USS LEWIS DE 535
The keel was laid in the Charlestown section of the Boston Ship Yard on November 3rd, 1943. She was launched on March 23 1944. At this time she was named in honor of Ensign Victor Allen Lewis.
After commissioning on September 5, 1944, the Lewis departed on her shakedown cruise.
November 10, 1944, She departed for the Pacific area by the way of the Panama Canal. Christmas 1944 was spent in Pearl Harbor, then it was off to Anti-submarine escort duty with a variety of convoys, including Task Group 50-8 during the Iwo Jima campaign. From there it was Radar pickett duty against the Kamakazi attacks during the Okinawa Campaign.
She departed Pearl Harbor for home in November 1945, where She was assigned to the 9th Fleet until her decommissioning in May 1946.
The Lewis was towed to Mare Island in the fall of 1951, where She underwent conversion to update her anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Her torpedos and all 20 and 40 millimeter guns were removed. A second mast was added plus more "K" guns and hedgehogs.
She was recommissioned on 28 March, 1952 at Mare Island.
After her shakedown cruise, She departed for the East coast of North Korea where She performed blockade duty in Wonson Harbor and surrounding areas.
She returned to San Diego in November 1952.
She performed Island patrol out of Guam in 1953 and 1955 and general duty in the Western Pacific in 1954. Each time She returned to San Diego.
The 1956-1957 cruise included New Zealand and Austrailia, plus operations with various foreign navies. After visiting a number of Pacific ports, She returned to San Diego. September 1957 She headed back to the Western Pacific with stops at Austrailia, Guam and several other Pacific Islands. It was back to San Diego in March 1958.
October 1958 saw a change in home ports from San Diego to Guam where She did island patrol and search and rescue.
In November 1959, She took part in "Project Nekton", which was deep water reasearch using the Triste, a self contained two man vessle that could operate in the deepest water in the ocean. With her depth finding gear, the Lewis found the deepest spot ever found in the ocean; 35,800 feet.
She left Guam in February 1960 for Mare Island where She was decommissioned in May 1960.
In March 1966, She was towed out as a target ship and sunk.
The following letter was received from Robert F. Miller
I ran across this short history of Ulithi in the Western Caroline Islands. The Lewis was in and out of Ulithi on many occasions and the crew "enjoyed" liberty on Mogmog Island, along with hundreds of crew menbers from other ships. It's more likely their liberty on this island is better described as "endured", "experienced", or "suffered"!
The Lewis did numerous voyages as an ASW and convoy vessle between Ulithi and Iwo Jima, Ulithi and Okinawa and Ulithi and the Phillippines during these campaigns. Ulithi acted as our "home port" in the Pacific in the last months of the war.
ULITHI
ULITHI ATOLL, CAROLINE ISLANDS< U.S. ADVANCED FLEET ANCHORAGE, 1944-1948
Ulithi is an atoll in the Western Carolines 93 miles northeast of Yap, 370 miles southwest of Guam, and 370 miles northeast of Peleliu. It's principal islands lie on the atoll's edge: Mogmog, Falalop, Asor, Potangeras, and Sorlen. The Joint Chief of Staff planned to occupy Ulithi along with Yap in early October 1944 as part of a movement against the Japanese in the Phillipines. When William F. Halsey, then commanding the fast carrier force of Task Force 38, urged an earlier invasion of the Phillipines where he had found Japanese defenses a "hollow shell" however the Joint Chiefs decided to abandon occupation of Yap and to seize Ulithi forthwith as a fleet anchorage and logistic support base. An expeditionary force under the direct Command of Rear Adm. W.H.P. Blandy seized the atoll's five principal islands without opposition on 22 September 1944, and unloading from transports and cargo ships began after two days of minesweeping. The stated mission of the operation was to occupy Ulithi so that it could be developed as a fleet anchorage, seaplane base, and air base. All supplies of fuel, ammunition, and spare parts were to be stored afloat.
Perhaps the most important facility ashore was the former Japanese airfield on Falalop Island, which the Fifty-first Construction Battalion rebuilt to include a 3500 foot runway, six taxiways and hardstands. At the end of the runway the Seabees also built a seaplane ramp. New types of piers were devised by sinking gravel filled pontoons. Mogmog Island served as a fleet recreation area with a 1,200 seat theater and accommodations for 8,000 enlisted and 1,000 officers. Sorlen Island was developed to serve as a standard landing craft unit. Other construction included housing, sewage and water distilling units, three strips for light planes, operating between the atoll's islands, three theaters, a chapel, housing and a headquarters building.
The Ulithi base operated at full capacity until VJ-Day. Except for an aerological station that continued until 1948, all facilities were rolled up by 27 December 1945.
In March 1945, 15 battleships, 29 carriers, 23 cruisers, 106 destroyers, and a train of oilers and supply ships sailed from Ulithi, the biggest and most active naval base in the world.
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