# USS Major

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Buckley-class destroyer escort

History Builder Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas Laid down 16 August 1943 Launched 23 October 1943 Sponsored by Margaret Roper Major Commissioned 12 February 1944 Decommissioned 13 March 1948 Stricken 1 December 1972 Fate Sold for scrapping, 27 November 1973 General characteristics Type Buckley-class destroyer escort Displacement 1,400 tons Length 306 ft (93 m) Beam 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m) Draft 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) Propulsion 2 "D" Express boilers, G.E. turbines with electric drive, 12000 shp, 2 screws Speed 24 kn Range 4,940 nmi (9,150 km) Complement 186 officers and enlisted Armament 3 × 3 in (76 mm) Mk22 (1×3), 1 × 1.1"/75 caliber gun Mk2 quad AA (4×1), 8 × 20 mm Mk 4 AA, 3 × 21 inch (533 mm) Mk15 TT (3×1), 1 Hedgehog Projector Mk10 (144 rounds), 8 Mk6 K-gun depth charge projectors, 2 Mk9 depth charge tracks

**USS *Major* (DE-796)** was a [*Buckley*-class](/source/Buckley-class_destroyer_escort) [destroyer escort](/source/Destroyer_escort) in service with the [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) from 1944 to 1948. She was scrapped in 1973.

## History

USS *Major* was named after Charles Nance Major, who died when the ship on which he was serving as armed guard, the *SS R. P. Resor*, was torpedoed off [Manasquan, New Jersey](/source/Manasquan%2C_New_Jersey), by U-578 late 26 February 1942.

*Major* (DE-796) was laid down by [Consolidated Steel Corp.](/source/Consolidated_Steel_Corp.), [Orange, Texas](/source/Orange%2C_Texas), 16 August 1943; launched 23 October 1943; sponsored by Ens. Margaret Roper Major, Ensign Major's widow; and was commissioned at Orange, Texas, 12 February 1944.

### Battle of the Atlantic

Following her [shakedown cruise](/source/Shakedown_cruise) off [Bermuda](/source/Bermuda), *Major* served in the [Caribbean Sea frontier](/source/Caribbean_Sea_frontier) and escorted convoys between [Cuba](/source/Cuba) and [Trinidad](/source/Trinidad) until she arrived at [Boston](/source/Boston), Massachusetts on 11 June. She underwent training out of [Casco Bay](/source/Casco_Bay), [Maine](/source/Maine), with ships of Escort Division 56 before she subsequently arrived at [Yorktown, Virginia](/source/Yorktown%2C_Virginia) on 2 July for convoy escort duty. On 4 July, she sailed as part of [Task Force](/source/Task_Force) 61 and escorted UGS-47, a 68 ship convoy, to [Bizerte](/source/Bizerte), Tunisia, where she arrived 23 July. Between 30 July and 18 August she escorted a westbound [convoy](/source/Convoy) back to the United States.

*Major* again sailed with Task Force 61 as convoy escort 12 September, but on the 25th she left UGS-54 and steamed to [Plymouth](/source/Plymouth), England, where she arrived on 29 September. There she met a convoy of 18 LSTs and 20 LCIs, and between 5 and 24 October she sailed as escort to [Charleston, South Carolina](/source/Charleston%2C_South_Carolina). During the next 2 months *Major* made another convoy run to North Africa and back; and, after she returned to Boston 29 December, she served as a [submarine](/source/Submarine) training target ship out of [New London, Connecticut](/source/New_London%2C_Connecticut). Thence she sailed 21 February 1945 for duty in the Pacific.

### Pacific War

After she arrived at [Manus](/source/Manus_Province), [Admiralties](/source/Admiralties), 1 April, *Major* escorted a convoy from [Hollandia](/source/Jayapura), [New Guinea](/source/New_Guinea), to [Leyte Gulf](/source/Leyte_Gulf), Philippines, where she reported for duty with the [Philippine Sea frontier](/source/Philippine_Sea_frontier). During the remainder of the war she operated out of Leyte Gulf, where she patrolled for enemy submarines, provided passenger and mail service to islands in the southern Philippines, and conducted periodic convoy escort duty, including a run to New Guinea and back. Late in July she reached [Okinawa](/source/Okinawa_Island) as an escort for an LST convoy, thence she departed 1 August guarding LSTs bound for Leyte. Three days later, as [*Earl V. Johnson* (DE-702)](/source/USS_Earl_V._Johnson_(DE-702)) dueled with a Japanese submarine, *Major* protected the convoy, which arrived at Leyte Gulf 7 August.

Following the cessation of hostilities 15 August, *Major* steamed to [Manila](/source/Manila) 18 August and escorted LSTs to Japan. She anchored near mighty [*Missouri* (BB-63)](/source/USS_Missouri_(BB-63)) in [Tokyo Bay](/source/Tokyo_Bay) 1 September and the following day witnessed the Japanese surrender on board the giant [battleship](/source/Battleship). After returning to the Philippines later that month, she operated out of Leyte.

