View source for USS Stewart (DE-238)

{{Short description|1942 Edsall-class destroyer escort}}
{{Other ships|USS Stewart}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption=USS Stewart (DE-238)}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Stewart (DE-238) underway at sea on 21 November 1943 (80-G-200282).jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Stewart'' in 1943
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1947}}
|Ship name=''Stewart''
|Ship namesake=[[Charles Stewart (1778–1869)|Charles Stewart]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Brown Shipbuilding]], [[Houston]], Texas
|Ship laid down=15 July 1942
|Ship launched=22 November 1942
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=31 May 1943
|Ship decommissioned=January 1947
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=1 October 1972
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Donated as a [[museum ship]] to [[Galveston, Texas]] on 25 June 1974
|Ship status=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Edsall|destroyer escort}}
|Ship displacement=* {{convert|1253|long ton}} standard
* {{convert|1590|long ton}} full load
|Ship length= {{convert|306|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|36.58|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|10.42|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} full load
|Ship propulsion=*4&nbsp;[[Fairbanks-Morse|FM]]&nbsp;[[diesel engine]]s,
*4&nbsp;diesel-[[Engine-generator|generator]]s,
* {{convert|6000|shp|lk=on|abbr=on}}
*2&nbsp;screws
|Ship speed= {{convert|21|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=* {{convert|9100|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn}}
|Ship complement=8 officers, 201 enlisted
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament= {{Edsall class destroyer escort armament}}
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox NRHP
  | name = USS ''Stewart''
  | embed = yes
  | nrhp_type = 
  | location = East End of Seawolf Park, [[Galveston, Texas]]
  | coordinates = {{coord|29|20|9|N|94|46|46|W|display=inline,title}}
  | locmapin = Texas#USA
  | map_label = USS ''Stewart''
  | locmap_relief = yes
  | added = 12 July 2007
  | area = {{convert|0.3|acre}}
  | refnum = 07000689<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2013a}}</ref>
}}
|}
'''USS ''Stewart'' (DE–238)''' is an {{sclass|Edsall|destroyer escort}}, the third [[United States Navy]] ship so named. This ship was named for [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Charles Stewart (1778-1869)|Charles Stewart]] (28 July 1778 – 6 November 1869), who commanded {{USS|Constitution}} during the [[War of 1812]]. ''Stewart'' is one of only two preserved destroyer escorts in the U.S. and is the only ''Edsall''-class vessel to be preserved. She is on display in Galveston, Texas as a museum ship and is open to the public.

==Construction and career==
The third ''Stewart'' (DE-238) was laid down at [[Houston]], Texas, by [[Brown Shipbuilding]] on 15 July 1942; launched on 22 November; sponsored by Mrs. William A. Porteos, Jr.; and commissioned on 31 May 1943.

''Stewart'' remained at Houston until 10 June, when she shifted to [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]]. She entered the drydock there on the 14th and exited on the 16th. The following day, she got underway for [[New Orleans]], Louisiana, where she reported for duty to the Commandant of the [[8th Naval District]] and to the [[Commander, Operational Training Command, Atlantic Fleet]] (COTCLANT). The destroyer escort departed New Orleans on 22 June to conduct [[shakedown cruise|shakedown]] training in the vicinity of [[Bermuda]]; completed it a month later; and sailed for [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]]. After six days at the [[Philadelphia Navy Yard]], Stewart headed south to [[Miami]], Florida, from whence she operated, conducting patrols and exercises, until 29 October. She put to sea; headed north; and, on the 31st, arrived at [[Norfolk, Virginia]].

===Convoy duty===
After a cruise up the [[Potomac River]], during which she visited [[Quantico, Virginia]] and the [[Washington Navy Yard]], ''Stewart'' commenced a tour of duty training prospective destroyer-escort crews out of Norfolk. That assignment continued for the next three and one-half months, broken only by two temporary assignments escorting convoys from [[Tompkinsville, New York]], to the [[Virginia Capes]] area. On 17 March 1944, she sailed from Norfolk for Tompkinsville; arrived there the next day; and put to sea, on the 19th, in the screen of a convoy bound—via [[Naval Base Argentia|NS Argentia]], [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]]—for [[Reykjavík]], [[Iceland]]. She returned to Tompkinsville on 10 April and sailed for Norfolk on the 12th. She arrived there on the 13th, [[drydock]]ed from the 14th to the 16th, and joined the screen of convoy Task Unit (TU) 29.6.1 on 25 April.

''Stewart'' sailed with her convoy via [[Aruba]] in the [[Netherlands West Indies]] and made [[Cristóbal, Panama|Cristobal]] in the [[Panama Canal Zone]] on 3 May. The following day, she put to sea with the convoy and escorted it as far as [[Guantánamo Bay (Cuba)|Guantanamo Bay, Cuba]]. There, she parted company with the other ships and steamed independently to [[Bermuda]].

