USS Eberle (DD-430)

USS Eberle (DD-430) was a Gleaves class destroyer that served on the neutrality patrol, on escort duty in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and supporting the landings in North Africa, at Anzio and in the South of France.

The Eberle was named after Edward Walter Eberle, who served in the US Navy during the Spanish American War, and as superintendent of the Naval Academy, commander of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets and finally as Chief of Naval Operations from 1923-1927.

The Eberle was originally classified as a Livermore class ship, but became a Gleaves class ship when the two classes were merged because the two Gleaves class ships were given the same more powerful engines as the Livermore class.

Eberle (DD-430) was launched on 14 September 1940 by the Bath Iron Works Corp at Bath, Maine when she was sponsored by Miss Mildred Eberle, granddaughter of Rear Admiral Eberle, and commissioned on 4 December 1940.

From 30 July-10 August the Eberle was part of TG 2.5 (Yorktown, Brooklyn, Eberle, Grayson (DD-435) and Roe (DD-418) as the group took part in a 3,998 mile long neutrality patrol that started at Hampton Roads and ended at Bermuda.

After this cruise was over she was allocated to the forces escorting convoys along the east coast to Newfoundland and to Iceland. After the US entry into the war she continued with the same duty, reaching Scotland on one trip.

On 24 September 1941 the Eberle was part of Task Unit 4.1.1, escorting Convoy HX 150. The British freighter Nigaristan suffered an engine fire, and the Eberle rescued her crew.

On 13 November the Eberle was one of five destroyers that left Iceland to escort the carge ship Almaack (AK-27) and storeship Tarazed (AF-13) from Iceland to join west-bound convoy ON 35 to the south. On 14 November the Eberle detected a sonar contact and dropped depth charges. They then had to wait until 15 November for the convoy to arrive.

On 16 November the Eberle, Livermore, Arkansas, Nashville and minesweeper Hamilton (DMS-18) met the east bound Canadian troop convoy TC 16 and guided them to Iceland, where a British escort took over.

On 18 July the Eberle, Ericsson (DD-440), Nicholson (DD-442) and Roe (DD-418) met the newly completed battleship South Dakota (BB-57) and escorted her addition shakedown training. The escorts remained with her until they were released in Delaware Bay on 25 July.

On 3 August the Eberle, Erickson, Roe and Wilkes left Hampton Roads to escort the Indiana out to sea.

On 25 August the Eberle, Kearny, Ericsson and Livermore left Norfolk to escort the tankers Chicopee (AO-34), Mattaponi (AO-41), Esso Richmond (II) and White Plains to Galveston, arriving on 30 August. The escorts then split and the Eberle formed part of the group that escorted tankers to Cristobal.

On 16 September the Eberle, Davis (DD-395) and Beatty carried out an anti-submarine sweep near Tobago. At 1858 the Eberle reported a submarine contact, and carried out an attack on it, but without any results.

She was back at Norfolk, Virginia by 8 October. The Eberle was allocated to the forces escorting the Operation Torch invasion fleet across the Atlantic. Just before they were due to leave the transport Harry Lee developed engine problems. Her cargo was transferred to the Calvert in 48 hours, and on 25 October the Calvert left Hampton Roads escorted by the Eberle and Boyle to catch up with the main convoy. They joined them on 30 October.

On 7 November, the day before the landings, the Eberle joined the Northern Attack Group (TG 34.8), made up of the Texas, Savannah (CL-42), Eberle, Roe, Kearny, Ericsson, Parker (DD-604) and Dallas (DD-199), and the minesweepers Osprey (AM-56) and Raven (AM-55). The group’s immediate task was to escort ten troop and supply ships from the force heading to Mehedia in French Morocco.

During the initial landings on 8 November the Eberle, Livermore and Parker screened the transport area and carried out anti-surface, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft patrols. The Eberle was also used to lead one group of transport ships from their initial control points to their final lines of departure 5,000 yards from the shore.

At 0606 French guns near Kasba opened fire on the Eberle and her boats, firing one salvo. The Eberle was ordered to return fire and knocked out a French searchlight that had been supporting the guns.

On 26 December the Eberle left Norfolk to escort the escort carrier Santee (ACV-29) to Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The two ships arrived at Port of Spain on 1 January. On 3 January the Santee, Eberle and Livermore departed for Brazil, carrying passengers heading to Recife. After Recife they joined Task Unit 23.1.6 at sea, and spent the next month patrolling in the South Atlantic, returning to Recife on 15 February.

The Santee’s group carried out another patrol from 21 February-2 March, again from Recife. This time it was made up of the Santee, Savannah, Eberle and Livermore.

In March the Eberle was part of Task Group 23.1, built around the escort carrier Santee ACV-29), with the Livermore, Savannah (CL-42) and Eberle (DD-43). This group left Recife for another patrol on 4 March.

