USS Conklin ( DE - 439 ) USS Conklin ( DE - 439 ) was a " John C . Butler " - class destroyer escort acquired by the U . S . Navy during World War II . The primary purpose of the destroyer escort was to escort and protect ships in convoy , in addition to other tasks as assigned , such as patrol or radar picket . Post - war , after operating in the Pacific Ocean battle areas , her crew members returned home proudly with three battle stars to their credit . " Conklin " ( DE - 439 ) was named in honor George Emerson Conklin who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his brave actions on Guadalcanal . She was launched 13 February 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co . , Newark , New Jersey ; sponsored by Mrs . T . Conklin ; and commissioned 21 April 1944 , Commander D . C . Brown , USNR , in command . Operational history . " Conklin " reached Pearl Harbor from the U . S . East Coast 30 July 1944 , and after training , sailed to Eniwetok 17 August to convoy back to Pearl Harbor . She put to sea again from Pearl Harbor 9 September for convoy escort duty between Kwajalein and Eniwetok until 3 October , when she arrived at Guam to serve as planeguard . After repairs to her sound gear at Eniwetok , she patrolled on antisubmarine duty off Saipan until 6 November , when she cleared for Ulithi and Leyte , guarding a convoy of reinforcement troops and supplies . Reaching Leyte 14 November 1944 , " Conklin " cleared the same day to join a hunter - killer group operating off the western entrance to Kossol Passage . Here on 19 November , she and coordinated their depth charge attacks to send Japanese submarine " I - 37 " to the bottom . " Conklin " then returned to escort duty to Eniwetok , Ulithi , and Guam , and on 21 January 1945 , joined another hunter - killer group patrolling near Ulithi . On 23 January , she headed a team including and in the sinking of another submarine , Japanese submarine I - 48 . " Conklin " sailed from Ulithi 14 February 1945 on escort duty to the Palaus and Manus , where she arrived 27 February to join the screen for the logistics group supporting mighty carrier Task Force TF 58 , and from 20 March to 5 June , she was almost constantly at sea with this group for the Okinawa operation . Her duties included transferring passengers , mail , and freight , serving as planeguard , and escorting ships of the group to replenishment at Guam and Ulithi . On 5 June she was heavily damaged in a typhoon off Okinawa , during which one of her men was killed . many injured , and four washed overboard , one rescued by " Conklin " and one by another ship . She put in to Guam for emergency repairs , and on 17 June sailed for a complete overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard . With this complete , she sailed to San Diego , California , where she was decommissioned and placed in reserve 17 January 1946 . On 1 October 1970 she was struck from the Navy list , and , on 12 May 1972 , she was sold for scrapping . " Conklin " received three battle stars for World War II service . Typhoon Of June 1945 . After a night of high seas , wind and storm , the typhoon of June 1945 reached its peak in the dark early morning hour of 5AM , at which time a freak wave hit the destroyer escort " USS CONKLIN " DE 439 and rolled her onto her side . The ship rolled more the 72 degrees , and lost all power . By rights the ship should have continued to roll and sink . A freak wave reportedly knocked the ship upright again . Inside the crippled ship men were tossed like matchsticks in the dark , and Anthony J . Monti S1c was killed when he was thrown violently against a bulkhead . Outside , 4 brave men who had been attempting to pilot the ship were swept overboard from the Flying Bridge . Two of these were Lt . Peter Nicholas Meros , Gunnery Officer , and Rudolph Andrew Slavich S1c , who gave their lives . Also swept overboard were the young sailors Bridge Talker Frederick Morris GM2c and Signalman Striker Clifford Farr S1c . Morris drifted back to the ship on a raft and Farr was rescued by another vessel .