Please Report Any Broken Links Or Trouble You Might Come Across To The Webmaster
Please Take A Moment To Let Us Know So That We Can Correct Any Problems And Make Your Visit As Enjoyable And As Informative As Possible.
Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive
DE- 534 USS SILVERSTEIN
HISTORY
(Submitted By Contributor's)
Shown below is a history of DE-534 USS SILVERSTEIN as submitted by Mr. John Smith.
From the ""Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,"" Vol. 6, pp.509-511.
Silverstein
Max Silverstein was born in Chicago, IL., on 15 February 1911, and was appointed midshipman at
the Naval Academy on 18 June 1928. He was commissioned Ensign on 2 June 1932 and went to
sea in Chester (CA 27) on the 26th as an aircraft gunnery observer. He was promoted to Lieutenant
(junior grade) on 2 June 1935, and subsequently served in Chaumount (AP 45), Tattnall (DD
125), and Seattle (CA 11). After being promoted to Lieutenant on 13 March 1940, later changed
to date from 1 August 1939, Lt. Silverstein reported for duty as Engineer and Damage Control
Officer in Sims (DD 409). On 7 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral sea, Sims came under
aerial attack. Though knocked unconscious by the first bomb, Lt. Silverstein quickly recovered and
"cooly directed the securing of the boilers, the jettisoning of topside weights to preserve stability and
the preparation for repairs to save the vessel from sinking". Lt. Silverstein died soon thereafter when
Sims sank. For his relentless determination and inspiring heroism . . . . ," Lt. Silverstein was
posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal.
(DE-534: dp. 1350; l. 306"0"; b. 36'7"; dr. 13'4"; s. 24.3 k. (TI.); cpl. 222; a. 2 5"; 10 40mm cl,
John C. Butler)
Silverstein (DE-534) was laid down at the Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.: launched on 8
November 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Ruth B. Silverstein; and commissioned on 14 July 1944, Lt,
Comdr. F. A. Reece Jr., USNR in command.
Silverstein departed Boston 5 August 1944 for shakedown training at Bermuda and returned on 7
September for post shakedown overhaul. On the 17th she reported for duty at Norfolk, Va., to
begin training prospective escort vessel crews, but eight days later, cleared Hampton Roads for the
Panama Canal en route to Hawaii. Along the way, she served as escort to ATR-723 towing
YF-728 and YF-729 to Miami. A month after her departure from Norfolk, she entered Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii.
After two months training in the islands around Pearl Harbor, Silverstein got underway for the
Western Pacific. She made overnight stops at Eniwetok and Saipan and arrived in Guam on 14
January 1945. The next day, she and George (DE-697) stood out of Apra Harbor bound for Ulithi.
She sailed for Eniwetok on 1 February, arrived four days later, and joined the logistics support
group of the Fleet. She remained there until the 9th when she sortied with a group of oilers to join
the main replenishment group. Task Group 50.8, at that time refueling and rearming the Fast Carrier
Task Force which, in turn was in the process of pounding Iwo Jima.
On her way to rendezvous with TG 50.8, Silverstein encountered a small fishing vessel on 16
February. A boarding party found six emaciated Japanese soldiers, some army manuals and various
army papers. She then sank the vessel with gunfire and depth charges. On the next day Patuxent
(A) 14) suffered an internal explosion, and Silverstein screened her against submarine attack while
two other escorts helped fight the fires. Once the fires were out Silverstein shepherded the crippled
oiler to the relatively safety of Saipan. By 21 February, the destroyer escort was back with the
replenishment grout off Iwo Jima. She remained in the screen of TG 50.8 until early March when
she cleared the area for Ulithi. She arrived there on 7 March and began preparations for the
Okinawa invasion to come in April.
Silverstein departed Ulithi on 25 March escorting a convoy of eight LSTs, a tanker and an oiler to
the anchorage at Kenama Retta, about 20 miles from Okinawa. On the 28th, after seeing her
charges into the anchorage, she joined TG 50.8 and screened it as it re-supplied the Fast Carrier
Task Force. She cleared Okinawa in early June for overhaul at Ulithi from 17 June to 3 July.
