Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War

United States Navy — Destroyer escort

USS Fleming (DE-32) — service history

This is the full service history. For the vessel's particulars, photograph and specifications, see the entry.

In the words of the US Navy. The account below is reproduced verbatim from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command — a work of the United States Government, in the public domain, and the only text on this site not written here.

Before commissioning

USS Fleming (DE-32)
The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Sederstrom (DE-31) is seen being outfitted at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California USA) on 7 July 1943. USS Fleming (DE-32) is to the right. The ships are berthed at the foot of the building ways used to construct them. U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo DE-31-4823-43 from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

Richard Eugene Fleming, born 2 November 1917 in St. Paul, Minn., entered the Marine Corps Reserve for aviation training 20 January 1940. Captain Fleming served as Flight Officer of the Marine Scout Bombing Squadron stationed at Midway, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism and courage in the Battle of Midway, during which he led an attack on a Japanese carrier 4 June 1942 and was killed while attacking another carrier 5 June.

Second World War 1939–1945

1943

The name Fleming was originally assigned to DE-271 on 23 February 1943, and canceled and reassigned to DE-32 on 14 June 1943.

Fleming (DE-32) was launched 16 June 1943 by Mare Island Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. W. E. Rutherford ; and commissioned 18 September 1943, Lieutenant Commander R. J. Toner, USNR, in command.

1944

USS Fleming (DE-32)
Broadside view of the U.S. Navy destroyer esccort USS Fleming (DE-32) underway at sea, circa in 1944. U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo [1] from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

After training in the Hawaiian Islands, Fleming arrived at Tarawa 15 January 1944 for local patrol and escort duty, as well as escort missions to Makin, Majuro, Funafuti, and Kwajalein, through April. She returned to Pearl Harbor for brief overhaul between 19 May and 7 June, then sailed for Eniwetok where she joined a convoy bound for newly assaulted Guam, arriving 27 June. Fleming patrolled off Orote, and escorted merchantmen from Guam to Tinian and Eniwetok until 20 August, when she sailed to escort an attack transport to Saipan and Pearl Harbor.

Completing her assignment in the Marianas operation, Fleming acted as target for submarines training in Hawaiian waters until 17 October 1944, when she arrived at Eniwetok to begin 4 months of uninterrupted convoy escort duty between Eniwetok and Ulithi, the great base whose buildup was essential to the forthcoming Iwo Jima and Okinawa operations. On the night of 8 January 1945, guarding two tankers en route from Ulithi to Eniwetok, Fleming made a radar contact and began the five hedgehog and depth charge attacks with which she sank the Japanese submarine I-362 just after midnight 14 January.

1945

Late in February 1945 and early in March, Fleming made escort voyages from Eniwetok to Saipan and Guam, then on 13 March arrived at Ulithi to prepare for the Okinawa assault. She sortied 21 March in the screen for escort carriers who provided close air support to the initial landings on 1 April, and sailed with them until 17 April when she departed the action area to escort Natoma Bay (CVE-62) to Guam for repairs. The escort carrier and destroyer escort sailed from Guam 4 May to return to duty at Okinawa 4 days later.

On 20 May 1945, still screening the escort carriers, Fleming splashed two of three Japanese planes which attempted to kamikaze or bomb her, driving the third away. Five days later, she rescued 11 survivors of LSM-135 and 20 of Bates (APD-47), both sunk by kamikazes. Fleming continued to serve off Okinawa until 5 July when she sailed for a west coast overhaul. Still in the yard when the war ended, she was decommissioned 10 November 1945, and sold 29 January 1948.

References

Every work this entry draws on. There are no numbered markers in the text above: what we hold is the provenance of the page — this history, this article, these photographs.

  1. History Fleming I (DE-32) Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History and Heritage Command. A work of the United States Government, in the public domain — the only text on this site reproduced verbatim.
  2. Facts USS Fleming (DE-32) Structured facts only — dates, dimensions, armament and fate. No wording is taken from it. Harvested 1 August 2026.
  3. Photograph USS Fleming (DE-32) after her launch at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 16 June 1943 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo DE-32-4429-43 from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  4. Photograph USS Fleming (DE-32) underway at sea, circa in 1944 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo [1] from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  5. Photograph USS Sederstrom (DE-31) and USS Fleming (DE-32) fitting out at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 7 July 1943 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo DE-31-4823-43 from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons