USS Erben

Henry Erben, born in New York City 5 September 1832, entered the Navy as a midshipman 17 June 1848. He gave distinguished service in the Civil War, commanding the ironclads St. Louis and Sumter in the Mississippi, and Pinola in the Gulf of Mexico, and with the naval howitzer battery which served with the Army during the Antietam campaign. He retired 6 September 1894, but returned to duty during the Spanish-American War, commanding the Patrol Fleet which guarded the coast of the United States from Galveston to Bar Harbor. Rear Admiral Erben died in New York City 23 October 1909.

Erben (DD-631) was launched 21 March 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. C. B. G. Gaillard, daughter of Rear Admiral Erben; and commissioned 28 May 1943, Commander J. H. Nevins, Jr., in command.

Arriving at Pearl Harbor 2 October 1943 from Boston, Erben joined the 5th Fleet and trained in the Hawaiian Islands, on 1 November rescuing a downed aviator during exercises with a carrier. She sailed from Pearl Harbor 8 November, rendezvoused with a carrier task group on 15 November, and screened it during preinvasion air attacks on the Gilberts, several times rescuing aviators whose planes had crashed or run out of fuel. As the invasion waves of marines were landed on 20 November, Erben continued to screen the carriers launching supporting strikes, providing protection with her antiaircraft fire when 13 Japanese torpedo planes attacked late in the afternoon. She again effectively fired against Japanese planes that attacked the task group as it retired from strikes in the Marshalls on 4 December.

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From the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command (Erben (DD-631)). A work of the United States Government, in the public domain.