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Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive

Ship's patches courtesy of Mike Smolinski

USS Albert T. Harris (DE 447)


Flag Hoist / Radio Call Sign:
N - T - R - V
Tactical Voice Radio Call: "Four Acres"
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 1 star - World War II Victory Medal
Second Row: National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 star - Armed Forces Expeditionary 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
Albert T. Harris (DE 447) Building and Operational Data:
  • 13 January 1944: Keel laid at the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Port Newark, N.J.
  • 16 April 1944: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. J. D. Harris, the mother of Lt.(jg) Harris
  • 29 November 1944: Commissioned at the New York Navy Yard, Lcdr. Sidney King in command
  • 27 July 1946: Decommissioned at San Diego, Cal. after 1 year and 8 months of service having steamed 39,876 miles
  • 17 January 1947: Inactivation completed at San Diego, Cal., assigned to Submarine Group Two, San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet
  • 27 April 1951: Recommissioned at San Diego, Lcdr. W. M. Robinson in command
  • .. September 1951: Changed homeport to Newport, R.I. as a unit of Escort Squadron 12
  • 01 December 1957: Assigned to NRT, 3rd Naval District at the New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, N. Y. as a unit of Reserve Escort Squadron 2
  • 07 February 1961: Reassigned to NRT, 3rd Naval District at the Naval Reserve Center, Whitestone, N. Y. as a unit of Reserve Escort Squadron 2
  • 02 October 1961: Recommissioned for the Berlin Crisis at Whitestone, N. Y., Cmdr. H. T. Kadison, USNR, in command, homeport changed to Newport, R. I. as a unit of Escort Squadron 12
  • 08 November 1962: Decommissioned, reassigned to NRT duty at Whitestone, N.Y. as a unit of Reserve Destroyer Squadron 30 (ResDesDiv3rdND)
  • 14 - 30 June 1963: N. Y. Naval Militia reserve cruise to the Caribbean Sea in company with DD 857, DD 655, and DE 684
  • 21 March - 05 April 1964: N. Y. Naval Militia reserve cruise to the Caribbean Sea in company with DE 684
  • 04 July 1964: Harris and DeLong hosted the National Association of Secretaries of State on a four hour cruise in New York Harbor
  • 25 June - 11 July 1965: N. Y. Naval Militia reserve cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in company with DD 857, DD 537, and DE 684
  • 01 - 14 April 1966: N. Y. Naval Militia reserve cruise to the Caribbean Sea in company with DD 857, DD 753, and DE 684
  • 17 March - 02 April 1967: N. Y. Naval Militia reserve cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in company with DD 857, DD 753, and DE 684
  • 22 March - 07 April 1968: N. Y. Naval Militia reserve cruise to the Bahamas and Key West, Fla. in company with DD 857, DD 753, and DE 684
  • 21 September 1968: Decommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard after 17 years and 5 months of service
  • 23 September 1968: Struck from the NVR with a total of 19 years and 1 month of service
  • 09 April 1969: Sunk as target off the Virginia Capes
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By And/Or Copyright
    Albert T. Harris
    0644702    		 255k 17 December 1944: USS Albert T. Harris (DE 447) underway in Measure 31, Design 2D camouflage, location unknown. The colours are haze grey, ocean grey and dull black on vertical surfaces: deck blue on the horizontal.

    (U.S. Naval Historical Center Photo #NH 96647, Photo and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships)    		 Bob Hurst
    Worksop, Nottinghamshire,
    England, United Kingdom
    Albert T. Harris
    0644703    		 102k date / location unknown

    (Photo © Our Navy Photos, Brooklyn, N.Y.)    		 Charles H. Nadler
    Lt.(jg), USNR (Ret.)
    Albert T. Harris
    0644704    		 177k date / location unknown Nick Tiberio
    Shelton, Conn.
    Albert T. Harris
    0644707    		 196k date unknown: USS Albert T. Harris (DE 447) entering either Havana or San Juan Harbor.
    R.F. Keller
    0641912    		 310k 12 May 1962: The Atlantic Ocean - Robert F. Keller (DE 419) cruising in a line abreast formation with USS Thaddeus Parker (DE 369) and USS Albert T. Harris (DE 447).

    (U.S. Naval Historical Center photo #NH 95914 from the Naval History and Heritage Command)     		Mike Smolinski
    Clifton, N.J.

