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The first Reeves (DE156) was laid down by the Norfolk Navy yard, Portsmouth, Virginia on 7 February 1943 and commissioned on 9 June 1943, Lieutenant Commander Mathias S. Clark in command. The U.S.S Reeves is named in honor of Chief Radioman Thomas James Reeves, USN, who was born in Thomaston, Connecticut on December 9, 1895. He enlisted in the Navy on July 20, 1917 at New York City. He re-enlisted October 14, 1939, at San Padro, Calilfornia, having had 21 years, 10 months and 15 days previous service. Chief Radioman Reeves was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) by the President of the United States in the Name of Congress with the following citation: "For distinguished conduct in the line of his profession, extraordinary courage and disregard of his own safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. After the mechanized ammunition hoists were put out of commission, REEVES, on his own initiative, in a burnng passageway, assisted in the maintenance of an ammunition supply by hand to the anti-aircraft guns until he was overcome by smoke and fire, which resulted in his death." Miss Mary Anne Reeves, the sponsor of the U.S.S. Reeves, is the neice of Chief Radioman Thomas James Reeves and resides in San Antonio, Texas. Following shakedown, Reeves returned to Norfolk and on 16 August got underway on her first transatlantic escort run, a slow convoy to Casablanca. Arriving at New York 6 weeks later, she underwent availability and further training at Casco bay, then returned for escort duty and for the next 12 months shepherded fast tanker convoys between New York and the United Kingdom. On 18 March 1944, after the S.S. Seakay had been sunk, Reeves rescued 83 of the merchantmans's 84 man crew. For heroism during that rescue, one of the escort's coxwain's, E. E. Angus, was awarded the Navy and the Marine Corps Medal. On 4 May 1944, the Reeves took Donnell (DE-56) in tow after she had been torpedoed, stood by until relieved by tugs, then continued on carrying the damaged escort's more seriously wounded men. Through D-day and the summer of 1944, Reeves continued to escort fast convoys. On 23 September she completed her last Atlantic escort mission and entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard for conversion to a high speed transport. Redesignated APD-52 on 25 September, Reeves emerged from the shipyard on 23 December, and after amphibious training, headed for the Panama Canal and duty in the Pacific. Arriving at Ulithi on 26 February 1945, she continued on to the Philippines in early March to rehearse for Operation "Iceberg," the invasion of the Ryukyus. On 26 March Reeves arrived off the Kerama Retto invasion area, and after initial duties as a standby for U.D.T. operations, shifted to anti-submarine and anti-aircraft duties. She served on that harrowing duty for 109 days interrupted only for a fast convoy to Ulithi and an brief availability in the Philippines. Detached on 18 August, the APD delivered men, mail, and provisions to the ships of the fleet, then sailed north to Japan. There, into October, she assisted in the repatriation of former POW's, then supported the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey mission assigned to the Nagasaki area. Reeves sailed for the United States on 26 November, and, after stops in the Volcano, Marshall and Hawaiian Islands, arrived at San Diego on 23 December. Three days later she continued on; and, on 10 January 1946, she arrived at Boston to begin inactivation. Assigned to the Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, she decommissioned on 30 July at Green Cove Springs where she remained until struck from the Navy list on 1 June 1960 and transferred to the Government of Ecuador for use as an electric generator plant. The Reeves earned one battle star during World War II service. |
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This page's content provided by Shipmates Abe Rademaker and Jim Sisti.
