USS Lyman

USS Lyman (DE-302) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy during World War II. She served in the Pacific Theatre, escorting convoys and other ships. She received a total of five battle stars for her service during the war, but was decommissioned and sold for scrap within 18 months of the war's end.

History
United States
Name	USS Lyman
Builder	Mare Island Navy Yard
Laid down	22 April 1943
Launched	19 August 1943
Commissioned	19 February 1944
Decommissioned	5 December 1945
Stricken	19 December 1945
Honors and awards	5 battle stars (World War II)
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 26 December 1946
General characteristics
Type	Evarts-class destroyer escort
Displacement	1,140 long tons (1,158 t) standard 1,430 long tons (1,453 t) full
Length	289 ft 5 in (88.21 m) o/a 283 ft 6 in (86.41 m) w/l
Beam	35 ft 2 in (10.72 m)
Draft	11 ft (3.4 m) (max)
Propulsion	4 × General Motors Model 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6,000 shp (4,474 kW) 2 screws
Speed	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range	4,150 nmi (7,690 km)
Complement	15 officers and 183 enlisted
Armament	3 × single 3"/50 Mk.22 dual purpose guns 1 × quad 1.1"/75 Mk.2 AA gun 9 × 20 mm Mk.4 AA guns 1 × Hedgehog Projector Mk.10 (144 rounds) 8 × Mk.6 depth charge projectors 2 × Mk.9 depth charge tracks

Namesake

Chan Lyman was born on 30 December 1912 in the township of Grandriver, Cass County, Missouri. He enlisted in the Navy on 23 August 1928 and completed 4 years in the United States Naval Reserve. After earning his Merchant Marine officer-s license, he was commissioned Ensign in the Naval Reserve 16 January 1940. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor he was called to active duty and reported on 9 January 1942 to fleet oiler USS Neosho. On 7 May during the Battle of the Coral Sea, Neosho and its escorting destroyer were attacked by three separate flights of Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft and he was killed in the attack.

Construction and commissioning

She was laid down on 22 April 1943 by Mare Island Navy Yard, California; launched on 19 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Chan Lyman, wife of Ensign Lyman; and commissioned on 19 February 1944.

World War II Pacific Theater operations

Lyman cleared San Francisco Bay on 23 April 1944 for duty at Pearl Harbor as a training ship. With other destroyer escorts, she acted as target for fleet submarines and screen for escort carriers training flight squadrons. On 20 August she departed Pearl Harbor and began 13 months screening the supply ships of the U.S. 3rd Fleet and U.S. 5th Fleet. Arriving off Kossol Passage on 20 September, she screened the Western Garrison Group during the invasions of the Palau Islands. Departing Peleliu on 22 October, Lyman formed part of the escort which brought the 1st Marines to the Russell Islands.

Her first port availability period at Manus, Admiralty Islands, was marked on 10 November by the explosion of the Mount Hood (AE-11) an ammunition ship nearby. A week later at Ulithi, a Japanese midget submarine managed to torpedo an oiler, the Mississinewa (AO-59), in the same anchorage. Lyman weighed anchor on 16 December, screening auxiliaries supporting the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. She returned to Ulithi on 14 January 1945, but again early in February was at sea protecting a replenishment group during the capture of Iwo Jima.

Damaged by a typhoon

Her logistic support group was also in the Ryukyus from 22 March to 11 June supporting the battle for strategically important Okinawa. During this later action a typhoon of 5 June caused the ship to roll 65 degrees forcing the withdrawal of Lyman for repairs.

Underway again on 3 July, the destroyer escort ended the war guarding the supply ships of the 3rd Fleet, then striking the Japanese home islands.

End-of-war activity

Lyman was the first DE to enter Tokyo Bay on 30 August with a group of tankers, she remained to witness the surrender ceremony of 2 September. Departing the next day she steamed eastward collecting passengers at each stop. She debarked 80 veterans at San Francisco on 8 October.

Post-war inactivation and decommissioning

Inactivation began almost immediately and was completed after Lyman sailed to Richmond, California, on 8 November. Decommissioned on 5 December 1945, she was sold to the Puget Sound Navigation Co., Seattle, Washington, on 26 December 1946.

Awards

Lyman received five battle stars for World War II service.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Photo gallery of USS Lyman (DE-302) at NavSource Naval History