USS Stanton (DE-247) - Stateside Repairs

Stateside Repairs

She was in drydock until early May, and then participated in maneuvers off Cape May, New Jersey, before sailing to Hampton Roads, Virginia. She arrived on 30 May and was attached to CortDiv 13, Atlantic Fleet. Stanton joined convoy UGS-44, escorted it to Bizerte, and remained there from 22 to 30 June when she began the return voyage with convoy GUS 44 bound for New York.

Stanton was attached to the 6th Atlantic Fleet and held training exercises in Casco Bay from 30 July until she returned to New York to escort a section of convoy UGS-51 to Norfolk. The convoy sortied from there but, on the 19th, Stanton was ordered to proceed to the Boston Navy Yard for alterations and improvements. These lasted until mid-October after which she held sea trials and tested her new equipment and proceeded to Bermuda.

Stanton arrived at Port Royal Bay on 5 November, joined the screen of USS Croatan and returned to New York on 13 November 1944. The task group then proceeded to Guantánamo Bay via Norfolk to hold joint exercises, and returned to Norfolk in late December. On 10 January 1945, Stanton and CortDiv 13, with Croatan, steamed to Bermuda to continue antisubmarine warfare exercises in conjunction with flight operations. Upon completion of the training period, the task group called at New York on 4 February; shifted to the Naval Ammunition Depot, Earle, New Jersey, to load ammunition, and then sailed to Casco Bay for carrier qualification exercises. During the last week in March, the submarine hunter-killer group took its assigned position in the north central Atlantic, midway between Newfoundland and England as part of Operation Teardrop.