USS Wyffels ( DE - 6 ) USS " Wyffels " ( DE - 6 ) was a in the United States Navy during World War II . She was named for Lawrence Edward Wyffels . Intended for transfer to Great Britain , " Wyffels " was laid down as BDE - 6 on 17 October 1942 at Charlestown , Massachusetts , by the Boston Navy Yard ; launched on 7 December 1942 ; retained by the United States and redesignated DE - 6 on 25 January 1943 ; renamed " Wyffels " on 19 February 1943 ; and commissioned on 15 April 1943 , Lieutenant Robert Messigner Hinckley , Jr . , in command . Service history . Lawrence Edward Wyffels was born on Jan 20 , 1915 , on a farm east of Marshall , Mn . He enlisted in the Navy on March 7 , 1936 . He was transferred to the USS Enterprise in May 1938 , and served with distinction in many battles during WWII , including the Marshall Islands , the Solomons , the Coral Sea , and Midway . His citations included the Purple Heart , the Silver Star , Good Conduct medal , the WWII Victory Medal , the American Defense medal , and the Asiatic Pacific medal . It was in the battle of Santa Cruz on October 26 , 1942 that he was killed by an enemy bomb . Following sea trials in April , the newly named destroyer escort USS Wyffels got underway from Boston on 8 May 1943 , and for the remainder of the month conducted exercises out of Bermuda . In June , she alternated operations out of Norfolk , Virginia with drydock periods . On 27 June 1943 , she departed from Hampton Roads on the first of 11 wartime voyages escorting convoys across the treacherous Atlantic to Mediterranean ports . Her first voyage proved uneventful , although the return from Casablanca was enlivened by the investigation of sound contacts . On 29 July , the destroyer escort left her station to guard a tanker , , which had fallen behind due to engine failure . Long , anxious hours ensued as " Wyffels " circled the disabled ship while repairs were being made ; she then escorted the straggler back to her convoy . From August 1943 - April 1945 , " Wyffels " , with occasional interruptions for exercises off the New England coast , conducted 10 more successful circuit voyages escorting convoys to and from North Africa . On her Atlantic crossings , the ship acted as a versatile and valuable part of the Atlantic convoy system , marshalling reluctant merchantmen , protecting stragglers , and searching for the source of each sound contact which might , at any time , turn out to be a predatory German submarine . In winter , stormy weather and heavy seas slowed the awkward merchant ships and increased the number of stragglers , complicating the task of the escort vessels . On 11 May 1944 , " Wyffels " was escorting UGS - 40 , a convoy of 56 merchant ships bound for Bizerte , when she experienced her most perilous moments . Shortly after sunset , a task force order to go to general quarters jolted " Wyffels " from the normal routine of convoy duty . Ships of the escort began laying smoke , and soon Wyffels ' radar picked up a group of approaching planes . After a tense , six - minute wait , the ominous calm of the Mediterranean night was broken as first and then opened fire . Moments later , seamen in " Wyffels " spotted the first wave of attacking planes as they came into view low over the water , some four miles away . Three of the aircraft veered off to make a run on the convoy at an altitude of about 200 feet . " Wyffels " opened fire as the planes passed down her port side and sped off toward the convoy ' s port quarter . Moments passed as the destroyer escort patrolled at full speed , her guns silent . An aerial attacker appeared out of the smoke , dropped an ill - aimed torpedo , and disappeared . Then , at 2124 , " Wyffels " engaged a clearly visible Junkers bomber which approached the ship ' s starboard bow at an altitude of 100 feet . Amidst a telling crossfire from " Wyffels " and other members of the escort , the plane banked to the right , missing the forward part of the ship . Smoke poured from the attacker as it rapidly lost altitude and disappeared in a burst of black smoke . Soon after , " Wyffels " took under fire another plane which emerged from the convoy ' s barrage and passed directly over the ship ' s forecastle and along her starboard side . The aircraft then continued on its way , apparently without having suffered serious damage . Other ships continued to fire for 10 minutes , but the raiders had departed without scoring a single hit on the convoy or its escort . Through the final year of the war in Europe , " Wyffels " continued her protection of Atlantic convoys . On 13 April 1945 , as " Wyffels " was en route home from what was to be her last wartime Atlantic convoy , the destroyer escort received word that President Franklin D . Roosevelt had died , and she lowered her colors to half mast . After repairs at Charleston later that month , she arrived at Miami on 11 May . In the following months , she operated off Florida and in the Bahamas , serving as a school ship training student crews in basic gunnery and antisubmarine warfare . On 28 August 1945 , she was decommissioned and leased to the Republic of China , which she served as " T ' ai Kang " . " Wyffels " was permanently transferred to the Republic of China in February 1948 and was struck from the Navy list on 12 March 1948 .