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Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive


Left Ship's patch courtesy of Nick Tiberio
Right Ship's patch courtesy of Mike Smolinski

USS Edward H. Allen (DE 531)


Flag Hoist / Radio Call Sign:
N - T - F - V


Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
American Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal

Specifications:
Class: John C. Butler
Type: WGT (geared-turbine drive, 5" guns)
Displacement: 1350 tons (light), 1745 tons (full)
Length: 300' (wl), 306' (oa)
Beam: 36' 10" (extreme)
Draft: 11' 0" (draft limit)
Propulsion: 2 "D" Express boilers, 2 geared turbine engines, 12,000 shp, 2 screws
Speed: 24 kts
Range: 6,000 nm @ 12 knots
Armament: 2 - 5"/38 cal. DP guns (2x1), 4 - 40mm AA (2x2), 10 - 20mm AA, 3 - 21" TT, 1 Mk10 Hedgehog, 8 Mk6 Depth Charge Projectors, 2 Mk9 Depth Charge Stern Racks
Complement: 14 / 201
Edward H. Allen (DE 531) Building and Operational Data:
  • 31 August 1943: Keel laid by the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Mass.
  • 07 October 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. David H. Clark
  • 16 December 1943: Commissioned, Lcdr M. M. Sanford, USN in command
  • 27 January - 29 February 1944: Conducted shakedown training at Bermuda, B.W.I.
  • 08 March - 19 June 1944: Served as School Ship, Miami Straits area, training officers and DE nucleus crews
  • 19 June 1944 - December 1944: Served as School Ship, Chesapeake Bay area, training officers and DE nucleus crews
  • December 1944 - June 1945: Served as School Ship, Miami Straits area, training officers and DE nucleus crews
  • 27 October 1945: Took part in the Navy Day celebration at Boston, Mass.
  • 10 May 1946: Decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Fla. after 2 years and 5 months of service
  • 26 February 1951: Recommissioned, assigned to NRT, 3rd Naval District, at the New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, N. Y.
  • 26 July 1956: Enroute from St. John's, Nova Scotia to New York w/ Heyliger (DE 510) was directed to the wreck of SS Andrea Doria and Stockholm, rescued Doria's master and 76 crewmen
  • 09 January 1958: Decommissioned at the New York Naval Shipyard Annex, Bayonne, N. J. after 6 years and 10˝ months of service; custody to CO, New York Group, U. S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet
  • 01 July 1972: Struck from the NVR with a total of 9 years and 3˝ months of service
  • 05 February 1974: Sold for scrapping
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image
    Size Image Description Contributed
    By And/Or Copyright
    Edward H. Allen
    0653101

    Edward H. Allen

    Tweedy
    95k Edward Henry Allen was born 02 March 1908 in Pekin, N.D. He attended the University of North Dakota for two years prior to being appointed to the Naval Academy. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1931. While serving as Executive Officer of Scouting Squadron 2 in USS Lexington (CV 2), Lieutenant Allen was reported missing 07 May 1942 when his plane was shot down by enemy aircraft during the Battle of the Coral Sea. He was awarded a Navy Cross for the defense of his carrier on 20 February 1942 and a Gold Star in lieu of a second Navy Cross for the action in which he lost his life. He was also awarded posthumously the Purple Heart in 1943.

    USS Edward H. Allen (DE 531) (1943-1958) was the first ship to be named in his honor.

    (Left photo courtesy of the United States Naval Academy)
    (Right photo courtesy of  Lee Allen Comita, grandaughter of Lt. Allen)
    Bill Gonyo
    Downey, Cal.
    /
    John Comita, Jr.
    Edward H. Allen
    0653108
    46k undated wartime image Bob Hurst
    Worksop, Nottinghamshire,
    England, United Kingdom
    Edward H. Allen
    0653109
    455k 01 July 1945: the Atlantic Ocean - USS Edward H. Allen (DE 531) underway slowly in Casco Bay, near Portland, Maine. During the month of July 1945 Edward H. Allen was undergoing training and experimental exercises under the purview of Commander, Task Force 69.

    (U.S. Navy photo #80-G-25498 from the National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Md.; courtesy of  Chris Wright)
    Tim Rizzuto
    Ship's Superintendent
    DE Historical Museum
    USS Slater at Albany, N.Y.

           and
    Chris Wright
    Ocean City, N.J.
    Edward H. Allen
    0653112
    150k 09 August 1945: USS Edward H. Allen (DE 531) underway slowly in Casco Bay, Maine.

    (U.S. Navy Photo #80-G-332953 from the United States National Archives)
    Mike Green
    Port Angeles, Wash.
    Edward H. Allen
    0653102
    105k undated post-war image Bill Humienny
    Edward H. Allen
    0653111
    65k undated post-war image Nick Tiberio
    Shelton, Conn.
    Edward H. Allen
    0653110
    470k 1954: New York Harbor Jacques Alliod
    Munich, Germany
    Edward H. Allen
    0653103
    86k 1956

    (U.S. Navy Photo)
    Werner Grabner
    Edward H. Allen
    0653104
    84k 1956: smoke screen Werner Grabner


    Photos © Werner Grabner
    Edward H. Allen
    0653105
    39k 1956: depth charge
    Edward H. Allen
    0653106
    93k 1956: SS Andrea Doria sinking in background as her crew is brought aboard Allen.

