USS ''Riddle'' (DE-185) 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 1950, she was transferred to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

where she served as ''Kabyle'' (F718) until being decommissioned and scrapped in 1959.

Namesake

Joseph Riddle Jr. was born on 6 January 1918 in St. Clairsville, Ohio. He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on 28 May 1941, was appointed aviation cadet on 2 September 1941; appointed naval aviator on 7 March 1942; and appointed ensign on 14 March 1942. He was in an active duty status other than training from 17 April 1942, and was assigned to the U.S. Naval Air Station, Seattle, Washington, for active duty involving flying in connection with the fitting out of Escort Scouting Squadron 12, and for active duty involving flying in that squadron when placed in commission. He was killed by enemy fighter aircraft after successfully bombing a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

north of

New Georgia Island New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the 203rd-largest island in the world. Since July 1978, the island has been part of the independent state of Solomon Islands. Geography ...

on 4 February 1943. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

History

The ship was laid down by the

Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock 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 ...

Co.,

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. ...

, on 29 July 1943; launched on 17 October 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Anna B. Riddle; and commissioned on 17 November 1943.

U.S. Navy (1943–1950)

Following

shakedown Shakedown or Shake Down may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational ...

off

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

, ''Riddle'' sailed for

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 ...

via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

, arriving on 1 February 1944. On 10 February she got underway as an escort vessel with

Task Unit A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

16.11.6, bound for 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 ...

. Upon arrival she conducted

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon ...

patrols in the

Roi Namur Roi-Namur ( ) is an island in the north part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Today, the island is a major part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, hosting several radar systems used for tracking and character ...

- Kwajalein-

Majuro Atoll Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The at ...

area until steaming for Pearl Harbor on 15 March. After serving as an escort to Majuro Atoll and

Manus Island Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...

and back, ''Riddle'' was active in the Marshall and

Marianas Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...

in June 1944. On 4 July, while screening fueling operations with

task group A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

TG 50.17, with , she successfully attacked the submerged . ''Riddle'' continued screening operations in the Marshall-Marianas area until 1 September when she anchored at Manus Island. On 4 October she got underway as part of an escort group to screen the sortie of

task unit A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

TU 38.8.16, a carrier and fueling group, from

Seeadler Harbor Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II. In German, "Seeadler" means sea eagle, pointing to German New Guinea, German colonial activi ...

for the Philippine Islands invasion. ''Riddle'' returned to Manus after the task unit was on its way, and operated in the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

and western Caroline area until early January 1945. On 14 January 1945 she arrived at

Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf, also known simply as the Leyte, is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the ...

Philippine Islands 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 ...

, after which she returned to the Marianas and western Carolines on routine screening and patrol duties. ''Riddle'' operated in the

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

area in February 1945, acting as

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

and

patrol as well as escorting various fleet units in their operations in that bloody battle area. On 5 March, she anchored at

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 ...

and the following day sailed for

in company with . After remaining in San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, until 18 March, ''Riddle'' got underway as part of the escort group for task unit TU 51.7.1, en route to

Kerama Retto The are a subtropical island group southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Geography Four islands are inhabited: Tokashiki Island, Zamami Island, Aka Island, and Geruma Island. The islands are administered as Tokashiki Village and Zamami Vil ...

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

. Upon arrival at Kerama Retto on 26 March 1945, ''Riddle'' operated with various screening units, patrol sections, and retirement groups in those waters. 12 April found the vessel off Okinawa on a patrolling station, with task force TF 51, under enemy attack. Two Japanese

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

s attacked ''Riddle''. The first was shot down, just clearing the ship, and the second crashed into the ship killing one man and causing considerable damage. After transfer of wounded and repair to her battle damage at Kerama Retto, ''Riddle'' got underway on 16 April as an escort to Saipan. ''Riddle'' arrived at Okinawa once more on 1 May 1945, and assumed patrol and escort duties there until 15 June when she got underway for Leyte Gulf. She arrived on 18 June and anchored there in San Pedro Bay, until 1 July. From 2 to 4 July, she participated in firing exercises with and on the 5th got underway as escort for en route to

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 ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, arriving Pearl Harbor on 19 July. ''Riddle'' proceeded on to

San Pedro, Los Angeles San Pedro ( ; ) is a neighborhood located within the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los ...

, for overhaul which lasted through the end of hostilities. On 13 November, ''Riddle'' got underway for the Panama Canal and arrived

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, on the 29th. On 31 December 1945 she reported to Commander, Florida Group, U.S. 16th Fleet, for inactivation, and decommissioned on 8 June 1946.

French Navy (1950–1959)

''Riddle'' was transferred to

on 12 August 1950 under the

Military 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 foreign aid legislation of the Cold War era, and initially to ...

and was struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...

on 26 September 1950. The

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

served in the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

as ''Kabyle'' (F718) until broken up in 1959.

Awards

''Riddle'' earned 12

battle stars A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

for

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

service.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle (DE-185) Cannon-class destroyer escorts of the United States Navy Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1943 ships