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

Ship's patches courtesy of Mike Smolinski

USS Loeser (DE 680)


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


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: Navy Expeditionary Medal - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 2 stars
Second Row: World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 star - Philippine Liberation Ribbon
Specifications:
Class: Buckley
Type: TE (turbine-electric drive, 3" guns)
Displacement: 1400 tons (light), 1740 tons (full)
Length: 300' (wl), 306' (oa)
Beam: 36' 9" (extreme)
Draft: 10' 6" (draft limit)
Propulsion: 2 "D" Express boilers, G.E. turbines with electric drive, 12000 shp, 2 screws
Speed: 24 kts
Range: 6,000 nm @ 12 knots
Armament: 3 x 3"/50 Mk22 (1x3), 1 twin 40mm Mk1 AA, 8 x 20mm Mk 4 AA, 3 x 21" Mk15 TT (3x1), 1 Hedgehog Projector Mk10 (144 rounds), 8 Mk6 depth charge projectors, 2 Mk9 depth charge tracks
Complement: 15 / 198
Loeser (DE 680) Building and Operational Data:
  • 27 July 1943: Keel laid by the Bethlehem Steel (Fore River Yard) Shipyard, Inc., Quincy, Mass.
  • 11 September 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. Marion Loeser, widow of Lieutenant Commander Loeser
  • 10 October 1943: Commissioned, Lcdr. Chester A. Kunz in command
  • 29 March 1947: Decommissioned at Charleston, S.C. after 3 years and 6 months of service, custody to CO, Charleston Group, U.S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet
  • 09 March 1951: Recommissioned at Charleston, Lcdr. Frederick L. Edwards, in command, assigned to the Atlantic Destroyer Force at Norfolk, Va.
  • .. June 1958: Assigned to NRT, 5th Naval District at Little Creek, Va.
  • 01 December 1958: Decommissioned, placed "In Service"
  • 02 October 1961: Recommissioned for Berlin Crisis
  • 01 August 1962: Decommissioned, reverted to "In Service" status as NRT ship at Williamsburg, Va.
  • 20 October 1964: Shifted homeport to the Washington Navy Yard
  • 21 September 1968: Placed "out of commission, out of service" at the U.S. Naval Ship Deactivation Facility, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va.
  • 23 September 1968: Struck from the NVR with a total of 20 years and 11 months of service
  • 1969: sunk as a target
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By And/Or Copyright
    Loeser
    0668001    		 61k Born 17 April 1903 at Rahway, N.J.; Arthur Edward "Art" Loeser attended Rochester College (now the University of Rochester) for two years in the state of New York prior to his appointment. He was appointed to the Naval Academy 15 August 1923 and commissioned Ensign 02 June 1927. After serving in Saratoga (CV 3) (1927-29), Hopkins (DD 249) (1929-32), Rochester (C 2) (1932), Ashville (PG 21) (1933), and Chicago (CA 29) (1934), he completed 2 years of postgraduate work at the Naval Academy. Two years in Mississippi (BB 41) were followed by two in Sampson (DD 394) as engineering officer. From June 1940 to August 1941 he served with Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bath, Maine. On 02 September 1941 Lieutenant Commander Loeser reported aboard cruiser Atlanta (CL 51) as engineering officer. Lieutenant Commander Loeser was killed in action 13 November 1942 when enemy torpedoes crippled Atlanta in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Lieutenant Commander Arthur E. Loeser was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

    USS Loeser (DE 680) (1943-1968) was the first ship to be named in his honor.

    (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Naval Academy)    		 Bill Gonyo
    Downey, Cal.

    Assoc. Researcher
    Navsource
    Loeser 181k   Loeser 170k   Loeser 150k   Loeser 176k   Loeser 179k
    Loeser 93k   Loeser 202k   Loeser 132k   Loeser 271k   Loeser 376k

    26 April 1945: the Pacific Ocean off Pearl Harbor

    The photos in the top row show an exercise with USS Loeser entering the floating drydock ARD21 with the drydock underway at 2
    knots. This was done in a secure area off Pearl Harbor and Loeser was carried back in to the Pearl Harbor East Loch aboard ARD21.

    Bottom row photos show the crew of USS Loeser watching an underway drydocking in USS ARD21 with tedious interest,
    while missing a liberty afternoon in Honolulu. The last photo in the row shows copies of Loeser's War Diary for that date.

    0668006   -   0668007   -   0668008   -   0668009   -   0668010
    0668011   -   0668012   -   0668013   -   0668014   -   0668015    		 John Chiquoine
    West Chester, Pa.

    and

    Dave Schroeder
    Milwaukee, Wis.
    Loeser
    0668005    		 255k undated post-war image Nick Tiberio
    Shelton, Conn.
    Loeser
    0668004    		 110k August 1954: Starboard side view of the USS Loeser (DE 680) underway.

    (Official U.S. Navy Photo; From the Thomas Crane Public Library, "Fore River Postcard Collection")    		 Mike Green
    Port Angeles, Wash.
    Loeser
    0668002    		 52k 1957 Douglas Everett
    OTCM, USN (ret.)
    Loeser
    0668016    		 467k Thursday, 02 May 1957: USS Loeser underway slowly with her crew at quarters.

    (U.S. Navy National Archives photo #USN 1013707 from the Naval History and Heritage Command)    		 Mike Smolinski
    Clifton, N.J.

    Navsource DE/FF/LCS
    Archive Manager
    Loeser
    0668003    		 62k circa 1957: USS Loeser underway.

    (Official U.S. Navy Photo; From "Jane's Fighting Ships, 1958-59")    		 Bob Hurst
    Worksop, Nottinghamshire,
    England, United Kingdom
    Loeser
    Memorabilia
    Ship's
    Plaque
    Loeser
    Courtesy of
    Mike Smolinski    		 Squadron
    Plaque, late '50's
    DeLong
    Courtesy of
    Bob Hurst
    Loeser History
    View the USS Loeser (DE 680) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.
    Loeser's Commanding Officers
    Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler
    Dates of Command Commanding Officers
    1.) 10 Oct. 1943 – 14 Jun. 1944Lcdr. Chester Arthur Kunz Jr., USNR (Comm. CO) (USNA '26, recall)
    2.) 14 Jun. 1944 - .. Aug. 1945Lcdr. John Proctor, USNR
    3.) .. Aug. 1945 - .. .... 1946Lcdr. Horace Edward Bent, USN (Evanston, Ill.)
    5.) 09 Mar. 1951 - .. .... ....Lcdr. Frederick Lee Edwards Jr. (Kinston, N.C.)
    7.) 01 Jan. 1956 - .. Aug. 1957Lcdr. Herman Jennings Stansell Jr. (Charleston, S.C.)
    8.) .. Aug. 1957 - .. .... ....Lcdr. Robert Maurice Keller (USNA ‘44) (Wichita, Kan.)
    Next Known Reunion:
    September 2017 at Berlin, Ohio
    Contact Name: Erman Hall
    E-mail: ermanhall at all.com

    Contact Name: Robert R. Montgomery (Pres. USS Loeser Assoc.)
    Address: Box 383
    City/State: Morrisonville IL 62546
    Phone: (217) 526-3318
    E-mail: R.R. Montgomery
    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 or rosters 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
    To The DE, FF, LCS Photo Index Page
    Back To The Main Photo Index

    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail: Webmaster.

    This Page Created And Maintained By Mike Smolinski
    All pages copyright Navsource Naval History
    by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved.
    Page Last Updated: 14 March 2020