USS Sloat (DE-245) - Under Attack By Luftwaffe Aircraft

Under Attack By Luftwaffe Aircraft

On 10 January 1944, Sloat joined UGS-30 en route to Casablanca and returned with GUS-29 on 22 February. The escort joined the New York section of convoy UGS-36 on 10 March and sailed to Norfolk where it rendezvoused with the main body. The convoy, consisting of 72 merchant ships and 18 LST's, was guarded by Task Force (TF) 64. En route to Bizerte, Tunisia, the convoy was attacked by the Luftwaffe on 1 April, approximately 56 miles west of Algiers. Two planes were shot down and two damaged while only one ship in the convoy was damaged. The convoy arrived at Bizerte on 3 April. Eight days later, Sloat joined another convoy and returned to New York on 1 May.

Following training exercises in Casco Bay, Maine, Sloat sailed from New York with USS Tripoli in Task Group (TG) 22.4, a submarine hunter-killer group on 24 May. The group put into Argentia, Newfoundland, from 12 to 15 June and then went back to sea. Sloat returned to New York on 15 June and operated from there until 7 August when she sailed with TG 23.9 for the Caribbean. In September, they were operating off Newfoundland and returned to New York on 9 October 1944. The escort operated along the East Coast until 24 January 1945 when she joined task group TG 22.4 to hunt U-boats in the North Atlantic. Sloat returned to the East Coast and operated from New York to the Caribbean until 15 July when she was ordered to San Diego, California, and duty with the Pacific Fleet.