USS Rich, DE-695

USS Rich, DE-695. Awarded One Battle Stars for World War II Service. Named for LTJG Ralph McMaster Rich, posthumous recipient of the Navy Cross for "capable and aggressive leadership" during the Battle of Midway, USS Rich was laid down on 27 March 1943 at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan. A Buckley Class Destroyer Escort, she was launched on 22 June 1943 and commissioned at New Orleans on 1 October 1943, under command of LCDR E. A. Michel Jr. , , Following her shakedown cruise to Bermuda, the Rich spent the winter and early spring escorting convoys from New York to Ireland, but her transatlantic routine ended in May off Northern Ireland with orders to sail to Plymouth, England, where she was assigned to Operation Neptune as USS Nevada (BB-36) escort. , , Replete with additional armament, Rich steamed out on D-Day in Task Force 125 Bombardment Group, arriving off Utah Beach at 0200 hours and patrolling seaward to protect the Nevada and other heavy ships against U-boat and E-boat attacks. From D-Day to D+2, she effectively screened TF125's heavy ships, while also retrieving bodies, rescuing wounded, and manning her antiaircraft guns to counter the Luftwaffe. , , Just after 0900 hours on D+2, the Rich sailed at full speed to the aid of USS Glennon (DD-620), a destroyer engaging in shore bombardment when her stern struck a mine. As the Rich maneuvered to pass the crippled destroyer to starboard, a mine exploded some fifty yards to her own starboard, staggering the crew and causing power and light failures. Three minutes later, a second mine exploded aft and directly under the ship, throwing bridge personnel to the deck and tearing off a fifty-foot section of the stern, which floated away with several dead and wounded crewmen aboard. A third mine then exploded amidships almost directly below the keel, disintegrating the flying bridge and bringing down the foremast. Coast Guard patrol craft and other rescue vessels converged on the Rich to offer medical aid and evacuate surviving crewmen, nearly all of whom had broken bones, concussions, lacerations, or other injuries. In less than a quarter-hour the foundering escort sank, a fortnight shy of her first anniversary. , , USS Rich's "crew throughout all of the abovementioned events was admirable," according to her captain. He also recorded that "all remained cool and collected throughout, and it is the belief of the Commanding Officer that every officer and man carried out his duties completely and fearlessly as long as he possibly could, and that all acted in the best traditions of the Navy." Casualties included ninety-two men listed as "killed in action" or "died of wounds" and another 121 wounded - in effect, the entire crew. The Executive Officer, LCDR William G. Pearson, exemplified the spirit of the Rich's crew. Gravely wounded and pinned beneath the foremast, he waved off repeated attempts to save him, saying, "Get the fellows off. They are hurt worse than I am!" Commander Pearson went down with his ship. , , Given in honor of the crew of the USS Rich DE-695 for their courage and sacrifice, with love and appreciation by their family and friends.