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Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive

USS Howard F. Clark (DE 533)

Flag Hoist / Radio Call Sign:
N - T - O - K

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - American Campaign Medal
Second Row: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 3 stars - WWII Victory Medal - Philippine Liberation Ribbon

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

Howard F. Clark (DE 533) Building and Operational Data:

08 October 1943: Keel laid at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Mass.

08 November 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. Bess Merrick Clark, the widow of Lt. Clark

25 May 1944: Commissioned at Boston, Lcdr. E. B. Hayden in command

15 July 1946: Decommissioned at San Diego, Cal. after 2 years and 1⅔ months of service having steamed 86,221 miles

20 December 1946: Inactivation completed at San Diego, Cal., assigned to Submarine Group Two, San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet

15 May 1972: Struck from the NVR

06 September 1973: Sold for scrapping

Size	Image Description	Contributed By And/Or Copyright
49k	Howard Franklin Clark was born in Wilmington, Del. on 15 September 1914, and graduated from the Naval Academy 02 June 1938. He served at sea until 1940, when he underwent flight training. Reporting to carrier *Lexington* 01 April 1941 as a member of Fighter Squadron 3, he won a Distinguished Flying Cross 20 February 1942 when he brought down an enemy bomber attempting to attack the carrier. During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Clark again and again engaged enemy aircraft, in utter disregard of his own safety, until his plane was shot down. Lieutenant (j.g.) Clark was posthumously awarded a second Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism during the battle, 07 - 08 May 1942 USS *Howard F. Clark* (DE 533) (1944-1946) was the first ship to be named in his honor. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Naval Academy, from the U.S. Naval Academy Yearbook; The Lucky Bag, Class of 1938. )	Bill Gonyo Downey, Cal. Assoc. Researcher Navsource
103k	08 November 1943: Boston, Mass. - The future USS *Howard F. Clark* (DE 533) slides down the building way into Boston Harbor. (Photo from the Boston Public Library collections)	John Chiquoine West Chester, Pa.
286k	12 June 1944: USS *Howard F. Clark* (DE 533) standing out of the Boston Navy Yard bound for the DD-DE Shakedown Task Group at Great Sound, Bermuda. (U.S. Navy photo #L45-163.03.01 from the Naval History and Heritage Command)	Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J. Archive Manager DE / FF / LCS Archive Navsource
103k	1944: at sea	-
108k	September 1944: the Pacific Ocean - USS *Howard F. Clark* (DE 533) at sea.	Tim Smith Greeneville, Tenn.
306k	This fine bow view shows much interesting detail, including the optical range-finder on the bridge, glass hinged windscreens for the watch officer and captain, and the loudspeaker for the 'squawk box' action communications system which relays directions to the forward gun and Hedgehog positions. Note the single 40 mm Bofors in No.2 position and the Hedgehog behind No. 1 mount. All horizontal surfaces are painted dark colour, probably Sea Blue. Note paint work stripped off by sea right forward. (Photo from the book "U.S. Destroyer Escorts of World War 2" by Peter Elliott)	Pieter Bakels Wehl, The Netherlands
77k	1972: Photo of mothballed ships moored together in the muddy waters of the Napa River at Mare Island. From left are *Sedgwick County* (LST 1123), an unidentified LST, *Owen* (DD 536), *French* (DE 367), an unidentified destroyer, *Howard F. Clark, and another unidentified destroyer. (Photo courtesy of L. Cote, from* "Warship Boneyards", by Kit and Carolyn Bonner)	Bob Hurst Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

Howard F. Clark History
View the USS Howard F. Clark (DE 533) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.
View the official War History of USS Howard F. Clark as submitted by the ship at war's end.

Howard F. Clark's Commanding Officers
Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves

Dates of Command	Commanding Officers
1.) 25 May 1944 - 20 Oct. 1944	Lcdr. / Cmdr. Eugene Benjamin Hayden, USN (Comm. CO) (Owensboro, Ken.)
2.) 20 Oct. 1944 - 10 July 1946	Lcdr. / Cmdr. David C. Miller, USNR (Decomm. CO) (Royal Oak, Mich.)

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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