USS Farquhar ( DE - 139 ) USS " Farquhar " ( DE - 139 ) was an built for the U . S . Navy during World War II . She served in the Atlantic Ocean and 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 Norman von Heldreich Farquhar , who graduated from the U . S . Naval Academy in 1859 and had a distinguished record of accomplishments . " Farquhar " ( DE - 139 ) was launched 13 February 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp . , Ltd . , Orange , Texas ; sponsored by Miss S . B . Carton , great - granddaughter of " Admiral Farquhar " ; and commissioned 5 August 1943 , Lieutenant Commander L . E . Rosenberg , USNR , in command . World War II Atlantic Ocean operations . " Farquhar " arrived at Norfolk , Virginia , 3 October 1943 , and next day sailed on the first of three convoy escort voyages to Casablanca . She returned from each to New York for replenishment and repairs before joining a new convoy at Norfolk . On 3 April 1944 , she sailed for Casablanca once more , this time in a hunter - killer group formed around . The group guarded the passage of a convoy , hunting submarines in the general area through which the convoy sailed . Rescuing survivors at sea . Returning to New York 9 June 1944 , " Farquhar " trained in antisubmarine warfare at Bermuda with the hunter - killer group , then sailed on the Casablanca convoy route once more . Homeward bound , on 2 August she went to the rescue of who had been torpedo ed while away from the group searching for a previously sighted target , and arrived in time to rescue 186 survivors . These she took into Argentia , Newfoundland , for medical attention and clothing , then on to Boston , Massachusetts , where they were landed . In September , she began patrols and convoy escort duty in the South Atlantic with the hunter - killer group . She voyaged from Bahia , Brazil , to Dakar , French West Africa , and Cape Town , Union of South Africa , and during a submarine hunt off the Cape Verde Islands on 30 September , made a contact against which she and her sisters operated 6 days , finally sighting a large oil slick , but no other evidence of a sunken submarine . Sinking German submarine U - 881 . During training exercises off Cuba in December 1944 " Farquhar " rescued 10 aviators from liferafts after their patrol bomber splashed , and while in Florida waters as plane guard for carriers conducting operations to qualify aviators , rescued a downed pilot 3 February 1945 . She returned to Guantanamo Bay for training with the Mission Bay group later in February , and with it arrived at Argentia , Newfoundland , 3 April for hunter - killer operations in the North Atlantic . While bound for New York 6 May , she made a sonar contact , very close , early in the morning . Just 5 minutes after it was reported , she dropped 13 depth charges , set shallow , and both she and her sisters could make no further contact with the target . Post - war evaluation revealed that she had been the last American ship to sink a submarine in the Atlantic in World War II , sending to the bottom . End - of - War activity . " Farquhar " prepared at Boston and Guantanamo Bay for duty in the Pacific , and arrived at Pearl Harbor 8 August 1945 . Escort duty took her to Eniwetok 5 September , and on 10 September she sailed in company with to receive the surrender of Ponape . There she served as station ship for several months , then sailed from Kwajalein early in January 1946 for the east coast . She was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Green Cove Springs , Florida , 14 June 1946 . Honors . " Farquhar " received one battle star for World War II service .