USS Peterson ( DE - 152 ) USS " Peterson " ( DE – 152 ) was an " Edsall " class destroyer escort , the first United States Navy ship so named . This ship was named for Chief Water Tender Oscar V . Peterson ( 1899 – 1942 ) , who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the Battle of the Coral Sea . " Peterson " was laid down 28 February 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corporation , Orange , Texas ; launched 15 May 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . Lola B . Peterson ; and commissioned 29 September 1943 , Lieutenant Commander Richard F . Rea , USCG , in command . World War II service . " Peterson " moved to Galveston , Texas , 6 October 1943 to continue her outfitting , then sailed by way of Algiers , Louisiana to Bermuda for shakedown . She reported to Charleston , South Carolina , for a brief post - shakedown upkeep 22 November , and six days later was en route to New York , arriving the last day of the month . Her first voyage between New York and Casablanca , French Morocco , commenced 2 December when " Peterson " sailed for Norfolk , Virginia to join the main body of a North Africa bound convoy . She returned to New York 18 January 1944 . " Peterson " then shifted her activity to Northern Europe , making ten voyages to British and French ports . On the first of these voyages , " Peterson " with the other escorts of Division 22 steamed from New York 1 March to screen a fast oiler convoy to Derry , Northern Ireland . On this voyage a submarine sank " Leopold " ( DE - 319 ) . " Peterson " arrived with the convoy at Derry and returned to New York 28 March where she was joined by " Gandy " ( DE - 764 ) . Departing New York 15 April with an Ireland bound convoy , " Peterson " was detached the following day to escort two merchant ships , which had collided , back to New York . En route to rejoin the convoy later on the same day , Peterson joined " Gandy " and " Joyce " ( DE - 317 ) in rescuing survivors of the torpedoed " Pan Pennsylvania " and destroying the attacker . At 13 : 45 " Joyce " reported a hot sound contact and the last survivors scrambled on board " Peterson " just as " Joyce " dropped a pattern of depth charges . The submarine shot to the surface at 14 : 00 . " Gandy " opened fire on the U - boat which returned fire until rammed with a glancing blow by " Gandy " two minutes later . " Peterson " commenced firing at 14 : 04 to lay open the conning tower , and as she passed alongside the submarine , fired two shallow - set depth charges at close range from her starboard “ K ” guns . At 1409 the submarine surrendered and the crew commenced abandoning the sinking boat . " Joyce " picked up the crew and " U – 550 " slid beneath the waves at 14 : 30 . The three escorts rejoined the convoy and steamed safely to Lisahally , Northern Ireland , returning to New York 12 May 1944 . The sunken German U - boat was found on 23 July 2012 in deep water about 70 miles south of Nantucket , Massachusetts . " Peterson " made three more convoy voyages to Derry and return . She then made successive voyages from New York to Plymouth , England ( 6 October – 5 November 1944 ) ; from New York to Cherbourg , France and Plymouth , England ( 23 November – 24 December ) ; from New York to Liverpool , England ( 10 January – 9 February 1945 ) ; from New York to Le Havre , France and Southampton , England ( 27 February – 29 March ) ; and from Boston to Greenock , Scotland and Liverpool , England , returning to New York 16 April . After an overhaul to fit her for extended duty in the Pacific , " Peterson " departed New York 4 June 1945 with the rest of Escort Division 22 for exercises at Culebra Island , and at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . She transited the Panama Canal 23 June , called at San Diego for voyage repairs , and arrived Pearl Harbor 16 July . With the end of the war , she reported to Commander Amphibious Group 8 and Commander Transport Squadron 18 for duty . " Peterson " departed Pearl Harbor the last day of August 1945 with an LST convoy . Calling at Saipan en route , the convoy arrived off Wakayama , Japan , 27 September and " Peterson " assumed patrol in the Inland Sea until 29 October . On that day she set course for the United States , calling at Pearl Harbor , and arriving San Diego 17 November . She shifted to San Pedro the following day . She got underway for the east coast , transiting the Panama Canal 6 December . Three days later off the coast of Florida , a PBM – 3D ( Mariner ) landed close aboard to ask assistance . Peterson towed the disabled plane to Ponce de Leon Inlet where a crash boat from New Smyrna took over the tow . She then continued up the coast to Charleston , South Carolina , arriving 10 December 1945 . " Peterson " sailed for Jacksonville , Florida , 14 January 1946 , arriving the following day to commence her inactivation . She was