Iowa people and places give names to 32 new ships of navy, merchant marine

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              Thirty-two ships launched since the beginning of World War II bear names of Iowa places or people . . . and there are others yet to come. Among these will be one for the town of Carroll (where Waverly's John Ingals is now county agent) for that place is one of 50 U.S. cities to be used as names of Victory ships after completion of the list of names of the allied countries. In this group the word victory will be used in the name too, as "Carroll Victory.-

The 32 ships are listed in the current issue of Annals of Iowa, the list having been checked by the offices of Senator George Wilson and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal. Of the 32 one is a battleship, one a cruiser, two are destroyers, two are frigates, one is an attack transport and eleven are destroyer escorts. These are in the fighting force of the U.S. navy. There are also 14 ships built by the U.S. Maritime Commission, two of them listed as cargo ships.-

The complete list, as it appears in the Annals, follows:-

BATTLESHIP-
U. S. S. Iowa IV, Battleship 61, named for State of Iowa, launched New York Navy yard, Aug. 27, 1942; sponsor, Mrs. Henry A. Wallace, wife of the vice president.-

CRUISER-
U. S. S. Des Moines Cruiseh [sic] CA-75, named for City of Des Moines, keel laid Sept. 9, 1943, not yet launched; Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass.-

FRIGATES-
U. S. S. Burlington, Frigate PF-51, named for City of Burlington, Iowa, launched Dec. 7, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Florence Conrad, wife of Max A. Conrad, mayor of City of Burlington; Consolidated Steel Co., Wilmington, Cal.-

U. S. S. Davenport, Frigate PF-69, named for City of Davenport,', Iowa, launched Dec. 8, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Ed Frick, wife of mayor of Davenport; Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturegon [sic] Bay, Wis.--
DESTROYERS-
U. S. S. Remey, Destroyer 688, named in honor of Rear Admiral George Collier Remey, USN of Iowa; launched July 25, 1943; sponsor, Angelica C. Remey, daughter of the admiral; Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine.-

U. S. S. The Sullivans, Destroyers 537, named in honor of the five Sullivan boys of Waterloo, Iowa, lost on the Cruiser Juneau; launched April 4, 1943; sponsor, 'Mrs. Thomas F. Sullivan, mother; Bethlehem Co., San Francisco.-

ATTACK TRANSPORT -

Former U. S. S. Ansel Briggs, now the U. S. S. Mintaka, Attack Transport AK-94, named in honor of Iowa's first state governor; launched March 10, 1943; sponsor Mrs. A. V. Bechtel, wife of shipbuilder; California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmingham, Cal.-

DESTROYER ESCORTS-
U. S. S. Bunch, Destroyer Escort 694, named in honor of Kenneth Cecil Bunch, aviation radioman first class, of Pershing, U. S. navy, killed in South Pacific; launched May 29, 1943; sponsor Mrs. Leila Mae Bunch, Pershing, Iowa; wife Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich.-

U. S. S. Durant, Destroyer Escort 389, named in honor of Kenneth William Durant, pharmacist's mate, third class, U. S. navy, Algona; launched Aug. 3, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Solomon R. Durant, mother; Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas.-

U. S. S. Griswold, Destroyer Escort 7, named in honor of hero of Battle of Midway, Ens. Don T. Griswold, U. S. N. R. of Clarinda; launched Jan. 9, 1943; sponsor Mrs. Don T. Griswold, Sr., mother; ' Boston Navy Yard.-

U. S. S. Hilbert, Destroyer Escort, named in honor of Ernie Hilbert, killed in action in battle of Midway; sponsor, Mrs. Thomas Hilbert, El Monte, California, mother. '-
U. S. S. Kephart, Destroyer Escort, named in honor of Lt. William Perry Kephart, U. S. N. R. of Des Moines, killed in action while piloting navy lane at p Guadalcanal; launched Sept. 6, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Adam Perry Kephart, mother; Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S. C.-

U. S. S. Mack, Destroyer Escort 207, named in honor of Harold John Mack, LeMars, Iowa, gunner's mate, second class, U. S. j navy; launched April 11, 1944, sponsor, Mrs. Gertrude Mack, Los Angeles, mother; Consolidated Steel Co., Ltd., Orange, Texas.-

U. S. S. Myers, Destroyer Escort 595, named in honor of Merton Bernell Myers, machinist's mate, first class, U. S. navy, of Pocahontas; launched Feb. 15, 1944; sponsor, Mrs. Ralph W. Myers, mother; Bethlehem - Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Mass.-

U. S. S. Reynolds, Destroyer Escort 42, named in honor of Dudley Louis Reynolds, Fort Dodge, Ens. U. S. Navy; launched Aug. 1, 11943; sponsor, Mrs. Nora Lou Reynolds, wife; Puget Sound Navy Yard, Seattle, Wash.-

