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German aircraft drop flares on a convoy escorted by MAYO.
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She fought the Battle of the North Atlantic during the winter, spring, and summer of 1942 without the loss of a single merchant ship. |
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Victor Blandin, Engineering Officer | |
North Atlantic Convoy Duty
The MAYO was originally assigned to Destroyer Squadron 7 where she would remain through the end of the war in Europe. Reverberations of merchant ship sinkings in the North
Atlantic were beginning to be heard in the United States. Damaged British ships limped secretly into American ports for repairs, then returned to the battle areas in the North Sea, the Mediterranean, and all other British sea lanes that Hitler had released his submarines and aircraft in a desperate attempt
to destroy Britain's supply lines. The United States was aiding the delivery of supplies to the Allied Nations of Europe.
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Destroyer Squadron 7
Commanded by J.L. Kauffman |
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Flagship |
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USS Plunkett DD431 |
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Destroyer Division 13 |
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USS Benson DD421 |
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USS Mayo DD422 |
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USS Gleaves DD423 |
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USS Niblack DD424 |
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Destroyer Division 14 |
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USS Madison DD425 |
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USS Lansdale DD426 |
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USS Hilary P. Jones DD427 |
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USS Charles F. Hughes DD428 |
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The German Government decided that the United States was breaking its neutrality and that US ships were "fair game" if used in supplying enemies of Nazi Germany.
As was the case, USS Niblack DD424, a unit of DesRon 7, picked up a German U-boat preparing to attack her convoy. The Convoy Commander ordered a depth charge attack that ,though unsuccessful, was the first American-German confrontation of the war.
On May 27, 1941, President Franklyn D. Roosevelt declared a "Unlimited National Emergency", where " The war is approaching the brink of the Western Hemisphere itself. It is coming very close to home.. It would be suicide to wait until the aggressors are in our front yard... We have accordingly, extended our patrol
in North and South Atlantic Waters." Thus began the undeclared war with Germany that was the "Neutrality Patrol".
On June 15, 1941, Admiral King issued a new "Operation Plan" which named Iceland as an outpost of the Western Hemisphere. The following day, Admiral Stark advised Admiral King that President Roosevelt had issued orders that United States troops were to relieve British troops on Iceland. On July 1, U.S. Marines steamed for Argentia, Newfoundland on their way to Reykjavik.
To support this undertaking, the first American Naval Task Force organized for foreign service was created as TF-19 under command of Rear Admiral D. LeBreton. This force consisted of 25 American ships based around four troop transports. The escort was two battleships, two cruisers, and nine destroyers. The convoy was protected by inner and outer screens with the newer ships of DesRon 7 (less Madison) providing the inner screen. Destroyers Ellis, Bernadou, Upshur, Lea, and Buck were the outer screen stationed some 10,000 yards ahead of the convoys main body and all arrived safely on 7 July, 1941.
Mayo along with other allied warships, especially Flagships HMS Prince Of Wales and USS Augusta, protected the meeting of President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Premier Stalin, which resulted in the Atlantic Charter.
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"I decoded the Flash AlNav notifying us of the Pearl Harbor attack. The word electrified the ship of course and because I didn't know the extent of the damage, I felt relieved that the Pacific Fleet was now in combat as we had been for many months. In retrospect, an unworthy emotion, but the fatigue and danger of the North Atlantic Patrol had us all on the edge."
E. Howard Hunt, Ens, USS Mayo DD422
later a former OSS and CIA Officer |
September and October of 1941 were extremely anxious times as USS Greer, USS Reuben James, and sister ship, USS Kearny DD432, were attacked by German U-boats. Kearny and Reuben James lost a great deal of life and Reuben James was lost at sea. By September 11, 1941, President Roosevelt gave the "Shoot on Sight" order. Proclaiming that " From now on, if German or Italian vessels enter the waters, the protection of which is necessary for American Defense, they do so at their own peril." Needless to say, Mayo underwent a sea change that was not only reflected in personal attitudes but took on a sense of urgency.
Toward the end of October 1941, a new convoy system was begun where two DesRon ships would escort a convoy along with four or more Canadian corvettes. At this time, Commander Williams Phillips broke out his flag as Convoy Escort Commander on Mayo and began several convoy runs to Iceland, Ireland, and the such. December 8, 1941 brought word that the Pacific fleet had been attacked by the Japanese and the men and crew as well as the nation were in shock. However, they needed no alerting as war had begun some 6 months earlier for the United States in the Atlantic.
1942 brought more of the same convoy duty but the German submarine menace ran rampant ,as at this stage of the war, the Anti-submarine force was completely outnumbered. The weather was extremely rough with dangerous 40-50 degree rolls commonplace and other ships could hardly be seen due to the ice, fog, storms, and general wave movement. By the Summer of 1942, new ships were entering the fleet and the weather became more moderate. New ASW techniques and skills were used and finally some progress was being made against the German submarine.
At the end of 1942, USS Mayo supported the landings at Casablanca by escorting supplies from the States to North Africa. Upon arrival, Mayo was ordered to Safi to maintain control of that port in conjunction with the US Army. Hence forth, there would be more convoy escort duty but with the new Hunter-Killer groups of escort carriers and destroyer escorts taking over, DesRon7 moved onto other tasks such as supporting the Invasion of Europe.
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