    Navsource DE / FF / LCS
    Archive Manager
    Albert T. Harris
    0644708    		 198k April 1996: New York Harbor - USS Albert T. Harris (DE 447) passing the Statue of Liberty. Nick Tiberio
    Shelton, Conn.
    T. Parker
    0644712    		 258k 03 February 1967: Newport, R.I. - Four Third Naval District reserve training DE's alongside USS Yosemite (AD 19) for upkeep and repair. From left to right are: USS Thaddeus Parker (DE 369), stationed at the Military Ocean Terminal, Bayonne, N.J.; USS DeLong, stationed at the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps Reserve Center, Fort Schuyler, Bronx, N.Y.; Albert T. Harris, stationed at the U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center at Whitestone, Queens, N.Y.; and last but not least USS Coates (DE 685), stationed at the Long Wharf in New Haven, Conn.

    (Photo ©Richard Leonhardt)    		 Richard Leonhardt
    Bethlehem, Pa.
    Albert T. Harris
    0644705    		 393k 20 January 1969: Philadelphia, Pa. - ex-Albert T. Harris nested in the Reserve Basin at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. She is outboard of ex-Tills (DE 748) and ex-Eberle (DD 424). In the background can be seen Pandemus ex-ARL 18, out of commission and being stripped for sale. Jim Swank
    Tomball, Tex.
    Albert T. Harris
    0644706    		 696k 20 January 1969: Philadelphia, Pa. - A starboard beam view of ex-Albert T. Harris nested in the Reserve Basin at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. In the background, across the basin, can be seen Terror ex-MMF 5, out of commission and being stripped for sale.
    Albert T. Harris Memorabilia
    Launch
    Button
    A.T. Harris
    Courtesy of
    Tom Kermen    		 Ship's
    Matchbook
    A.T. Harris
    Courtesy of
    Nick Tiberio    		 Ship's
    Lighter
    A.T. Harris
    Courtesy of
    Nick Tiberio
    Albert T. Harris History
    View the USS Albert T. Harris (DE 447) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.
    View the official War History of USS Albert T. Harris as submitted by the ship at war's end.
    Albert T. Harris' Commanding Officers
    Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler
    Dates of Command Commanding Officers
    1.)  29 Nov. 1944 – 26 Jul. 1946Lcdr. / Cmdr. Algernon Sidney King, USN (Comm. / Decomm. CO) (USNA ‘24) (Branchville, Md.)
    2.)  27 Apr. 1951 – .. .... ....Lcdr. William Michael Robinson, USN (Recomm. CO) (USNA ‘42) (Hoboken, N, J.)
    5.)  1956 – 20 Aug. 1957Lcdr. Charles Sherwood, USN
    6.)  20 Aug. 1957 – 22 Mar. 1959Cmdr. John Irvin Bryan Jr., USN (USNA ‘44) (Norfolk, Va.)
    7.)  22 Mar. 1959 – 02 Oct. 1961Lcdr. William Henry Kersting, USN (enl. ‘51, OCS ‘56) (Plainfield, N. J.)
    8.)  02 Oct. 1961 – 01 Oct. 1962Cmdr. Herbert T. Kadison, USNR
    9.)  01 Oct. 1962 – 20 Jan. 1965Lt. Billie Lee Price, USN
    10.) 20 Jan. 1965 – 01 Sep. 1965Lt. Homer Robert Bates, USN
    11.) 01 Sep. 1965 - 27. May 1966Lt. John Ross Bailer, USNR (OCS ‘61) (Maryland Park, Md.)
    12.) 27 May 1966 - .. Aug. 1968Lcdr. Joseph Thomas Hock, USN (Brooklyn, N. Y.)
    13.) .. Aug. 1968 – 21 Sep. 1968Lt. John Carl Darwin, USN (Decomm. CO) (OCS '61) (Fairhaven, Mass.)
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    1944 - 1946 Crew
    Contact Name: Bob Mitchell, RT2c
    Address: Box 36833
    City/State: Tucson AZ 85740-6833
    Phone: (520) 293-0956
    E-mail: remcoaz@juno.com

    2nd Commission Crew
    Contact Name: Charlie Cook
    Address: 4820 S. Florence Place
    City/State: Tulsa OK 74105-5334
    Phone: (918) 749-8434
    E-mail:Charlie Cook
    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
    Tin Can Sailors Shipmate Registry - USS Albert T. Harris
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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: 20 January 2023