placed out of commission in reserve at Green Cove Springs , Florida , 1 May 1946 . During her first period of commissioning , " Peterson " was manned by a U . S . Coast Guard crew . During her second commissioning period , she was manned by a U . S . Navy crew . Post war service . " Peterson " recommissioned in the Boston Naval Shipyard , 2 May 1952 , Lt . Comdr . Kay S . Irwin in command . " Peterson " spent the next five years operating with Escort Squadron 10 off the east coast of the United States , from Newport , Rhode Island , to Key West , Florida , and in the Caribbean Sea . During these years she saw considerable duty as Fleet Sonar Schoolship at Key West . In July 1953 she visited Bergen , Norway , and Copenhagen , Denmark . In October 1954 she conducted simulated convoy escort exercises to waters off Hamilton Inlet , Labrador . In July 1955 she cruised to Edinburgh , Scotland , and Copenhagen . In May 1957 while in the Caribbean she tracked Jupiter missiles fired from Cape Canaveral and in August played a vital role in the first successful recovery of a missile nose cone , attaching a buoy - float to the nose cone flotation unit . " Peterson " put to sea 3 September 1957 with fifteen other warships and eleven auxiliary vessels of Task Force 88 . 1 , bound for Portland , England . She reached Portland 14 September and was underway the next day for strenuous North Atlantic Treaty Organization maneuvers . She conducted independent reconnaissance patrol off Sweden until 19 September when she was joined by " Huse " ( DE - 145 ) , two Canadian destroyers and a Dutch cruiser , for patrol off southern Sweden , and then to Frederikshaven , Denmark , where she arrived 23 September . She departed that port in company with " Huse " the next day for maneuvers in the North Sea and reached Le Havre , France , 30 September . After a visit to Dunkirk , France , she returned to Newport 21 October . " Peterson " became a unit of the newly created Destroyer Escort Squadron Twelve 1 November and arrived at Key West 24 November for another tour of service as schoolship for the Fleet Sonar School . She departed Key West 23 January 1958 for a Caribbean training cruise with her squadron . In May " Peterson " assisted in the first recovery of a full - size missile nose cone that had penetrated the atmosphere . She resumed her Fleet Sonar schoolship duty at Key West 22 May 1958 and got underway 8 August for competitive exercises off Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . She arrived Kingston , Jamaica 14 August 1958 and put to sea within fifteen hours on an emergency mercy mission to deliver badly needed water to a rescue tug tending a Greek freighter aground about 150 miles south of Kingston . " Peterson " resumed schoolship duties at Key West 18 August 1958 and put to sea 3 January 1959 for waters off the north coast of Cuba , standing by with other ships of her task group in the event American citizens in Havana might need her protection . She returned to Key West 6 January and continued services for the Fleet Sonar School . She departed 24 August to participate in " Operation Deep Freeze 60 . " She passed through the Panama Canal and arrived Dunedin , New Zealand , 22 September . A unit of Task Force 43 , she got underway six days later and steamed to Ocean Weather Station ( latitude 60 degrees south ; longitude 170 degrees east ) . On that station midway between Antarctica and New Zealand , she acted as a weather communications and rescue ship for supply flights from Christchurch to the southernmost continent . From July 1961 to December 1963 " Peterson " served principally as a training ship for students of the U . S . Fleet Sonar School , Key West , Florida . In April 1962 she visited Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , and Jamaica . During the second half of 1962 " Peterson " was a movie star , playing the role of the Japanese destroyer that rammed and sank PT – 109 . On 22 October 1962 " Peterson " suddenly found herself on a full war - time footing and bound full speed for quarantine duty off the Cuban coast during the Cuban Missile Crisis . She was ordered home in time for Christmas . " Peterson " visited Guantanamo Bay for training in January and July 1963 . January 1964 found " Peterson " patrolling the coasts of Colombia and Venezuela . She returned to Key West 23 February . For the balance of the year she operated out of Key West , mainly as Fleet Sonar Schoolship . In June 1965 the " Peterson " was decommissioned for the last time in Norfolk , Virginia and was laid to rest in the inactive reserve fleet in Portsmouth , Virginia . Disposed of , sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service ( DRMS ) for scrapping , June 1974 . Awards . " Peterson " received one battle star for World War II service . During peace time she at one time held seven separate Battle Efficiency " E " s .