Afterward, she sailed for San Pedro Bay in the Philippines, where she arrived on 5 July. She was
then released from the 3rd fleet, which had been so designated upon Admiral Halsey's assumption of
command on 27 May and reassigned to Task force 94 for convoy escort duty. She returned to
Ulithi on 13 July, and, from then until 16 September, she protected the supply echelons on
Ulithi-Okinawa shuttle. Silverstein had one break in the convoy routine between 2 and 5
September when she sailed to Guam and screen Prince William (CVE 31) back. From late
September to mid-October, she participated in the supervision of the evacuation of Japanese
garrison troops from Yap Island to Japan; she was overhauled at Guam between 22 October and 5
November, then she got underway to return to the United States via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor.
She arrived at San Pedro, Calif., on 23 November and began inactivation at the Todd Shipyard
soon thereafter. She was moved to San Diego on 18 April 1946, and was placed in reserve, but still
in commission, on 30 November 1946. On 15 January 1947, she was placed out of commission, in
reserve, berthed at San Diego.
Silverstein was re-commissioned at San Diego on 28 February 1951 under the command of Lt.
Cdr. J. R. Kittrell. By 8 July, she completed shakedown training and a post-shakedown overhaul
and was on her way to her new home port at Pearl Harbor. Arriving at Pearl Harbor on 14 July
1951, she resumed training, particularly anti-submarine warfare training, until 29 October, when she
headed from Pearl Harbor to Yokosuka, Japan. She made her destination on 9 November and, 10
days later set out of the Korean coast in company with McGinty (DE-365). She left McGinty at
Wonsan Harbor, Korea on 21 November and continued on to the bomb line where she patrolled
until 24 November. Returning to Wonsan on that day, she remained until the 27th bombarding
enemy positions in that harbor, then got underway for Mororan, Japan. She provisioned at Mororan
on 29 and 20 November, then departed on 1 December for Inchon, Korea, and barrier patrol duty.
After two days at Inchon, she returned to Japan, visiting Otaru on 11 and 12 December, Atami on
14 December and then putting out to sea for four days of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training.
On 18 December 1951, Silverstein put into Yokosuka for 10 days of repair and upkeep.
She resumed ASW training on the 28th while in transit to the Okinawa operating area. After a brief
period at Buckner Bay, she assumed patrol duty in the Taiwan Straits on 5 January 1952.
Silverstein came off patrol on 17 February and returned to Okinawa to resume ASW training, then
to act as plane guard for Bataan (CVL 29). On 20 February, she returned to Japan at Sasebo. On
6 March she stood out of Sasebo and headed back to patrol duty off Wonsan and the bomb line.
Later the escort joined a task group of the United Nations blockading and escort force and
participating in the siege of Hungnam. Her duties were divided between bombardments, anti-mining
duty and patrolling against enemy fishing activities.
On 20 March 1952, she returned to Sasebo for upkeep. Eleven days later, she departed again for
Korea. She arrived at Wonsan on 1 April and was again directed to patrol the bomb line. During
one of her bombardments, Silverstein destroyed a shore battery. On the 4th she headed back to
Wonsan; then continued South to guard against enemy submarines and mining activities. On the 6th
she was again in the Wonsan/Hungnam area. She dueled with a shore battery on the 26th and
rescued South Korean troops operating against it from sampans. She arrived at Sasebo on 04 April,
sailed for Yokosuka on 10 May, and arrived there on the 12th. On 15 May, she departed
Yokosuka for Pearl Harbor, arriving at that port on 24 May.