U. S. S. Schmitt, Destroyer Escort 676, named in honor of Father Herman Aloysius Schmitt, Lt. (j. g.) chaplain's corps U. S. navy, of St. Lucas and Dubuque, who went down on the Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor; launched May 29, 1943; 'sponsor, Mrs. Elizabeth Buchiet, St. Lucas, Iowa, sister; Bethlehem-Fore River, Quincy, Mass.-

U. S. S. Sellstrom, Destroyer Escort 255, named in honor of Ens. Edward Robert Sellstrom of Rockwell City, who lost his life in airplane crash; launched May12, 1943; sponsor, Miss Genevieve Dahl, his fiancee, Minneapolis; Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas.-

U. S. S. Suesens, Destroyer Escort 342, named in honor of Lt. (j. g.) Richard Wayne Suesens, of Burlington, navy flier killed in action in Pacific area; launched Jan. 11, 1944; sponsor, Mrs. Margaret Jean Suesens, wife; Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Texas.-

U. S. S. Weber, Destroyer Escort 675, named in honor of Ens. Frederick Thomas Weber, U. S. N., of Des Moines, killed in action in Battle of Midway; launched May, 1, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Matt R. Walsh, Galesburg, Ill., mother;, Bethlehem-Fore River, Quincy, Mass.-

S. S. Josiah B. Grinnell, Cargo Ship, named in honor of founder of City of Grinnell; launched March 4, 1943; Built at Richmond,1 Cal.-

S. S. Samuel J. Kirkwood, Liberty Ship,-named in honor of Iowa governor and United States I secretary of the interior; launched Dec. 3, 1943; built at New Orleans.-

S. S. W. W. McCrackin, Liberty Ship, named in honor of resident of Fairfield, lo --A; launched Oct. 8, 1943; built at Portland, Ore.-

S. S. Edwin T. Meredith, Liberty Ship, named in honor of Iowa publisher and secretary of agriculture; launched June 15, 1943; built at Richmond, Cal.-

S. S. John H. Quick, Liberty, Ship, named in honor of Herbert Quick, Iowa author; launched Dec. 13, 1943; California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Cal.-

S. S. Leslie M. Shaw, Liberty, Ship, named in honor of Iowa governor and secretary of the treasury; launched Dec. 22, 1942; built at Richmond, Cal.-

S. S. Henry C. Wallace, Liberty Ship, named in honor of Iowa' publisher and secretary of agriculture; launched Aug. 15, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. B. B. Hickenlooper, wife of the Iowa governor; built at Wilmington, Cal.-

S. S. James B. Weaver, Cargo Ship, named in honor of Iowa member of congress, publicist and I Civil War soldier; launched March 23, 1943; built at Wilmington, Cal.-

S. S. Robert G. Cousins, Liberty Ship, named in honor of Iowa congressman; launched Dec. 23, 1943; built at Richmond, Cal.-

The vessels constructed in the United States navy yards come under long established general classifications. Battleships are named for states; cruisers and frigates for cities; submarines for fish; destroyers and destroyer escorts for officers or enlisted men in the navy, former secretaries of the navy, members of congress or inventors; carriers for historical vessels or battles: mine sweepers for birds; gun boats for small cities; sea plane tenders for sounds or bays; ocean going tugs for Indian tribes; and cargo ships for stars. Maritime Commission vessels are named for individuals.-

MARITIME COMMISSION VESSELS-
S. S. William B. Allison, Liberty p Ship, named in honor of Iowa United States senator; launched March 8, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Bennet Rose; California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Cal.-

S. S. Albert B. Cummins, Liberty Ship, in honor of Iowa Governor and United States senator; launched March 23, 1943; Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Ore.-

S. S. Frank Cuhel, Liberty Ship, named in honor of a war correspondent from Cedar Rapids, Iowa; launched Dec. 15, 1943; sponsor, Miss Ermengarde Cuhel, sister; built at Richmond, Cal.-

S. S. Julien Dubuque, Liberty Ship, named in honor of first settler of City of Dubuque; launched Feb. 16, 1943; built at Richmond, Cal.--
S. S. Leo Duster, Liberty Ship, named in honor of secretary to the governor of Iowa, deceased, of Cedar Rapids; financed by Linn Co. drive; launched Nov. 21, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Leo. Duster, wife; Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards, Baltimore, Md.

