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

(1970) Vol. 5, p.181-182.





OSMUS





	Wesley Frank Osmus, born 2 September 1918 in Chicago, 

Ill., joined the Naval Reserve in 1940 and, following 

completion of flight training, was assigned to duty with 

Torpedo Squadron 3.  Ensign Osmus died when his plane was 

shot down during the Battle of Midway, 4 June 1942.





DE-701

Displacement:  1,720 t. (full load)

Length:  306’

Beam:  36’10”

Draft:  9’5” (mean)

Speed:  24 k.

Complement:  186

Armament:  3 3”; 4 1.1”; 8 20mm; 3 21” torpedo tubes;

	8 depth charge projectors;

	2 depth charge tracks;

	1 hedge hog

Class:  BUCKLEY



	OSMUS (DE-701) was laid down by the Defoe Shipbuilding 

Co., Bay City, Mich., 17 August 1943; launched 4 November 

1943; sponsored by Mrs. Louisa Osmus, mother of Ens. Osmus; 

and commissioned 23 February 1944, Comdr. Richmond R. 

Jackson in command.



	Following shakedown off Bermuda, OSMUS departed the 

east coast, transited the Panama Canal and sailed into the 

Pacific.  She arrived at Espiritu Santo, 1 June; and after 

availability and further training, undertook her first 

escort mission, to Guadalcanal, on the 13th.  On the 18th, 

she rendezvoused with TU 11.1.1, joining CortDiv 39 at the 

same time.  The ships then sailed northwest to the 

Admiralties.  A week later, OSMUS was back in the 

Solomons-New Hebrides area, where she operated as an escort 

vessel until 10 November.



	From the Solomons, OSMUS shifted her base of operations 

to Ulithi and through January 1945, performed escort 

assignments between the Western Carolines, Admiralties and 

Palaus.  In early February, she reported to Commander, Guam 

Patrol and Escort Unit and for the remainder of the war 

escorted vessels amongst the Marianas and to Okinawa, and 

conducted air-sea rescue missions and ASW patrols in the 

Marianas.  At the end of August, the DE steamed to Rota for 

preliminary surrender conferences, thence to Truk for the 

official surrender there, 2 September.



	OSMUS remained as communications vessel at Truk for a 

week, then sailed back to Guam.  On 18 September, she stood 

out of Apra harbor for San Pedro, Calif.  She remained on 

the west coast until 22 June 1946, when she set a course for 

the Far East.  A month later, she arrived at Tsingtao for a 

month's China service.  At the end of August, she shifted 

operations to Okinawa and in October steamed to Korea for 

customs patrol duty off the American Occupation Zone.  

Another tour in China followed and in February 1947, OSMUS 

got underway for the United States.  On 2 March, she arrived 

at San Diego and on the 15th she decommissioned and joined 

the Pacific Reserve Fleet.  Into 1970 she remains a unit of 

that fleet, berthed at Mare Island.



	OSMUS received one battle star for her World War II 

service.



	[Stricken from the Navy register on 1 December 1972, 

OSMUS was sold on 27 November 1973.



K. Jack Bauer and Stephen S. Roberts, “Register of Ships of 

the U. S. Navy, 1775-1990,” p.231.]





Transcribed by Michael Hansen

mhansen2@home.com