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Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive

USS Swenning (DE 394)

Flag Hoist / Radio Call Sign:
N - H - G - R

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - Presidential Unit Citation - American Campaign Medal w/ 1 star
Second Row: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal w/ 2 stars - WWII Victory Medal

Specifications:
Class: Edsall
Type: FMR (geared diesel, Fairbanks-Morse reverse gear drive, 3" guns)
Displacement: 1200 tons (light), 1590 tons (full)
Length: 300' (wl), 306' (oa)
Beam: 36' 10" (extreme)
Draft: 20' 6" (draft limit)
Propulsion: 4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38d81/8 geared diesel engines, 4 diesel-generators, 6000 shp, 2 screws
Speed: 21 kts
Range: 9,100 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: 8 / 201

Swenning (DE 394) Building and Operational Data:

17 July 1943: Keel laid by the Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.

13 September 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Miss Hertha Rhode, fiancée of Shipfitter Second Class Gust Junior Swenning

01 December 1943: Commissioned, Lt. Richard E. Peek, Jr., USNR, in command

18 June 1946: Decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Fla. after 2 years and 6⅔ months of service

01 July 1972: Struck from the NVR

17 January 1974: Sold for scrapping to the Northern Metals Co., of Philadelphia, Pa.

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By And/Or Copyright
0639402	61k	undated wartime image	Fraser MacKinnon
0639403	163k	undated wartime image	Fraser MacKinnon
0639404	138k	undated wartime image	Harold S. Deal Phm 1/c, USS Liddle from his grandson Jeff Deal
0639405	157k	01 May 1944: Brooklyn, N.Y. - *Swenning* at anchor off the New York Navy Yard. She was completing a ten day yard availability for repairs, alterations, fueling, reprovisioning and recreation & leave for the crew. After stopping in Lower New York Bay to calibrate HF/DF and magnetic compasses, she departed, in company with *Haverfield* (DE 393), for the Naval Ammunition Depot at Yorktown, Va. (U.S. Naval Historical Center photo #L45-272.02.01 from the Naval History and Heritage Command)	Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J.
0615005	218k	25 May 1973: Philadelphia, Pa. - Mothballed destroyer escorts at the Inactive Ship Facility of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Upper photo, from left to right; *Rizzi* (DE 537), *Edward H. Allen* (DE 531), *McClelland* (DE 750), *Cooner* (DE 172), *Neunzer* (DE 150), and *Swenning* (DE 394). Lower photo, from left to right; *Melvin R. Nawman* (DE 416), *Tabberer* (DE 418), *Coffman* (DE 191), *Rizzi* (DE 537), *Edward H. Allen* (DE 531), *McClelland* (DE 750), *Cooner* (DE 172), *Neunzer* (DE 150), and *Swenning* (DE 394). Note from Rick Davis: "Back in May 1973, Martin Holbrook (INRO Photo Collection), invited me for a tour of Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Mothball Fleet. Martin had been making trips to Philly and other mothball sites for years and was one of the “old-timers” that had been taking photos of USN ships since before WWII in the New York City area. Anyway, when he picked me up in his van, there were two other gents. One was Ted Stone (I thought the other one was Paul Silverstone, but when I had a chance to ask him a few years ago if it was, he said he didn’t recall a photo trip to PhilNSY). Martin had enough “pull” that we were provided with an Admiral’s Gig! I had my brand-new Nikon F2 35-mm camera. Martin and Ted had larger format cameras. I felt like a rank amateur and a kid in a candy store. I have seen some of the same photos of subjects that we all took photos from the same boat, show-up elsewhere. We were all excited that USS *Sigsbee* (DD 502) was on the outside of a nest this trip. Martin had been trying to get good views of her for years. Ex-USS *Gherardi* (DD 637) ... built at PhilNY ... was outside the reserve basin ready to be towed away for scrapping. We got photos of her as well".	Rick E. Davis Springfield, Oh.
0615006	671k		Rick E. Davis Springfield, Oh.

Swenning History
View the USS Swenning (DE 394) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.
View the official War History of USS Swenning as submitted by the ship at war's end.

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

Dates of Command	Commanding Officers
1.) 10 Dec. 1943 – 02 Nov. 1945	Lt. / Lcdr. Richard E. Peek, USNR (Comm. CO) (Buffalo, N.Y.)
2.) 02 Nov. 1945 -	Lt. Harris Sawyer Richardson, Jr., USNR (Winchester, Mass.)

Crew Contact And Reunion Information

None

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
USS Swenning Unit Page on Military.Com

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This Page Created And Maintained By Mike Smolinski
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