USS Nields (DD-616) - 1943

1943

Following shakedown and training off the east coast, Nields escorted two tankers to Aruba, Netherlands West Indies, and Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone, returning to Norfolk, Virginia, on 11 April 1943. Thence she proceeded to Boston, Massachusetts before joining DesRon 16 at New York. Assigned to transatlantic convoy duty, the destroyer departed New York on 28 April on her first North African run, screening convoy USG-8. Arriving at Oran, Algeria, on 19 May, Nields refueled and commenced patrolling the approaches to that anchorage. On patrol on 21 May, awaiting the departure of the convoy on its return voyage, Nields received a submarine contact report from a British observation plane and immediately headed for the area. At 1716, Nields established sound contact. At 1718 she dropped a pattern of 9 depth charges. At 1723, sound contact was regained and another 9-charge pattern was fired. At 1731 and at 1741, further charges were fired from her "K" guns, forward and port. Within seconds of the last attack, oil patches were observed. The Italian submarine Italian submarine Gorgo was one of two such submarines to be sunk by American forces.

The convoy, GUS–7A, sortied on 22 May, arriving New York on 8 June. By 26 June, Nields was back at Oran. Between that date and 5 July she conducted antisubmarine patrols off Algeria. On the 5th, she sortiied with the "Cent" attack force, screening U.S. convoy NCF-1 and British convoy KMF-18. On the 10th, as Allied waves hit the beaches, the destroyer guarded Transport Area Two. There until the 13th, she guarded the transports from enemy aerial and underwater attack. On the 16th, she arrived back at Oran, whence she returned to New York, with convoy UGF-9, on 3 August. A period of refresher training out of Casco Bay, Maine, followed.