The destroyer escort arrived at [[Port Royal]] on 10 May and, for the next week, made experimental attacks on a captured [[Italy|Italian]] [[submarine]]. From the 18th to the 23rd, ''Stewart'' participated in a search off Bermuda for an unidentified [[radio direction finder]] contact. She made one depth charge attack on the 18th, but the results were inconclusive. On the 23rd, she put back into Port Royal and remained there four days.

''Stewart'' departed Port Royal again on the 27th, this time in a hunter-killer group composed of [[USS Rhind (DD-404)|USS ''Rhind'']] and [[USS Wainwright (DD-419)|USS ''Wainwright'']], in addition to herself. On 3 June, the three warships rendezvoused with convoy UC 24, and the group sailed north. ''Stewart'' was detached on the 8th and, on the 9th, put into [[Boston]], Massachusetts. On the 25th, she shifted to [[Casco Bay, Maine]], and the following day, conducted [[antisubmarine warfare]] (ASW) exercises with the {{ship|Italian submarine|Vortice||6}}. On the 27th, she sailed south to Norfolk. ''Stewart'' arrived on the 29th and put to sea again on 1 July in the escort of convoy UGF 12. The destroyer escort screened the convoy to [[Naples|Naples, Italy]], where it arrived on 15 July. She departed Naples on 21 July in the screen of the return convoy, GUF 12, and moored at the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]] on 3 August.

In mid-August, she returned to Casco Bay for two days of training; then she entered drydock at Boston on the 17th. She left drydock on the 21st and soon got underway to join another convoy at Norfolk. ''Stewart'' arrived at Norfolk on 22 August. On the 24th, she began another voyage to Naples, returning to the United States at [[New York City]] on 26 September. When she shifted to Casco Bay on 9 October, she took up ASW training again with ''Vortice''. On 20 October, she returned to Boston, from whence she sailed two days later in the screen of convoy CU 44. On that same day, Stewart dropped four [[depth charges]] at a sound contact but had to abandon the search and rejoin the convoy. She entered the [[River Clyde]] and moored there on 2 November. Eight days later, the destroyer escort sailed for the United States and arrived in New York on 22 November.

Following another round of ASW training off [[Nantucket Island]], this time with the {{ship|Italian submarine|Goffredo Mameli||6}}, she departed Boston on 10 December in the screen of another convoy. Ten days later, she entered [[Plymouth Sound]]. On the night of 23/24 December, she shifted to the [[Isle of Wight]] where she joined another convoy getting underway for America. Between January and June 1945, ''Stewart'', escorted three more convoys to [[England]], one to [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]] and two to [[Liverpool]]. Between each round-trip voyage, she trained off the [[New England]] coast. On the return voyage from the second of these missions, ''Stewart'' was called-upon to assist [[SS Saint Mihiel|SS ''Saint Mihiel'']] in fighting fires caused by a collision with [[SS Nashbulk|SS ''Nashbulk'']]. Following her final voyage to England, ''Stewart'' put into the New York Navy Yard for 18 days of availability. On 24 June 1945, she departed New York for Norfolk, arriving there on the 26th. After a brief stop, she continued on to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where she conducted training exercises from 30 June until 12 July.

===Transfer to the Pacific===
[[File:USS Stewart (DE-238) underway in New York Harbor (USA) on 22 June 1945 (19-N-89448).jpg|thumb|left|''Stewart'' on 22 June 1945.]]
She cleared the area on the 12th in company with [[USS Edsall (DE-129)|USS ''Edsall'']] and [[USS Moore (DE-240)|USS ''Moore'']]. The three warships transited the [[Panama Canal]] on 16 July and made [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] on the 24th. Four days at the [[Naval Station San Diego|Naval Repair Base]] followed; then [[USS Wilhoite (DE-397)|USS ''Wilhoite'']] joined ''Stewart'' and the other two destroyer escorts as they headed for [[Pearl Harbor]] on the 28th. The formation reached Pearl Harbor on 4 August, and ''Stewart'' conducted training, first with [[USS Spearfish (SS-190)|USS ''Spearfish'']], then with [[USS Baltimore (CA-68)|USS ''Baltimore'']] until 5 September when she departed for the west coast. She stopped at San Diego from 11 to 13 September; then continued on to the Canal Zone.

===Reserve status and decommissioning===
[[File:USS Stewart in April 2024a.jpg|thumb|USS Stewart Painted in Measure 32 Camouflage to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the loss of USS Samuel B Roberts on 25 Oct 1944]]
She retransited the canal on 22 September and made Philadelphia on the 27th. One month later, ''Stewart'' reported for duty to the [[Atlantic Reserve Fleet]] at Philadelphia. ''Stewart'' was placed [[reserve fleet|out of commission, in reserve]], in January 1947 at [[Green Cove Springs, Florida]]. ''Stewart'' changed berthing areas three times between 1947 and 1969—first to [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] in 1958, then to Norfolk in 1959, and finally to [[Orange, Texas]] in 1969. In 1972, the destroyer escort underwent inspection and survey and was found to be unfit for further naval service. Consequently, her name was struck from the [[Naval Register|Navy list]] on 1 October 1972.

