World War II North Atlantic Operations
Following shakedown training in waters off Bermuda, J. Richard Ward reached Charleston, South Carolina, 1 September 1943 where she joined Atlantic convoy escort forces. Steaming between Norfolk, Virginia, and Gibraltar in the months that followed, the ship made three complete convoy voyages in support of the Allied effort in Europe. After training in March 1944, the ship was assigned to a hunter-killer group built around USS Tripoli (CVE-64). Departing New York 15 March, the ships patrolled the Atlantic between the Brazilian coast and the Cape Verde Islands. No German submarines were encountered; and they returned to New York 18 June 1944.
J. Richard Ward was assigned school ship duties at Norfolk during July 1944, and in August was assigned to another hunter-killer group. This unit, headed by USS Core (CVE-13), a veteran of the Battle of the Atlantic, sailed 8 August. After a short training period off Bermuda, the ships began scouring the Atlantic for submarines, making attacks on several sound contacts during August. After replenishing at Argentia, Newfoundland, the task group continued operations against German submarines, now greatly reduced in numbers, before returning to New York 9 October. American antisubmarine tactics and skill had once again made the sea-lanes safe.
From October 1944 to January 1945, J. Richard Ward performed her tactical mission during pilot qualifications. She sailed again 24 January for antisubmarine patrol in the heavy weather of the north Atlantic, returning 28 March. She was at sea on her final Atlantic cruise when the German surrender came, and returned to New York 11 May 1945.
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