSOLE fueled from the USS SANGAMON.

September 27, 1944
USS BULL DE 402 came alongside to receive our outgoing mail. USS FANSHAW BAY & USS MIDWAY rejoin formation. USS SANGAMON, USS SANTEE, DE 405 & DE 402 left formation to retire to Manus Island. Ships of Task Unit 77.2 remain at Morotai. CVE's FANSHAW BAY & MIDWAY. Escorts: ROWELL DE 403, EVERSOLE, DE 404, EDMONDS DE 406 & SHELTON, DE 407.

October 3, 1944
At 0807, japanese sub, RO-41 fired several torpedoes at our unit. They passed astern of DE 404 and headed for the carriers, barely missing USS MIDWAY as she took evasive action. One continued on to hit the DE 407 SHELTON's stern, killing 13 & wounding 23. The DE 403 attacked & destroyed a sub thought to be japanese, but later proved to be the USS SEAWOLF SS 197. The DE 403 took off the crew of the DE 407, which was then taken under tow. While under tow, she capsized & later that day was sunk by gunfire from the USS LANG, DD 399. Task Unit 77.2 retire to Manus.

October 7, 1944
USS EVERSOLE, DE 404 with Task Unit 77.2 arrived at Manus Island having been at sea continuously for 27 days.

Ocotber 12, 1944
Underway for the invasion of the Phillipines at Leyte. Our Task Group is 77.4 and our Task Unit 77.4.1 " Taffy 1 " includes: CVE's SANGAMON, SUWANNEE, CHENANGO, SANTEE, SAGINAW BAY & PETROF BAY. Escorts: USS McCORD DD 534, USS TRATHEN DD 530, USS HAZELWOOD DD 531, USS RICHARD S. BULL DD 402, USS ROWELL DD 403, USS EVERSOLE DE 404, USS EDMONDS DE 406 & USS COOLBAUGH DE 217.

October 14, 1944
Task Group 77.4 runs into the outer edge of a typhoon carrying winds of over 60 knots.

October 16, 1944
Number 2 engine room turbine bearing burns out. Engine room crews try to repair it, but the spare inserts were the wrong size. That same bearing, at a trial run in Boston, burned out and scored the shaft which had to be ground down.

Ocotber 17, 1944
Fighting 60 knot gale winds and 48 degree rolls on just one screw. As the EVERSOLE steadily dropped astern of the Task Unit, Captain Marix requested permission to leave for repairs. Request was denied until later that day when DE 404 departed for Kossol Roads in the Palau Group. Rangers landed this day on Suluan & Dinagat Islands near Leyte.

October 19, 1944
Arrived at Kossol Roads, Palau. Repair ship provides new bearing inserts. We refueled from the USS KANAKEE AO 39. The USS BOUNTIFUL AH 9 was refueling from the opposite side of the tanker at the same time. We got a good look at the pretty nurses.

October 20 ,1944
Departed Palau with number 2 engine back on line.

October 22, 1944
Arrived at Leyte to commence screening the carriers of " TAFFY ONE ". We are in support of the PANAON attack group, which had landed on that small Island.

October 24, 1944
A pilot, who we had been rescued earlier when his plane went into the ocean just short of the SANTEE's flight deck, was returned to that ship by means of a breeches buoy from the EVERSOLE.

October 25, 1944
A large japanese fleet attacks " TAFFY 3". The battle of Leyte Gulf begins. The first organized kamikaze attacks hit "TAFFY 1". At 0740, a zeke smashed through USS SANTEE's flight deck into the hangar deck, killing and wounding 27. The EVERSOLE was screening SANTEE at the time. At 0756, the japanese sub I-56 fired a torpedo which passed under the EVERSOLE, DE 404 to hit SANTEE's starboard side. Another kamikaze narrowly missed the USS PETROF BAY and another, hit by a 5-inch shell while diving on the SANGAMON, caused three casualties on that ship. At 0804, a zeke smashed through SUWANEE's flight deck and exploded in the hangar deck. Late that afternoon, the DE's 402 and 404 were ordered to San Bernardino Strait, the scene of the battle off Leyte, to search for survivors.

October 27, 1944
The EVERSOLE and BULL reached the assigned area and searched for 36 hours for survivors but, because they were given inaccurate positions, found nothing. Early this morning they were ordered to return to their screening positions with TAFFY 1. Being short of fuel, they were ordered to Leyte's San Pedro harbor. The BULL, and EVERSOLE arrived in San Pedro, where the DE 404 commenced fueling from the liberty ship, SS SAMUEL K. BARLOW. With fueling nearing completion, the air raid alert sounded and Captain Marix decided to abort the fueling. Lines securing the hoses to the manifolds were cut and the hoses, still sputing oil, slithered into the sea. The 404 made a hasty withdrawl from the side of the SS BARLOW and departed in a line of DD's and DE's heading out of the harbor. The DD's having radar controlled 5" 38's were firing at the jap planes. We cleared Leyte at 1900, changing speed to 235 RPM, 15 knots. I had the throttle in Number 1 engine room on the 8-12 watch and did not record any speed changes and there were no apparent evasive actions.

October 28, 1944
At 0230 contact was made by radar on an unidentified object. Seconds later the EVERSOLE was hit with two torpedoes fired by a japanese submarine, later presumed to be the I-45. We were 40 miles east of Leyte, P.I., ( 10.18N, 127.37E ) at the time. The ship remained afloat for about 15 minutes before plunging stern first into the 7-mile deep MARIANAS TRENCH. The survivors drifted over her ruptured fuel tanks and soon were immersed in heavy black fuel oil. A short time later the sub surfaced and began strafing survivors. An underwater explosion from an undetermined source, killed or wounded many of the men in the water. About three hours later, The USS BULL enroute to rejoin TAFFY ONE, came upon the 404's heavy oil slicks and just missed running into the survivors. She radioed for help and stood by until the USS WHITEHURST DE 634 arrived on the scene to locate and sink the I-45. The DE 402 meanwhile picked up all 136 survivors. Houdek and Tomassi died aboard that ship and were buried at sea enroute to Palau Islands.

October 30 ,1944
The 402 with 136 EVERSOLE survivors aboard arrived at Kossol Roads. Palau, and docked alongside the pier adjacent to the USS BOUNTIFUL AH 9. The EVERSOLE survivors were transferred to that ship. There we learned that we lost 80 of our crew.

November 13, 1944
Underway from Palau to Manus, in the admiralties aboard the USS BOUNTIFUL.

November 17, 1944
Arrived at Manus. The EVERSOLE survivors are transferred to the base hospital.

November 20, 1944
The EVERSOLE survivors are transferred to the USS WINDSOR, APA 55.

November 21, 1944
Underway from Manus enroute San Francisco aboard the USS WINDSOR

November 25, 1944
USS WINDSOR arrives at Tulagi, Soloman Islands to pick up marines U.S. bound.

November 26, 1944
USS WINDSOR underway for guadalcanal. Arrived there this date to pick up more army and marine personnel.

November 27, 1944
USS WINDSOR underway for San Francisco.

December 1, 1944
The international date line is crossed at 2020.

December 3, 1944
The equator is crossed at 2000.

December 13, 1944
The USS WINDSOR arrives at San Francisco. The EVERSOLE survivors disembark for Treasure Island, arriving there at 2020.