==Museum ship==
On 25 June 1974, ''Stewart'' and the {{sclass|Gato|submarine|1}} {{USS|Cavalla|SS-244|2}} were donated by the U.S. Navy to the city of Galveston for use as part of the American Undersea Warfare Center at [[Seawolf Park]]. The municipal park is a memorial to the loss of USS Seawolf, SS-197 and Texans who died in World War II.  The park is located on Pelican Island. Both vessels were placed, in their entirety, on land overlooking the city. In April 2024, USS Stewart underwent new painting to show her as the USS Samuel B Roberts would have appeared during WW2.  

More information at: www.galvestonnavalmuseum.com
[[File:USS Stewart in April 2024b.jpg|thumb|Additional view]]

===Neglect===
Over the years, a lack of maintenance, the elements, and vandalism had left ''Stewart'' and ''Cavalla'' in extremely poor material condition with corrosion and missing equipment being the obvious issues. In 1996, the U.S. Navy was considering reclaiming ''Stewart'' and placing her in the care of the [[Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh|Carnegie Institute]] with the intention of moving the ship to [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania, on the condition that a [[metallurgy|metallurgical analysis]] found that the hull was in sufficient condition for her to be re-floated.<ref name="1996 visit">{{cite web|url=http://www.de220.com/DE%20Index/DE238%20Stewart/Stewart%20Visit.htm |access-date=1 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705004431/http://www.de220.com/DE%20Index/DE238%20Stewart/Stewart%20Visit.htm |archive-date=5 July 2007 |title=USS Stewart (DE-238)|website=de220.com}}</ref> In October 1998, the Galveston Parks Board announced its intention to scrap both vessels and turn Seawolf Park into an [[recreational vehicle|RV]] [[RV park|park]].<ref name="Cavalla History">{{cite web|url=http://www.cavalla.org/cav2day.html |title=The Cavalla Today/Update |access-date=1 January 2007}}</ref> After a protracted public battle, the Parks Board allowed the ''Cavalla'' Historical Foundation to raise funds for the restoration and preservation of the vessels.<ref name="Cavalla History" />

[[File:Seawolf Park damage following Ike.jpg|thumb|Damage in Seawolf Park following [[Hurricane Ike]].]]

===Induction into the National Register of Historic Places===
On 11 November 2007, ''Stewart'' was officially inducted into the [[National Register of Historic Places]]<ref>{{NRISref|2010a|access-date=13 March 2009}}</ref> in a formal ceremony held in conjunction with regular annual [[Veterans Day]] activities. Captain C.W. "Swede" Andersen, President of the [[Texas Navy#Third Texas Navy|Texas Navy]] Association, Dwayne Jones, Executive Director of the Galveston Historical Foundation, [[Lyda Ann Thomas]], Mayor of Galveston, and a host of other dignitaries were present for the ceremony.<ref>{{cite web | title=Seawolf Park | publisher=galveston.com | url=http://www.galveston.com/seawolfpark/}}</ref>

===Hurricane Ike===
On 13 September 2008, ''Stewart'' suffered extensive flooding and wind damage as a result of [[Hurricane Ike]]. While Hurricane Ike hit Galveston as a strong Category 2 storm, most of the damage resulted from the category 5-equivalent storm surge. Damage to both ''Cavalla'' and ''Stewart'' was extensive but restoration activities have brought both vessels back to daily maintenance level condition.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

==See also==
{{Portal|National Register of Historic Places|Texas}}
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Galveston County, Texas]]
*[[Effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas]]
*[[USS Slater|USS ''Slater'']] - the last destroyer escort afloat in America, now a museum ship in [[Albany, NY]].

==References==
*{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/stewart-iii.html}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Stewart (DE-238) (ship, 1942)|USS Stewart (DE-238)}}
*[http://www.taskforce1.org/stewart.htm ''Stewart's'' condition in 2003]
*[http://www.cavalla.org/ USS ''Cavalla'' Historical Foundation]
*[http://www.hnsa.org/hnsa-ships/uss-stewart-de-238/ HNSA Ship Page: USS ''Stewart'']

{{Edsall class destroyer escort}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Texas}}
{{Galveston, Texas}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart (De-238)}}
[[Category:All articles with dead external links]]
[[Category:Edsall-class destroyer escorts]]
[[Category:Ships built in Orange, Texas]]
[[Category:1942 ships]]
[[Category:World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Galveston County, Texas]]
[[Category:Museum ships in Texas]]
[[Category:Museums in Galveston, Texas]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in Texas]]
[[Category:Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas]]