### Decommissioning and fate

Late in 1945 she steamed to the [U.S. West Coast](/source/U.S._West_Coast). *Major* decommissioned at [Long Beach, California](/source/Long_Beach%2C_California), 13 March 1948 and entered the [Pacific Reserve Fleet](/source/Pacific_Reserve_Fleet) berthed with the Pacific Inactive Fleet at [Stockton, California](/source/Stockton%2C_California). *Major* was sold for scrapping 27 November 1973.

## References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [USS Major (DE-796)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:USS_Major_(DE-796)).

- *This article incorporates text from the [public domain](/source/Public_domain)*[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships](/source/Dictionary_of_American_Naval_Fighting_Ships)*. The entry can be found [here](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/major.html).*

- [Photo gallery](http://www.navsource.net/archives/06/796.htm) of USS *Major* at NavSource Naval History

v t e Buckley-class destroyer escorts United States Navy Buckley Bull (DE-52) Charles Lawrence Daniel T. Griffin Donaldson Donnell Fogg Formoe Foss Gantner Gary George W. Ingram Ira Jeffery Lamons Lee Fox Amesbury DE-67 (Unnamed) Bates Blessman Joseph E. Campbell Oswald Harmon (DE-72) McAnn Ebert Eisele Liddle (DE-76) Straub DE-78 — DE-90 (Unnamed) Reynolds DE-92 (Unnamed) DE-93 (Unnamed) Reeves DE-95 — DE-98 (Unnamed) Reuben James Sims Hopping Reeves (DE-156) Fechteler Chase Laning Loy Barber Lovelace Manning Neuendorf James E. Craig Eichenberger Thomason Jordan Newman Liddle (DE-206) Kephart Cofer Lloyd Otter Hubbard Hayter William T. Powell Scott Burke Enright Coolbaugh Darby J. Douglas Blackwood Francis M. Robinson Solar Fowler Spangenberg DE-563 — DE-574 (Unnamed) Ahrens Barr Alexander J. Luke Robert I. Paine Foreman Whitehurst England Witter Bowers Willmarth Gendreau Fieberling William C. Cole Paul G. Baker Damon M. Cummings Vammen Jenks Durik Wiseman Yokes Pavlic Odum Jack C. Robinson Bassett John P. Gray Weber Schmitt Frament Harmon (DE-678) Greenwood Loeser Gillette Underhill Henry R. Kenyon Bull (DE-693) Bunch Rich Spangler George Raby Marsh Currier Osmus Earl V. Johnson Holton Cronin Frybarger Tatum Borum Maloy Haines Runels Hollis Gunason Major Weeden Varian Scroggins Jack W. Wilke Royal Navy Part of Captain class Affleck (ex-Oswald) Aylmer (ex-Harmon (DE-72)) Balfour (ex-McAnn) Bentinck (ex-Bull (DE-52)) Bentley (ex-Ebert) Bickerton (ex-Eisele) Bligh (ex-Liddle (DE-76)) Braithwaite (ex-Straub) Bullen (ex-DE-78) Byard (ex-Donaldson) Byron (ex-DE-79) Calder (ex-Formoe) Conn (ex-DE-80) Cosby (ex-Reeves (DE-94)) Cotton (ex-DE-81) Cranstoun (ex-DE-82) Cubitt (ex-DE-83) Curzon (ex-DE-84) Dakins (ex-DE-85) Deane (ex-DE-86) Duff (ex-Lamons) Duckworth (ex-Gary) Ekins (ex-DE-87) Essington (ex-DE-67) Fitzroy (ex-DE-88) Hargood (ex-DE-573) Holmes (ex-DE-572) Hotham (ex-DE-574) Narborough (ex-DE-569) Redmill (ex-DE-89) Retalick (ex-DE-90) Riou (ex-DE-92) Rowley (ex-DE-95) Rupert (ex-DE-96) Russell / Halsted (ex-Reynolds) Rutherford (ex-DE-93) Seymour (ex-DE-98) Spragge (ex-DE-563) Stayner (ex-DE-564) Stockham (ex-DE-97) Thornborough (ex-DE-565) Torrington (ex-DE-568) Trollope (ex-DE-566) Tyler (ex-DE-567) Waldegrave (ex-DE-570) Whitaker (ex-DE-571) Post-World War II operators Chilean Navy Serrano (ex-Odum) Orella (ex-Jack C. Robinson) Riquelme (ex-Joseph E. Campbell) Virgilio Uribe (ex-Daniel T. Griffin) Republic of China Navy Wen Shan (ex-Gantner) Lu Shan (ex-Bull (DE-693)) Chung Shan (ex-Blessman) Kang Shan (ex-George W. Ingram) Lung Shan (ex-Schmitt) Colombian National Navy Almirante Tono (ex-Bassett) Almirante Brión (ex-Burke) Ecuadorian Navy 25 de Julio / Morán Valverde (ex-Enright) Republic of Korea Navy Jon Nam (ex-Hayter) Kyong Puk (ex-Kephart) Mexican Navy Coahuila / Vincente Guerrero (ex-Barber) Philippine Navy Rajah Soliman (ex-Bowers) Preceded by: Evarts class Followed by: Cannon class List of destroyer escorts of the United States Navy List of frigates of the Royal Navy

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [USS Major](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Major) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Major?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.