>From the “Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,” 

(1981) Vol. 8, pp.182-183.





WEAVER





	Luther Dayton Weaver, born on 14 July 1920 at 

Morrilton, Ark., enlisted in the Navy at San Diego, Calif., 

on 12 July 1940.  After basic training, apparently also at 

San Diego, Seaman Weaver was assigned to Patrol Wing 

(PatWing) 2 on 19 September.  He was advanced to seaman 

first class on 1 August 1941.  When the Japanese attacked 

the American bases in Hawaii on 7 December 1941, Seaman 

Weaver was assigned to the Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay.  

He lost his life while trying to defend his base against 

the enemy attack.  For his “...prompt and efficient action 

and utter disregard of personal danger in the effort to 

repel the attack on the Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay...” 

Seaman Weaver received the commendation of the Commander in 

Chief, Pacific Fleet.





DE-741

Displacement:  1,240 t.

Length:  306’

Beam:  36’7”

Draft:  11’8” (mean)

Speed:  20.9 k.

Complement:  216

Armament:  3 3”; 2 40mm; 8 20mm; 3 21” torpedo tubes;

	8 depth charge projectors;

	2 depth charge tracks;

	1 hedge hog

Class:  CANNON



	WEAVER (DE-741) was laid down on 13 March 1943 at Los 

Angeles, Calif., by the Western Pipe & Steel Co.; launched 

on Independence Day 1943; sponsored by Mrs. John Franklin 

Weaver; and commissioned on 31 December 1943; Lt. Comdr. R. 

S. Paret, USNR, in command.



	WEAVER conducted shakedown training along the 

California coast during the first two months of 1944.  On 2 

March, she stood out of San Francisco Bay, bound for the 

western Pacific.  The destroyer escort made an overnight 

stop at Pearl Harbor on 14 and 15 March and then continued 

her voyage west via Kwajalein.  She arrived in Majuro later 

that month and joined the screen of Task Group (TG) 50.17, 

the 5th Fleet replenishment and refueling group.  WEAVER 

operated as a unit of the screen of the 5th/3d Fleet 

logistics group throughout her World War II service.  

Operating from the base at Majuro, she escorted the oilers 

to refueling rendezvous with the fast carriers during their 

raids on Truk, Satawan, and Ponape in late April and early 

May.  Moving forward to the base at Eniwetok soon 

thereafter, she continued to protect the logistics group 

during the assault on Saipan in June.  Later that summer, 

she and her charges kept the carriers in action during the 

invasion of the Western Carolines and the Palaus.  Following 

that operation, the logistics group moved forward again, 

operating briefly out of Seeadler Harbor at Manus in the 

Admiralty Islands and then out of Ulithi in the Western 

Carolines for the remainder of the war.  Ulithi served as 

the base for TF 58/38 during the last year of the war in the 

Pacific.  WEAVER escorted the oilers to Ulithi where they 

replenished their storage tanks and then back to sea to 

refill the carriers' oil bunkers.  Thus, in 1945, she helped 

to keep the pressure on the Japanese during the Luzon 

landings, the Iwo Jima assault, and during the Okinawa 

campaign.  The latter phases of her service also included 

escort missions in support of the fast carrier raids on the 

Japanese home islands during the summer of 1945.



	When the Japanese capitulated on 15 August 1945, the 

destroyer escort was at sea with TG 30.8 keeping the 

carriers in fuel.  On 28 August, she carried a prize crew 

from submarine tender PROTEUS (AS-19) to the surrendered 

Japanese submarine I-400 and then entered Sagami Wan, Japan, 

to begin duty with the occupation forces.  For the next 

month, the warship assisted in the evacuation of former 

Allied prisoners of war from Japan.  On 2 October, however, 

she concluded her duty in Japan and set sail from Yokusuka, 

bound for home.  Steaming via Pearl Harbor, San Pedro, and 

the Panama Canal, she arrived in Philadelphia on 22 November 

to begin preparations for inactivation.  Late in December, 

she moved south to Green Cove Springs, Fla. where, though 

technically still in commission, she joined the Atlantic 

Reserve Fleet.  WEAVER was not finally decommissioned until 

29 May 1947.  She remained at Green Cove Springs until 21 

February 1952 at which time she was sold to Peru.  Her name 

was struck from the Navy list on 18 April 1952.  She served 

the Peruvian Navy as frigate RODRIGUEZ (D-3), and, as of the 

beginning of 1980, she was still in service as a submarine 

accommodation ship.



	WEAVER earned nine battle stars during World War II.



	[Officially transferred to Peru on 26 October 1951, 

RODRIGUEZ arrived there on 24 May 1952, carrying pennant 

(hull number) D-3.  This designation was changed to DE-3 in 

1959 and again in 1960 when she became DE-63.  From 1978 to 

1980 she served as a submarine accommodation ship; in 1980 

she was stripped of armament and some upperworks and served 

as a floating electrical power station.  Placed in reserve 

in 1987, she was still listed in the “Jane’s Fighting Ships” 

1990-91 edition.]



“Jane’s Fighting Ships, 1959-60,” p.271; “1960-61,” p.242; 

“1979-80,” p.394; “1980-81,” p.367; “1987-88,” p.417; 

“1990-91,” p.446





Transcribed by Michael Hansen

mhansen2@home.com