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Title	Iowa people and places give names to 32 new ships of navy, merchant marine
Other Title	Battleships, frigates, destroyer escorts, cargo ships among those on Iowa List
Newspaper	Democrat (Waverly, Iowa)
Date Original	1944-09-22
Topic	Ships named for Iowa locations or Iowa citizens
Subject	World War, 1939-1945 -- Iowa Warships -- United States
Geographic Subject	United States -- Iowa
Type	Text Clippings
Digital Format	image/jpeg; Display image: 434,541 bytes
Digital Collection	World War II Iowa Press Clippings
Contributing Institution	State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City
Rights Management	This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa.
Height (cm)	1 clipping : b&w ; 21 cm.
Digitization Specifications	Scanned with Ricoh Aficio 2232C @ 600 ppi. Master image: 16,235,271 bytes, 6600 x 5100.
Date Digital	2005-03-25
File Name	1944-09-22.jpg
Theme	World War II
Language	eng
Full Text	Thirty-two ships launched since the beginning of World War II bear names of Iowa places or people... and there are others yet to come. Among these will be one for the town of Carroll (where Waverly's John Ingals is now county agent) for that place is one of 50 U.S. cities to be used as names of Victory ships after completion of the list of names of the allied countries. In this group the word victory will be used in the name too, as "Carroll Victory.- The 32 ships are listed in the current issue of Annals of Iowa, the list having been checked by the offices of Senator George Wilson and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal. Of the 32 one is a battleship, one a cruiser, two are destroyers, two are frigates, one is an attack transport and eleven are destroyer escorts. These are in the fighting force of the U.S. navy. There are also 14 ships built by the U.S. Maritime Commission, two of them listed as cargo ships.- The complete list, as it appears in the Annals, follows:- BATTLESHIP- U. S. S. Iowa IV, Battleship 61, named for State of Iowa, launched New York Navy yard, Aug. 27, 1942; sponsor, Mrs. Henry A. Wallace, wife of the vice president.- CRUISER- U. S. S. Des Moines Cruiseh [sic] CA-75, named for City of Des Moines, keel laid Sept. 9, 1943, not yet launched; Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass.- FRIGATES- U. S. S. Burlington, Frigate PF-51, named for City of Burlington, Iowa, launched Dec. 7, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Florence Conrad, wife of Max A. Conrad, mayor of City of Burlington; Consolidated Steel Co., Wilmington, Cal.- U. S. S. Davenport, Frigate PF-69, named for City of Davenport,', Iowa, launched Dec. 8, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Ed Frick, wife of mayor of Davenport; Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturegon [sic] Bay, Wis.-- DESTROYERS- U. S. S. Remey, Destroyer 688, named in honor of Rear Admiral George Collier Remey, USN of Iowa; launched July 25, 1943; sponsor, Angelica C. Remey, daughter of the admiral; Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine.- U. S. S. The Sullivans, Destroyers 537, named in honor of the five Sullivan boys of Waterloo, Iowa, lost on the Cruiser Juneau; launched April 4, 1943; sponsor, 'Mrs. Thomas F. Sullivan, mother; Bethlehem Co., San Francisco.- ATTACK TRANSPORT - Former U. S. S. Ansel Briggs, now the U. S. S. Mintaka, Attack Transport AK-94, named in honor of Iowa's first state governor; launched March 10, 1943; sponsor Mrs. A. V. Bechtel, wife of shipbuilder; California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmingham, Cal.- DESTROYER ESCORTS- U. S. S. Bunch, Destroyer Escort 694, named in honor of Kenneth Cecil Bunch, aviation radioman first class, of Pershing, U. S. navy, killed in South Pacific; launched May 29, 1943; sponsor Mrs. Leila Mae Bunch, Pershing, Iowa; wife Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich.- U. S. S. Durant, Destroyer Escort 389, named in honor of Kenneth William Durant, pharmacist's mate, third class, U. S. navy, Algona; launched Aug. 3, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Solomon R. Durant, mother; Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas.- U. S. S. Griswold, Destroyer Escort 7, named in honor of hero of Battle of Midway, Ens. Don T. Griswold, U. S. N. R. of Clarinda; launched Jan. 9, 1943; sponsor Mrs. Don T. Griswold, Sr., mother; ' Boston Navy Yard.- U. S. S. Hilbert, Destroyer Escort, named in honor of Ernie Hilbert, killed in action in battle of Midway; sponsor, Mrs. Thomas Hilbert, El Monte, California, mother. '- U. S. S. Kephart, Destroyer Escort, named in honor of Lt. William Perry Kephart, U. S. N. R. of Des Moines, killed in action while piloting navy lane at p Guadalcanal; launched Sept. 6, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Adam Perry Kephart, mother; Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S. C.- U. S. S. Mack, Destroyer Escort 207, named in honor of Harold John Mack, LeMars, Iowa, gunner's mate, second class, U. S. j navy; launched April 11, 1944, sponsor, Mrs. Gertrude Mack, Los Angeles, mother; Consolidated Steel Co., Ltd., Orange, Texas.