George W. Ingram DE-62

George W. Ingram

George Washington Ingram, born in Rockport, Gal, 22 February 1918, enlisted in the Navy as Apprentice Seaman at Birmingham, Ala., 18 March 1941. Assigned to the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, VA., he transferred to Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla., 30 May and was advanced to Seaman Second Class 18 July. He was assigned to duty with Patrol Wing 2 on 26 September and was stationed at the Naval Air Station, Kanoche Bay, Oahu, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 7 December. The main center for land-based patrol bombers Kanoche Bay was hit hard by several waves of enemy planes which bombed and strafed planes, hangers, and men. As the first attacked occurred, Seaman Second Class Ingram was among the first to rush to action. In utter disregard of personal danger, he fought to repel the enemy and died during the attack. He was commended by Admiral Nimitz. Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, for his heroism in the defense of Kanoche Bay Naval Air Station.

(DE-62: dp. 1,400; 1. 306~; b. 37', dr. 12'7", s. 23.5 k.
cpl. 186; a. 3 3", 4 1.1", 8 20mm., 3 21" tt., 8 dcp., 1 dcp.

(h.h. ), 2 dct.; cl. Buckley)

George Washington Ingram (DE-62) was laid down
February 1943 by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Mass.; launched 8 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. James L. Ingram, mother of Seaman Second Class Ingram and commissioned 11 August 1943, Lt. Comdr. Ernest R. Perry in command. ~ ~

After shakedown off Bermuda, George W. Ingram departed New York 13 October for convoy escort duty in the Atlantic. Steaming via the West Indies, she escorted a supply convoy to North Africa, where she arrived Algiers, Algeria, 7 November. She departed 4 days later as convoy escort and returned via the West Indies and the Canal Zone to New York, arriving 4 December. Between 26 December and 12 July 1944, she made five round-trip transatlantic escort voyages (four from New York and one from Boston ) to Northern Ireland.

After additional escort duty along the eastern seaboard, she departed Charleston, S.C., 6 November to escort slowtowing convoy CK-4 to Plymouth, England. She arrived 5 December, then sailed a week later escorting ships and landing craft damaged during the Normandy Invasion back to the United States. On the 20th, U - 70 attacked the slow-moving convoy northeast of the Azores, sinking LST-859 and damaging Fogg (DE 57); but prompt action by the escorts drove off the U-boat, preventing further damage. George W. Ingram reached New York 12 January 1945.

After escorting a captured Italian submarine from Portsmouth, N,H., to New London, Conn., George W. Ingram was redesignated APD 13 on 23 February. During the next few months she underwent conversion to a highspeed transport at Tompkinsville, N.Y. Shortly after V-E Day, she departed New York and sailed via the Panama Canal and San Diego to Pearl Harbor, where she arrived 20 June for training with underwater demolition teams.

With UDT-26 embarked, she departed Pearl Harbor 24 August and sailed via Eniwetok and Okinawa to Jinsen, Korea, where on 8 September she supported the initial landings of American occupation troops in Korea. She steamed to Taka Bar, China, 26 September, and from 29 September to 1 October UDT-26 surveyed and sounded the approaches of the Peking River in preparation for landings by the III Marine Amphibious Corps. She supported additional landings by American troops at Chefoo and Tsingtao, China, before departing Tsingtao 17 October. She steamed via Okinawa, Eniwetok, and Pearl Harbor to the West Coast, arriving San Diego 11 November. Remaining at San Diego, George W. Ingram decommissioned 15 January 1947 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Bremerton Wash George W. Ingram was struck from the Navy list 1 January 1967.