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Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive

USS Atherton (DE 169)

Flag Hoist / Radio Call Sign:
N - P - G - W

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 - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Second Row: European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal w/ 1 star - WWII Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (Asia Clasp)

Specifications:
Class: Cannon
Type: DET (diesel-electric tandem motor drive, long hull, 3" guns)
Displacement: 1240 tons (light), 1620 tons (full)
Length: 300' (wl), 306' (oa)
Beam: 36' 10" (extreme)
Draft: 10' 6" (draft limit)
Propulsion: 4 GM Mod. 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6000 shp, 2 screws
Speed: 21 kts
Range: 10,800 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 / 201

Atherton (DE 169) Building and Operational Data:

14 January 1943: Keel laid at the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp., Port Newark, N.J.

27 May 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. Cornelia A. Atherton, the mother of Lt.(jg) John McDougal Atherton; towed to the Norfolk Navy Yard

29 August 1943: Commissioned at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Lcdr. Paul L. Mansell, Jr., USNR, in command

19 June 1946: Decommissioned at Jacksonville Fla. after 2 years and 9⅔ months of service, moved to Green Cove Springs, Fla. for storage

14 June 1955: To Japan, renamed IJNS Hatsuhi (DE-263), To Philippines 13 September 1976, renamed BRS Rajah Humabon, still active in Philippine Navy.

15 June 1975: Struck from the NVR

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By And/Or Copyright
0616902	141k	08 May 1945: off Point Judith RI - Taken from an ASW blimp during the attack on *U-853*.	Peter Lydon
0616905	32k	circa 1956: (Official Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force Photo from "Jane's Fighting Ships 1956-57").	Bob Hurst Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
0616903	41k	circa 1967, as the Japanese Navy IJNS *Hatsuhi*
0616904	68k	date / location unknown, as the Philippine Navy BRP *Rajah Humabon*.
0616907	236k	19 April 2009: Subic Bay, the Phillipine Islands - View of the superstructure of the BRP *Rajah Humabon* (PF 11) taken at the Rivera Point piers of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Sunday, April 19, 2009. One day prior to getting underway for Exercise Balikatan 2009. v(Photo by Lcdr Gallardo)	Orlando Gallardo, Jr.
0616908	79k	09 April 2009: Subic Bay, the Phillipine Islands - View of the quarterdeck podium painting of *Rajah Humabon's emblem. (Photo by* Orlando Gallardo, Jr.)	Orlando Gallardo, Jr.
0616906	614k	21 April 2009: South China Sea - The Armed Forces of the Philippines Navy destroyer escort BRP *Rajah Humabon* (PF 11) steams ahead during an exercise with the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS *Essex* (LHD 2) and the amphibious dock landing ship USS *Tortuga* (LSD 46), as part of Exercise Balikatan 2009 (BK09). *Essex* and *Tortuga* are participating in Balikatan 2009, an annual combined, joint-bilateral exercise involving U.S. and Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel, as well as subject matter experts from Philippine civil defense agencies. (U.S. Navy photo #090421-N-9950J-062 by MC2 Greg Johnson from the Navy Newstand)	Andrew Payne Chesapeake, Va.
0616909	114k	22 April 2009: South China Sea - BRP *Rajah Humabon* steams away after conclusion of the photo exercise held as part of Exercise Balikatan 2009. (Photo by Orlando Gallardo, Jr.)	Orlando Gallardo, Jr.
0616910	710k	14 March 2010: South China Sea - Republic of the Philippines Navy ship BRP *Humabon* (PF-11, ex-USS *Atherton), steams in formation for a photography exercise, as a part of exercise Balikatan 2010 (BK 10). (U.S. Navy photo #100314-N-0120A-295* by MC2 Mark R. Alvarez from the Navy Newstand)	Bob Hurst Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
0616911	116k	15 March 2018: The crew of BRP *Rajah Humabon* (PF-11) (Ex-USS *Atherton* (DE 169) 1943-1945, and JDS *Hatsuhi* (DE-263) (1955-1975) posing by their ship after she was finally decommissioned after a combined 60 years in service with 3 different navies. (Source: Philippine Navy)	Mike Green Port Angeles, Wash.

Atherton Memorabilia
Launch Button Courtesy of Tom Kermen

Atherton History
View the USS Atherton (DE 169) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.
View the official War History of USS Atherton as submitted by the ship at war's end.

Atherton's Commanding Officers
Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves

Dates of Command	Commanding Officers
1.) 29 Aug. 1943 - 08 Oct. 1943	Lcdr. Paul Louis Mansell Jr., USNR (Comm. CO) (New York, N.Y.)
2.) 08 Oct. 1943 - 20 Jun. 1944	Lt. Monroe Kelly Jr. (USNA '38) (Navy Jr, / Williamsburg, Va.)
3.) 20 Jun. 1944 - 31 Oct. 1945	Lcdr. Lewis Iselin, USNR (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
4.) 31 Oct. 1945 - 01 Jan. 1946	Lt. Oscar W. Adams, USNR
5.) 01 Jan. 1946 - 19 June 1946	Lt. Harry Carrolli (Decomm. CO)

Crew Contact And Reunion Information

Last Known Reunion:
June 2008 at Albany NY

Contact Name: Preston Davis
Address: 75 Driftwood Lane
City/State: Stafford VA 22554
Phone: (540) 659-4822
E-mail: P. Davis

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 Atherton

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