Eisele DE-34

Eisele I

George Raymond Eisele, born 16 May 1923 in Gillette Wyo., enlisted in the Naval Reserve 4 February 1942. Seaman Second Class Eisele was killed in action on board San Francisco (CA-38) 12 November 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal when a flaming Japanese torpedo plane crashed into his gunnery station. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for courageously remaining at his post to fire on the plane as it fell toward him.

The name Eisele was assigned to DE-75 on 27 May 1943, and canceled and reassigned to DE-34 on 22 June 1943. DE-75 was transferred to the United Kingdom on 17 October 1943 and served in the Royal Navy as HMS Bickerton until lost.

(DE-34: dp. 1,140; 1. 289'6"; b. 36'1"; dr. 11'; s. 21 k.
cpl 156 a 3 3", R dcp, 1 dcp.(hh.), 2 dct., el. Evarts)

Eisele (DE-34) was originally intended for transfer to Great Britain as BDE-34; launched 29 June 1943 by Mare Island Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. George A. Eisele, mother of Seaman Second Class Eisele, and commissioned 18 October 1943, Lieutenant Commander E. C. Long in command.

Eisele sailed from San Francisco 11 December 1943 and after touching at Pearl Harbor and Funafuti arrived in the Gilberts 5 January 1944. She patrolled off Tarawa and guarded convoys between the Gilberts and Marshalls, returning to Pearl Harbor 19 May. In June she departed for Eniwetok and screened transports to Guam for support landings 27 July. She continued to serve in the occupation of the Marianas on screen, convoy escort, and air-sea rescue duty.

Returning to Pearl Harbor 28 August 1944, Eisele conducted training exercises with submarines until October when she sailed for Eniwetok. There she screened fast tanker convoys safely past the rest of the Carolines, still Japanese held, to Palau and on to the Philippines. In March 1945 Eisele arrived at Ulithi, the staging point for the Okinawa operation, and sailed on the 218t screening escort carriers providing the air cover to capture Okinawa. Except for escorting a convoy to Saipan, Eisele remained with the CVEs off Okinawa fighting off constant air attack. Eisele was homeward bound 17 June and was decommissioned at Seattle 16 November 1945. She was sold 29 January 1948.

Eisele received two battle stars for World War II service.