Wreck of USS Rich (DE-695) | Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, destroyer (ship), United States Navy

 Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, destroyer (ship), United States Navy

Laid down in March 1943 at Defoe Shipbuilding, the USS Rich (DE-695) was a Buckley Class Destroyer Escort and commissioned into US Navy service in October 1943. After transiting the Great Lakes to Chicago, the Rich was pontooned and floated down the entire Mississippi River to New Orleans and officially entered service with the US Atlantic Fleet as a member of Escort Division 19.

Assigned to the unsung but vital duty of convoy escort, the Rich operated along the US Gulf and East Coasts screening convoys against German U-boat attacks through the early part of 1944. Escort Division 19 was eventually reassigned to trans-Atlantic escort work as part of the Allied buildup in advance of the Invasion of France and in May 1944 alone the Rich crossed the Atlantic three times in before weighing anchor at Derry, Ireland on May 23rd. Awaiting the formation of another convoy for her to escort back to the US, the Rich was pulled off escort duty and ordered Plymouth, England where she was assigned as an escort for the American Battleship USS Nevada (BB-36). Arriving in Plymouth Harbor on June 4th, the crew of the Rich were briefed on their role in 'Operation Neptune', the Naval portion of the Allied Invasion of Normandy, and were told to be ready for sea the following morning.

Foul weather on June 5th pushed the entire Allied Invasion one day but better conditions on June 6th, 1944 found the Rich standing out of Plymouth Harbor as part of Task Force 125, screening the Battleship USS Nevada, the Heavy Cruisers USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) and USS Quincy (CA-71) and the Light Cruiser HMS Black Prince (81) under the cover of darkness bound for a stretch of Normandy codenamed "Utah Beach". After crossing the mine and U-boat infested English Channel and taking up their assigned positions, the Rich began her part in the Invasion of Normandy by screening the larger ships of Task Force 125 as they conducted shore bombardment in advance of the allied landings. The Rich continued her work for the next two days as the fire support ships aided Allied troops breaking out of the Normandy beachhead.

Dawn on June 8th found the Rich and her crew on station and continuing their screening work of Task Force 125 when orders came in for the Rich to proceed to Fire Support Area 3 and assist the USS Glennon (DD-620), heavily damaged by a German mine. Departing her screen at 0825hrs the Rich arrived alongside the Glennon along with two Minesweepers and began salvage efforts on the damaged American Destroyer. Inspections revealed the Glennon was retaining watertight integrity despite losing much of her Stern, so she was placed under tow by the USS Staff (AM-114) and the Rich took up a position to screen the operation as the moved slowly away from the shoreline.

Maintaining her position 300 yards from the tow, the Rich was shaken by a tremendous underwater explosion off her Starboard side at 0920hrs which briefly knocked out her electrical power. Quick action by her crew restored electrical power to the ship but before the Rich could get underway she drifted into another mine which detonated directly beneath her #3 turret and severed the aftermost 50ft of her Stern cleanly off the ship. The Rich settled back onto the surface and began to sag amidships as her dazed crew attempted to effect damage control and render aid to the dozens of injured men onboard. The Rich's Stern section floated free from the ship, caught fire and along with most of the men stationed therein, sank less than a minute after the blast. Now totally powerless and drifting, the Rich was rocked by a third mine detonation beneath her bow which sent a blast through her forward fire room and collapsed her flying bridge and mast, causing more casualties onboard. Again settling back to the surface, the Rich was taken under fire by German shore batteries which further damaged the already battered ship. As she began to split apart foreword, the order was passed to abandon ship and Rich's surviving crew took to life rafts and PT boats which had closed to render assistance. Less than five minutes after the third mine blast, the USS Rich sank on an even keel at this location in 40ft of water, taking many of her crew with her to the bottom. By the time her crew was accounted for on rear-area ships, the Rich had lost 91 men; 27 from her bow section or from injuries received in the sinking and 64 in her Stern section, along with 73 wounded.

Her wreck was stripped for useable materials and her highly dangerous depth charges shortly after her sinking by the US Navy and left all but abandoned when Allied forces left the Normandy beachhead. After much of her hull was picked clean by souvenir hunters postwar the USS Rich's wreckage was belatedly declared a War Grave for the men still entombed aboard. Today artifacts from the Rich are on display at the Normandy D-Day Museum and one of her propellers is on display outside the museum entrance.

For her actions off Normandy, the USS Rich received her first and final Battle Star.

www.navsource.org/archives/06/695.htm