USS Stanton ( DE - 247 ) USS " Stanton " ( DE - 247 ) was an built for the U . S . Navy during World War II . She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys . She was named in honor of Rear Admiral Oscar F . Stanton ( 1834 – 1924 ) . As rear admiral in 1893 , Stanton commanded the South Atlantic Squadron and , the next year , the North Atlantic Squadron until his retirement on 1 August 1894 . She was laid down on 7 December 1942 by Brown Shipbuilding Co . , Houston , Texas ; launched on 21 February 1943 , sponsored by Mrs . William S . Burrell , and commissioned on 7 August 1943 Lt . Comdr . C . S . Barker in command . World War II North Atlantic operations . " Stanton " got underway on 29 August for San Juan , Puerto Rico , to join the destroyer escort shakedown group and , a month later , arrived at the Charleston Navy Yard . She then moved up the coast to New York and departed there on 18 October for Trinidad and Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . The escort returned to Norfolk , Virginia , and was attached to Escort Division ( CortDiv ) 3 . " Stanton " sailed on 25 November with Task Force ( TF ) 64 as an escort for convoy UGS - 25 bound for the Mediterranean . The convoy arrived at Casablanca on 13 December . The escorts picked up convoy GUS - 24 there and headed for the United States on 15 December 1943 and arrived safely at New York on 3 January 1944 . Attacked by Luftwaffe aircraft . " Stanton " escorted other convoys to North Africa and back , as a unit in task force TF 64 or TF 65 . These included UGS - 31 , GUS - 30 , and UGS - 37 . She was the flagship of TF 65 , escort for UGS - 37 which consisted of over 60 ships , steaming from Norfolk to Bizerte , when it was attacked by the Luftwaffe . The convoy was off Algeria on the evening of 11 April when an enemy aircraft was reported in the area . Just before midnight , approximately two dozen Dornier 217 ' s and Ju . 88 ' s attacked . " Stanton " opened fire on a plane which crossed her bow and later had a stick of bombs fall close aboard . was torpedo ed in the port side by one of the low flying planes , but no merchant ships or LST ' s were hit . The convoy reached Bizerte the next day , and " Stanton " returned to New York with convoy GUS - 37 . Stateside repairs . She was in drydock until early May , and then participated in maneuvers off Cape May , New Jersey , before sailing to Hampton Roads , Virginia . She arrived on 30 May and was attached to CortDiv 13 , Atlantic Fleet . " Stanton " joined convoy UGS - 44 , escorted it to Bizerte , and remained there from 22 to 30 June when she began the return voyage with convoy GUS 44 bound for New York . " Stanton " was attached to the 6th Atlantic Fleet and held training exercises in Casco Bay from 30 July until she returned to New York to escort a section of convoy UGS - 51 to Norfolk . The convoy sortied from there but , on the 19th , " Stanton " was ordered to proceed to the Boston Navy Yard for alterations and improvements . These lasted until mid - October after which she held sea trials and tested her new equipment and proceeded to Bermuda . " Stanton " arrived at Port Royal Bay on 5 November , joined the screen of and returned to New York on 13 November 1944 . The task group then proceeded to Guantánamo Bay via Norfolk to hold joint exercises , and returned to Norfolk in late December . On 10 January 1945 , Stanton and CortDiv 13 , with " Croatan " , steamed to Bermuda to continue antisubmarine warfare exercises in conjunction with flight operations . Upon completion of the training period , the task group called at New York on 4 February ; shifted to the Naval Ammunition Depot , Earle , New Jersey , to load ammunition , and then sailed to Casco Bay for carrier qualification exercises . During the last week in March , the submarine hunter - killer group took its assigned position in the north central Atlantic , midway between Newfoundland and England as part of Operation Teardrop . Sinking German submarines . On 15 April , " Stanton " made surface radar contact range 3 , 500 yards , and headed for the target . The U - boat disappeared from the radar screen , but sonar contact was made . " Stanton " fired a pattern of hedgehogs and a deep rumble followed their explosions . Contact was regained , and another pattern was fired . This was followed by a heavy underwater explosion . Sonar contact was made again , and " Stanton " attacked . After this there was a tremendous explosion that shook the task group . joined in the attack with her hedgehogs shortly after midnight . The two DE ' s kept pounding the contact until there was an explosion of such magnitude that it shook some of the group 10 miles away . Then , contact was lost , and so was U - 1285 . Just before 0200 on the 16th , Frost made a surface contact at 500 yards , fired starshells to no avail , and finally illuminated a U - boat with her searchlight . Frost opened fire with her deck guns as the submarine submerged and made several hits on the conning tower . Contact was lost so " Stanton " and joined the search . At 0406 , " Stanton " fired a hedgehog pattern over a contact that produced an explosion so violent that she thought she had been torpedoed and rocked " Croatan " 15 miles away . Frost fired one more pattern which produced three deep explosions . Diesel fuel already covered the surface of the sea , and sonar contact slowly faded . This was the end of U - 880 . The task group returned to Argentia , Newfoundland , from 22 to 28 April , to refuel and rearm before resuming antisubmarine patrols . Transferred to the Pacific Fleet . War with Germany ended in May , and " Stanton " put into New York for fuel . She then was routed to Charleston , South Carolina , for yard availability . On 1 July , CortDiv 13 was assigned to the Pacific Fleet , and " Stanton " , with sailed for Hawaii , via Panama and San Diego , California . They arrived at Pearl Harbor on 9 August , a week before hostilities with Japan ended . " Stanton " participated in antisubmarine warfare practice until 22 August when she was detached from the Pacific Fleet and ordered to return to the Atlantic seaboard . Post - War activity . " Stanton " was in February 1946 the Bikinians and participated in the United States atomic bombs test there . She was then moved to Norfolk , Virginia , on 28 September and the following month was assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs , Florida , moored , and provided steam and electrical services to units of CortDiv 36 from 1 January 1946 to 2 June 1947 . Post - War decommissioning . On the latter date " Stanton " was placed in reserve , out of commission , and the skeleton crew of 64 was transferred . She was struck from the Navy List on 1 December 1970 . As to her fate , sources vary : ( 1 . ) she was sunk as target off Puerto Rico 16 October 1972 or ( 2 . ) she was sold and broken up for scrap in 1972 . However , there is more documentation to support the version of her being sunk off Puerto Rico . Awards . " Stanton " received three battle stars for World War II service .