For the next 12 months Silverstein operated out of Pearl Harbor, was overhauled twice and visited
San Francisco. On 9 May 1953 she headed back to the Far East for another tour of duty along the
Korean coast. She sailed into Sasebo on 21 May and stood out again the next day. After screening
a replenishment group and escorting Mount Baker (AE 4) to Sasebo, she reported for patrol duty
at Pusan, Korea. Relieved from patrol duty in the Southern Defense Zone, she put back into Sasebo
on 26 June, and by 8 July was back off Korea at Cheju Do. After this and another routine patrol off
Korea, Silverstein headed East for Pearl Harbor on 1 December. The destroyer escort arrived in
Hawaii 10 days later. While at Pearl, she participated in more ASW exercises, took part in an
unsuccessful search for a Royal New Zealand Air Force bomber lost in the vicinity of Kwajalein,
and was overhauled. Following overhaul, she conducted refresher training in preparation for another
deployment to the Western Pacific. On 17 November 1954, she exited Pearl Harbor and set course
for Yokosuka.
She escorted Mount Rainier (AE 5) to Sasebo, arriving on 29 November. On December 7 she
sailed for Pohang, Korea, and arrived the following day. While on this deployment, she patrolled the
waters off the Korean coast, assisted in the evacuation of Nationalist Chinese forces from the
Tachen Islands, and conducted training exercises. Silverstein returned to Pearl Harbor on 24 May
1955 and after almost a year of normal operations out of that port, she departed in April for the
Marshall islands. There she participated in the nuclear tests of "Operation Redwing." Upon returning
to Pearl Harbor she began an overhaul which lasted until 7 January 1957. Overhaul completed, she
conducted refresher training and other exercises until 17 June 1957, when she sailed once more for
the Far East.
Silverstein entered Yokosuka on 27 June and remained until 15 July. From there she sailed via
Sasebo to Chinhae, Korea. At Chinhea, the republic of Korea's principal naval base, she was
visited by the Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and trained with several
ROK ships. By August 5 she had moved south to the Republic of the Philippines and trained sailors
from that nation's navy until the 19th.
Returning to Japan via Hong Kong, she made Yokosuka on 30 August and Kobe on 1 September.
She put to sea again on 4 September to evade a typhoon and entered Yokosuka again on the 5th.
After six days of convoy screening exercises and 12 days in Yokosuka, the destroyer escort
departed Japan for two months duty in the Mariana Islands. During the latter part of this tour, she
struck a reef off Olimarao Island and had to put into Apra Harbor, Guam for repairs on 20
October. On 9 November, after the competition of repairs, she sailed to Pearl Harbor, via Midway.
On 16 November, she entered home port and commenced a period of repairs, upkeep and holiday
leave.
In early 1958, Silverstein resumed ASW training in the Hawaiian Islands. In May, she suffered an
explosion in the depth charge impulse charge locker and on the 28th, she collided with the
Stickleback (SS 115) during exercises. Silverstein, Sabalo (SS 302), and Strutevant (DE 239)
joined in the successful rescue of all 82 men in the submarine's crew. However, all efforts to save the
submarine itself came to naught and, at 1857, she made her last dive.
In August, Silverstein sailed to the South Pacific. During this cruise she visited Tahiti, Pago Pago
and Swaina Island. From the South Pacific, she moved North to the Central Pacific visiting
Eniwetok Atoll and Guam. Returning to Pearl harbor via Eniwetok, she reentered her home port on
18 September 1958. A little over a month later, Silverstein sailed East to San Francisco. She arrived on 1 November and immediately entered the Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Shipyard for inactivation overhaul. On 22 January 1959, she moved to the San Francisco Shipyard where on 30 January 1959, she was decommissioned. Silverstein remained at San Francisco berthed as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet until 1 December 1973, when her name was struck from the Navy list. A year later on 3 December 1973, her hulk was sold to Levin metals Corp. of San Jose, Calif. for scrapping.
Silverstein (DE 534) earned two battle stars for World War II and three battle stars for the Korean
conflict.
© DANFS
Comments and Suggestions or Image submissions,
E-mail Destroyer Escort Information
Problems and site related matters,
E-mail Webmaster Webmaster
This Page Is Created And Maintained by Mike Smolinski
All Pages Copyright © 1996 - 2009 Paul R. Yarnall
© 2009 Navsource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.