- U. S. S. Myers, Destroyer Escort 595, named in honor of Merton Bernell Myers, machinist's mate, first class, U. S. navy, of Pocahontas; launched Feb. 15, 1944; sponsor, Mrs. Ralph W. Myers, mother; Bethlehem - Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Mass.- U. S. S. Reynolds, Destroyer Escort 42, named in honor of Dudley Louis Reynolds, Fort Dodge, Ens. U. S. Navy; launched Aug. 1, 11943; sponsor, Mrs. Nora Lou Reynolds, wife; Puget Sound Navy Yard, Seattle, Wash.- U. S. S. Schmitt, Destroyer Escort 676, named in honor of Father Herman Aloysius Schmitt, Lt. (j. g.) chaplain's corps U. S. navy, of St. Lucas and Dubuque, who went down on the Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor; launched May 29, 1943; 'sponsor, Mrs. Elizabeth Buchiet, St. Lucas, Iowa, sister; Bethlehem-Fore River, Quincy, Mass.- U. S. S. Sellstrom, Destroyer Escort 255, named in honor of Ens. Edward Robert Sellstrom of Rockwell City, who lost his life in airplane crash; launched May12, 1943; sponsor, Miss Genevieve Dahl, his fiancee, Minneapolis; Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas.- U. S. S. Suesens, Destroyer Escort 342, named in honor of Lt. (j. g.) Richard Wayne Suesens, of Burlington, navy flier killed in action in Pacific area; launched Jan. 11, 1944; sponsor, Mrs. Margaret Jean Suesens, wife; Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Texas.- U. S. S. Weber, Destroyer Escort 675, named in honor of Ens. Frederick Thomas Weber, U. S. N., of Des Moines, killed in action in Battle of Midway; launched May, 1, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Matt R. Walsh, Galesburg, Ill., mother ;, Bethlehem-Fore River, Quincy, Mass.- S. S. Josiah B. Grinnell, Cargo Ship, named in honor of founder of City of Grinnell; launched March 4, 1943; Built at Richmond,1 Cal.- S. S. Samuel J. Kirkwood, Liberty Ship,-named in honor of Iowa governor and United States I secretary of the interior; launched Dec. 3, 1943; built at New Orleans.- S. S. W. W. McCrackin, Liberty Ship, named in honor of resident of Fairfield, lo --A; launched Oct. 8, 1943; built at Portland, Ore.- S. S. Edwin T. Meredith, Liberty Ship, named in honor of Iowa publisher and secretary of agriculture; launched June 15, 1943; built at Richmond, Cal.- S. S. John H. Quick, Liberty, Ship, named in honor of Herbert Quick, Iowa author; launched Dec. 13, 1943; California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Cal.- S. S. Leslie M. Shaw, Liberty, Ship, named in honor of Iowa governor and secretary of the treasury; launched Dec. 22, 1942; built at Richmond, Cal.- S. S. Henry C. Wallace, Liberty Ship, named in honor of Iowa' publisher and secretary of agriculture; launched Aug. 15, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. B. B. Hickenlooper, wife of the Iowa governor; built at Wilmington, Cal.- S. S. James B. Weaver, Cargo Ship, named in honor of Iowa member of congress, publicist and I Civil War soldier; launched March 23, 1943; built at Wilmington, Cal.- S. S. Robert G. Cousins, Liberty Ship, named in honor of Iowa congressman; launched Dec. 23, 1943; built at Richmond, Cal.- The vessels constructed in the United States navy yards come under long established general classifications. Battleships are named for states; cruisers and frigates for cities; submarines for fish; destroyers and destroyer escorts for officers or enlisted men in the navy, former secretaries of the navy, members of congress or inventors; carriers for historical vessels or battles: mine sweepers for birds; gun boats for small cities; sea plane tenders for sounds or bays; ocean going tugs for Indian tribes; and cargo ships for stars. Maritime Commission vessels are named for individuals.- MARITIME COMMISSION VESSELS- S. S. William B. Allison, Liberty p Ship, named in honor of Iowa United States senator; launched March 8, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Bennet Rose; California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Cal.- S. S. Albert B. Cummins, Liberty Ship, in honor of Iowa Governor and United States senator; launched March 23, 1943; Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Ore.- S. S. Frank Cuhel, Liberty Ship, named in honor of a war correspondent from Cedar Rapids, Iowa; launched Dec. 15, 1943; sponsor, Miss Ermengarde Cuhel, sister; built at Richmond, Cal.- S. S. Julien Dubuque, Liberty Ship, named in honor of first settler of City of Dubuque; launched Feb. 16, 1943; built at Richmond, Cal.-- S. S. Leo Duster, Liberty Ship, named in honor of secretary to the governor of Iowa, deceased, of Cedar Rapids; financed by Linn Co. drive; launched Nov. 21, 1943; sponsor, Mrs. Leo. Duster, wife; Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards, Baltimore, Md.

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Iowa people and places give names to 32 new ships of navy, merchant marine

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