    (Permission must be obtained to reproduce this photo)
    Edward H. Allen
    0653107
    520k Complete List of Andrea Doria's crew rescued by Edward H. Allen, 1956
    Edward H. Allen
    0653113
    476k undated: Philadelphia, Pa. - USS Edward H. Allen (DE 531) moored at the Inactive Ship Basin at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Either Willis (DE 395) or Gunason (DE 795) is moored to her port side.

    (U.S. Navy photo from the Ted Stone Collection; courtesy of the DE Historical Museum)
    Tim Rizzuto
    Ship's Superintendent
    DE Historical Museum
    USS Slater at Albany, N.Y.
    ***Rizzi / E.H. Allen***
    0653706
    303k Winter 1972 - Spring 1973: Philadelphia, Pa. - A closer view of Rizzi (DE 537), and Edward H. Allen at the Inactive Ship Basin at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Jim Cunliffe
    Frederica, Del.
    Neunzer
    0615005
    218k 25 May 1973: Philadelphia, Pa. - Mothballed destroyer escorts at the Inactive Ship Facility of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.



    Upper photo, from left to right; Rizzi (DE 537), Edward H. Allen (DE 531), McClelland (DE 750), Cooner (DE 172), Neunzer (DE 150), and Swenning (DE 394).



    Lower photo, from left to right; Melvin R. Nawman (DE 416), Tabberer (DE 418), Coffman (DE 191), Rizzi (DE 537), Edward H. Allen (DE 531), McClelland (DE 750), Cooner (DE 172), Neunzer (DE 150), and Swenning (DE 394).



    Note from Rick Davis: "Back in May 1973, Martin Holbrook (INRO Photo Collection), invited me for a tour of Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Mothball Fleet. Martin had been making trips to Philly and other mothball sites for years and was one of the “old-timers” that had been taking photos of USN ships since before WWII in the New York City area. Anyway, when he picked me up in his van, there were two other gents. One was Ted Stone (I thought the other one was Paul Silverstone, but when I had a chance to ask him a few years ago if it was, he said he didn’t recall a photo trip to PhilNSY). Martin had enough “pull” that we were provided with an Admiral’s Gig! I had my brand-new Nikon F2 35-mm camera. Martin and Ted had larger format cameras. I felt like a rank amateur and a kid in a candy store. I have seen some of the same photos of subjects that we all took photos from the same boat, show-up elsewhere. We were all excited that USS Sigsbee (DD 502) was on the outside of a nest this trip. Martin had been trying to get good views of her for years. Ex-USS Gherardi (DD 637) ... built at PhilNY ... was outside the reserve basin ready to be towed away for scrapping. We got photos of her as well".
    Rick E. Davis
    Springfield, Oh.
    Neunzer
    0615006
    671k

    Edward H. Allen History
    View the USS Edward H. Allen (DE 531) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.
    View the official War History of USS Edward H. Allen as submitted by the ship at war's end.

    Edward H. Allen's Commanding Officers
    Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves
    Dates of Command Commanding Officers
    1.) 16 Dec. 1943 – 17 Jul. 1944Cmdr. Merrill Merritt Sanford, USN (USNA '36) (New York City, N.Y.) (Comm. CO)
    2.) 17 Jul. 1944 – 10 Nov. 1945Cmdr. Frank W. Auld, USNR (Miami, Fla.)
    3.) 10 Nov. 1945 – 30 Nov. 1945Lt. Peter N. Larsen, USNR (Indianapolis, Ind.)
    4.) 30 Nov. 1945 - 10 May 1946Lt.(jg) Kenneth A. Warren, USNR (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
    7.) – 24 Jan. 1956Lcdr. / Cmdr. Theodore G. de Fay, USNR
    8.) 24 Jan. 1956 – 09 Jan. 1958Lcdr. Boyd Henry Hempen, USNR (OCS ‘43) (Aviston, Ill.)

    Crew Contact And Reunion Information

    None
    Note About Contacts

    Contact information is compiled from various sources over a period of time and may, or may not, be correct. Every effort has been
    made to list the newest contact. However, our entry is only as good as the latest information that's been sent to us. We list only
    a contact for the ship if one has been sent to us. We do NOT have crew lists, rosters, or deck logs available. Please see the
    Frequently Asked Questions section on NavSource's Main Page for that information.


    Additional Resources

    Tin Can Sailors
    The U.S. Navy Memorial
    Destroyer Escort Sailors Association
    The Destroyer Escort Historical Museum
    The Destroyer History Foundation

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    This Page Created And Maintained By Mike Smolinski
    All pages copyright Navsource Naval History
    by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved.
    Page Last Updated: 25 February 2023