USS Wingfield ( DE - 194 ) USS " Wingfield " ( DE - 194 ) was a built for the United States Navy during World War II . She served in the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean and provided escort service against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys . " Wingfield " was named in honor of John Davis Wingfield , who won the Navy Cross but lost his life in 1942 in the Coral Sea . The ship was laid down on 7 October 1943 at Newark , New Jersey , by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Corporation ; launched on 30 December 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . E . E . Wingfield ; and commissioned on 28 January 1944 , Lt . Comdr . H . E . Purdy in command . World War II Atlantic Ocean operations . Following shakedown training in Bermuda and refresher training in Casco Bay , Maine , " Wingfield " reported for duty on 1 April 1944 as a training ship for the Destroyer Escort School . She began her primary work on 8 April when she began an escort voyage for a coastal convoy to New York . " Wingfield " , in company with , cleared Norfolk , Virginia , on the 16th for a submarine hunt south of Cape Hatteras , then to Great Sound , Bermuda . She returned to Norfolk on 1 May and became the flagship of Destroyer Escort Division 55 . All ships of this division entered New York harbor on 9 May 1944 and returned to Norfolk the next day with the New York section of Convoy UGS - 42 , bound for North Africa . This 108 - ship convoy sortied from Hampton Roads on 13 May and reached Bizerte , Tunisia , on 1 June . She returned to New York with another convoy on 29 June and got underway from that port on 10 July for refresher training in Casco Bay . Between 24 July and 7 September , she made a second voyage , escorting UGS - 49 , from Norfolk to Bizerte and back to New York . After completing voyage repairs in the New York Navy Yard and battle practices at Casco Bay , " Wingfield " cleared New York on 14 October 1944 for the first of five escort voyages to ports in Great Britain . She returned to New York from Plymouth , England , on 9 November . " Wingfield " again sailed from New York to Plymouth and back between 2 December 1944 and 1 January 1945 . She made a run from New York to Roath Docks , Cardiff , Wales , and back between 18 January and 18 February ; one from Boston to Roath Docks and back to New York between 8 March and 4 April ; and one from New York to Southampton , England , and back between 24 April and 23 May 1945 . She was at Southampton on " V - E Day " and enjoyed the honor of escorting the first peacetime convoy from England to New York . Despite the presence of aggressive " wolfpack s " of U - boat s during the later days of the war , not one ship escorted by " Wingfield " was damaged by an enemy submarine . During her service in the North Atlantic , this ship rendered medical aid to merchant vessels in convoy on more than 100 occasions . Transfer to the Pacific Theatre . After upkeep in the New York Navy Yard and refresher training at Guantanamo Bay , " Wingfield " transited the Panama Canal on 1 July 1945 with units of Escort Division 55 . She stopped briefly at San Diego , California , and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 20 July and underwent a five - day upkeep period . The ship then operated in the Hawaiian area training student officers in underway gunnery practices and anti - submarine exercises . On 8 August 1945 , " Wingfield " cleared Pearl Harbor with all other units of Escort Division 55 escorting SS " Empress of Australia " to the safety of the Eniwetok Atoll , Marshall Islands . While at sea on 15 August , the ships received word that Japan had capitulated . The ocean escorts entered Eniwetok lagoon the next day . Between 24 and 29 August , " Wingfield " joined in a vain search for a reported life raft . End - of - War Activity . On 4 September , Wotje and Maloelap expressed their willingness to surrender . On that day , " Wingfield " proceeded with for the Jaluit Atoll to accept the surrender of the Japanese garrison , then proceeded to Maloelap for the surrender of that atoll . Wotje was formally surrendered on board Baron by Rear Admiral Nobukazu Yoshimi , and Maloelap by Rear Admiral Shochi Tamada on board " Wingfield " . On 6 September , " Wingfield " became the first American warship to enter the Maloelap Atoll . She proceeded to Toroa Anchorage where Admiral Tamada , Lt . Inabi , and Lt . Aoki , of the Imperial Japanese Navy , arrived on board , signed the surrender agreement , and departed the ship . The entire event was completed in 25 minutes . All hands were at battle stations in dress whites for the ceremony . A brief and simple flag raising ceremony was held on 10 September . Capt . H . B . Grow , USNR , in the presence of the Japanese garrison and a landing force from " Wingfield " , read the proclamation ; copies written in Japanese were distributed to the Japanese garrison . The United States flag was raised over the atoll and colors were sounded , while a detachment of officers , sailors , and marines stood at attention with the Japanese , who also joined in saluting the flag . " Wingfield " fired a 21 - gun salute as the colors reached the top of the flagpole . During the next six days , " Wingfield " supervised Japanese compliance with the terms of surrender . On 16 September , the ship got underway to a new anchorage off Engenben Island to allow minesweepers to clear Toroa Anchorage . Meanwhile , she continued to receive Japanese arms on board ; and , on 26 September , she transported 56 ill Japanese to Mille for evacuation to Japan . The next day , Toroa Anchorage and Enijun Channel were declared free of mines ; and " Wingfield " returned to supervise the garrison until 1 November when a Japanese evacuation ship came to anchor and evacuated 163 Japanese Army personnel of the Maloelap garrison . " Wingfield " got underway on 2 November , touching at Majuro Atoll to unload medical equipment , and thence proceeded to Kwajalein lagoon where she embarked Navy veterans for transportation to the United States . She put to sea from Kwajalein Atoll on 7 December 1945 and steamed by way of Pearl Harbor and San Diego , California , to arrive in the Boston Naval Shipyard on 25 January 1946 . Post - War deactivation and decommissioning . After repairs and dock trials , she stood out of Boston harbor on 17 February and reported to Green Cove Springs , Florida , on 20 February 1946 for inactivation . She was placed out of commission , in reserve , on 15 June 1946 and assigned to the Florida Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . " Wingfield " was transferred to the Government of France on 10 September 1950 , under terms of the Military Assistance Program . She served the French Navy as " Sakalave " ( F - 720 ) . She was scrapped in 1960 .