On 10 March an aircraft from the Santee spotted a lone ship, which turned out to be the German blockade runner Karin (also named as Kota Nopan and before that Kota Pinang). The German crew set off scuttling charges and then abandoned ship. A boarding party from the Eberle was sent to try and save her, but more charges went off while they were onboard, killing all but three of the twelve men in the party. All 72 of the Karin’s crew were rescued.

Six ships were named after men killed in this action. This included USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808), , USS William J Pattison (DE-594/ APD/104), USS Myers (DE-595/ APD-105), named after Merton Bernell Myers, USS Diachenko (APD-123) named after Alex Maxwell Diachenko, USS Metivier (DE-582) and USS Tinsman (DE-589).

After an overhaul at Charleston the Eberle returned to escort duty, this time on the route from the US to North Africa. Between 13 April 1943 and 31 January 1944 she completed five voyages to North Africa.

She returned to Oran on 22 February, and underwent a period of training in amphibious warfare.

She then moved to Naples, arriving on 11 March. This became her base for patrol and bombardment duties until May. On 20 April she helped break up an E-boat attack on the transport anchorage, sinking one and damaged three so badly that they had to be beached. During this period she supported the fighting at Anzio.

From 6-8 August the Eberle and Livermore screened the Quincy during Operation Preface, an exercise held off Camarota, near Salerno.

The Eberle left the Grand Harbour at Malta on 13 August as part of Task Force 84, to take part in Operation Dragoon, the invasion of the South of France. She supported the landings on 15 August.

On 21 August she supported the Quincy as the cruiser supported troops fighting on the Giens Peninsula. Later on 21 August the Eberle bombarded the Ile de Porquerolles, firing until the Germans raised a white flag. The Eberle’s gunfire destroyed the German escape boats and a landing party captured 58 POWs. Another 14 surrendered on 22 August.

On 8 October the Eberle bombarded vessels in Porto Maurizio, with the help of a spotter aircraft from the Brooklyn.

On 9 October the Eberle bombarded an ammunition dump and buildings. Later on the same day Eberle and Jouett destroyed several floating mines in the area, again helped by a spotter from Brooklyn.

In mid-December 1944 she left the US as part of the escort for Convoy UGS 64, heading for Oran.

This convoy passed through the Straits of Gibraltar on 4 January 1945 and split into three sections.

On 12 January she departed for the US as part of the escort of Convoy GUS-65, This convoy reached the US at the start of February 1945 without incident.

Her escort duties lasted into April 1945. With the war in Europe almost over she was then allocated to the forces in the Pacific, and underwent a refit at New York to prepare her for her new duties. She departed for the Pacific on 8 June, reaching Pearl Harbor on 20 July. On her arrival she was used as a plane guard for the Antietam (CV-36).

On 1 November she left Pearl Harbor to visit the Aleutians. During this period she also paid a brief visit to the Soviet Union, spending 1-5 December at Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka. She was back at Pearl Harbor on 15 December.

On 6 January 1946 she left Pearl Harbor to return to the mainland, and reached Charleston on 8 February. She was placed out of commission in the reserve on 3 June 1946. On 12 August she was allocated to the Naval Reserve Training Program of the 3rd Naval District, and in September she was towed to New York ready to carry out her new duties.

On 13 January 1947 she was placed ‘in service’ and she was used on Naval Reservist cruises to Canada, the Caribbea amd Bermuda. She was placed in commission in reserve on 19 May 1950 and back into full commissioned on 21 November1950. This was part of the process of preparing her for transfer to Greece. On 22 January 1952 she was decommissioned from the US Navy at Boston and transferred to Greece, where she became the Niki.

Eberle received three battle stars for World War II service, for the Algerian and Morrocan Landings, Anzio and the invasion of the South of France. Anyone who served on her between 11 September-14 October or 26 October-29 November 1941 qualified for the American Defense Service Medal.

U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History, Norman Friedmann . The standard history of the development of American destroyers, from the earliest torpedo boat destroyers to the post-war fleet, and covering the massive classes of destroyers built for both World Wars. Gives the reader a good understanding of the debates that surrounded each class of destroyer and led to their individual features.

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (28 September 2023), USS Eberle (DD-430) , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_Eberle_DD430.html

Displacement (standard)	1,630t design 1,838t as built
Displacement (loaded)	2,395t
Top Speed	35kts design 36.5kt at 50,200shp at 2,220t on trial (Niblack)
Engine	2-shaft Westinghouse turbines 4 boilers 50,000hp design
Range	6500nm at 12kt design
Armour - belt
- deck
Length	348ft 3in
Width	36ft 1in
Armaments	Five 5in/38 guns Ten 21in torpedo tubes Six 0.5in AA guns Two depth charge tracks
Crew complement	208
Laid down
Launched	14 September 1940
Commissioned	4 December 1940
To Greece	22 January 1952
Scrapped 1972

USS Eberle (DD-430)

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