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USS Lofberg (DD-759)
Encyclopedia
USS Lofberg (DD-759), an , is the only ship of the United States Navy
to be named for Gus Brynolf Lofberg, Jr., who was the commander of the , which was lost in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
.
Co., San Francisco, California
; launched 12 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. G. B. Lofberg, Jr., widow of Lieutenant Commander
Lofberg; and commissioned 26 April 1945, Commander
R. O. Beer in command.
After shakedown, Lofberg departed the West Coast for the war zone. Since the formal surrender of Japan occurred almost 6 weeks before she arrived Tokyo Bay
, 13 October, this trim fighting ship turned to occupation duty. First came the clearing of mines from Japanese harbors, then a series of shuttle runs between Okinawa and Shanghai, and finally her return to San Francisco 28 March 1946 with a group of marines embarked at Tsingtao, China
.
Lofberg was now temporarily assigned to the 3rd Reserve Fleet During the next year she restricted her sailing to short 2-week coastal cruises to train Naval Reserves. On 1 July 1947 Lofberg resumed operations with the Pacific Fleet as flagship for DesRon 7.
Three years later the outbreak of the Korean War
tested the Navy's peacetime stress upon continuous training and physical readiness. On 30 September, under the command of Comdr. R. W. McElrath, Lofberg departed San Francisco on the first of three tours of duty in the new war zone. These operations extended over a 3-year period.
Upon her initial arrival in Korean waters she became part of the screen for the fast carriers of TF 77. Planes from these carriers played an important part in successful evacuations in November and December of U.N. troops from North Korea
in the wake of Chinese Communist intervention. Shifted temporarily to TG 96.8, she participated in gunfire support missions first off Korea
's west coast and then in company with against targets along the eastern coast. As on her two succeeding tours she also took part both in the naval siege of Wonsan, Korea, and the preventive patrolling of the Formosa Straits before returning home on 2 July 1951.
Even after the Korean armistice of July 1953, Lofberg continued to make annual voyages to the Far East to participate in the activities and responsibilities of the 7th Fleet. By the beginning of 1960 she had lost her flagship status to a more modern-type destroyer. Though called upon as a part of the 1961 South China Sea buildup during a new Laotian crisis, this World War II vintage ship soon returned to San Francisco for a FRAM
II rehabilitation and modernization.
Refurbished on 23 July 1962, Lofberg steamed forth to undergo a refresher training cruise and exercises designed to teach the effective use of her new helicopter flight deck. On 22 September she joined DesDiv 153, Pacific Fleet, for tactical training as part of an antisubmarine hunter group. The following 19 April, Lofberg departed the west coast to begin a new series of Far Eastern tours of duty. Lofberg completed her first assignment in time to spend Christmas 1963 at home, but her following voyage lasted from 23 October 1964 until 17 May 1965. To the familiar Formosa Strait patrol was added in February new duties off the coast of war ravaged South Vietnam
. These duties included participation in the coastal barrier patrol initiated to prevent the infiltration of men and supplies from North Vietnam
.
Once home from the newest war zone, Lofberg underwent a 3-month drydock period and in October commenced tactical exercises in the southern California operation area. The destroyer reentered the South China Sea 26 April 1966, and during the next 6 months served first on Yankee Station and then provided gunfire support to Allied forces ashore. While assigned to the latter duties she participated in operation "Deck House 11".
Since that time, into 1969, Lofberg has continued to rotate duty with the 1st and 7th Fleets as those arms of the Navy seek to establish, and keep, peace in the Pacific.
Lofberg received seven battle stars for Korean service.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to be named for Gus Brynolf Lofberg, Jr., who was the commander of the , which was lost in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...
.
History
Lofberg was laid down 4 November 1943 by Bethlehem SteelBethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
Co., San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
; launched 12 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. G. B. Lofberg, Jr., widow of Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Lofberg; and commissioned 26 April 1945, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
R. O. Beer in command.
After shakedown, Lofberg departed the West Coast for the war zone. Since the formal surrender of Japan occurred almost 6 weeks before she arrived Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
, 13 October, this trim fighting ship turned to occupation duty. First came the clearing of mines from Japanese harbors, then a series of shuttle runs between Okinawa and Shanghai, and finally her return to San Francisco 28 March 1946 with a group of marines embarked at Tsingtao, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Lofberg was now temporarily assigned to the 3rd Reserve Fleet During the next year she restricted her sailing to short 2-week coastal cruises to train Naval Reserves. On 1 July 1947 Lofberg resumed operations with the Pacific Fleet as flagship for DesRon 7.
Three years later the outbreak of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
tested the Navy's peacetime stress upon continuous training and physical readiness. On 30 September, under the command of Comdr. R. W. McElrath, Lofberg departed San Francisco on the first of three tours of duty in the new war zone. These operations extended over a 3-year period.
Upon her initial arrival in Korean waters she became part of the screen for the fast carriers of TF 77. Planes from these carriers played an important part in successful evacuations in November and December of U.N. troops from North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
in the wake of Chinese Communist intervention. Shifted temporarily to TG 96.8, she participated in gunfire support missions first off Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
's west coast and then in company with against targets along the eastern coast. As on her two succeeding tours she also took part both in the naval siege of Wonsan, Korea, and the preventive patrolling of the Formosa Straits before returning home on 2 July 1951.
Even after the Korean armistice of July 1953, Lofberg continued to make annual voyages to the Far East to participate in the activities and responsibilities of the 7th Fleet. By the beginning of 1960 she had lost her flagship status to a more modern-type destroyer. Though called upon as a part of the 1961 South China Sea buildup during a new Laotian crisis, this World War II vintage ship soon returned to San Francisco for a FRAM
Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization
The Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization program of the United States Navy extended the lives of World War II-era destroyers by shifting their mission from a surface attack role to that of a submarine hunter...
II rehabilitation and modernization.
Refurbished on 23 July 1962, Lofberg steamed forth to undergo a refresher training cruise and exercises designed to teach the effective use of her new helicopter flight deck. On 22 September she joined DesDiv 153, Pacific Fleet, for tactical training as part of an antisubmarine hunter group. The following 19 April, Lofberg departed the west coast to begin a new series of Far Eastern tours of duty. Lofberg completed her first assignment in time to spend Christmas 1963 at home, but her following voyage lasted from 23 October 1964 until 17 May 1965. To the familiar Formosa Strait patrol was added in February new duties off the coast of war ravaged South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. These duties included participation in the coastal barrier patrol initiated to prevent the infiltration of men and supplies from North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
.
Once home from the newest war zone, Lofberg underwent a 3-month drydock period and in October commenced tactical exercises in the southern California operation area. The destroyer reentered the South China Sea 26 April 1966, and during the next 6 months served first on Yankee Station and then provided gunfire support to Allied forces ashore. While assigned to the latter duties she participated in operation "Deck House 11".
Since that time, into 1969, Lofberg has continued to rotate duty with the 1st and 7th Fleets as those arms of the Navy seek to establish, and keep, peace in the Pacific.
Fate
Lofberg was decommissioned 15 January 1971, stricken 1 February 1973 and sold to Taiwan 6 May 1974 for spare parts.Lofberg received seven battle stars for Korean service.