USS ''Baron'' (DE-166) was a in service with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1943 to 1946. In 1952, she was transferred to

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

where she served as ROU ''Uruguay'' (DE-1) until 1990.

Construction and commissioning

''Baron'' was launched on 9 May 1943 by

Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company The Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was a United States shipyard in New Jersey active from 1917 to 1948. It was founded during World War I to build ships for the United States Shipping Board. Unlike many shipyards, it remained active duri ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

; sponsored by Mrs. Anne Pl. Baron, widow of Lieutenant Commander Richard S. Baron for whom the ship was named; and, commissioned on 5 July 1943. Baron had been awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for risking his life to recover classified documents during the bombardment of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. He was killed on 15 March 1942 during the bombing of

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

''Baron'' departed New York on 8 September 1943 for the Pacific. Between October 1943 and August 1944 she escorted

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

s among the island groups of the South Central Pacific Ocean. She also acted as a screen and fire-support ship during the following operations: Hollandia landings (21–24 April 1944); Truk- Satawan- Ponape raid (29 April – 1 May);

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

invasion (20 June – 11 July); and capture of

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

(22–29 July). On 7 September 1944 she arrived at

Mare Island Navy Yard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...

for an overhaul. Returning to the Pacific early in November 1944, ''Baron'' reported to Commander, Submarine Training, Pacific. Until the end of May 1945 she conducted training exercises with friendly submarines off

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

and Guam. For the remainder of the war she operated in the vicinity of the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

engaged in hunter-killer, air-sea rescue, patrol, and escort duties. On 27 August 1945 ''Baron'' was ordered to Maloelap, Wotje, and Jaluit Atolls for the surrender of their Japanese garrisons. The surrender was completed by 6 September and ''Baron'' remained at Wotje Atoll until 18 September supervising the disarmament of the Japanese fortifications. She then steamed to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, arriving on 29 September. Departing the next day, she proceeded to New York, where she arrived on 14 October. ''Baron'' went out of commission in reserve on 26 April 1946 at Green Cove Springs, Florida.

Uruguayan Navy

''Baron'' was the first of two ''Cannon''-class destroyers transferred to

under the

Mutual Defense Assistance Program The Mutual Defense Assistance Act was a United States Act of Congress signed by President Harry S. Truman on October 6, 1949. For U.S. foreign policy, it was the first U.S. military Aid, foreign aid legislation of the Cold War, Cold War era, and ...

on 3 May 1952 and commissioned as ROU ''Uruguay'' (DE-1). The 20 mm Mk.4 AA guns and torpedo tubes were removed. In 1969, both destroyers participated in UNITAS X joint exercises with the U.S. and other South American navies. She was decommissioned in 1980, and scrapped in 1990.

Awards

''Baron'' received three battle stars for her World War II service in the Pacific.

In fiction

DE-166 appears in the fictional novel ''Thin Air'' as the ''USS Sturman.''

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baron (DE-166) Cannon-class destroyer escorts of the United States Navy Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1943 ships World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Cannon-class destroyer escorts of the National Navy of Uruguay