OUR FRIEND AND SHIPMATE HERBERT R.
BROOKS PASSED AWAY SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2005
HERB SPOKE OFTEN ABOUT HIS GREAT LOVE AND ADMIRATION OF
HIS
FRIENDS AND SHIPMATES FROM THE USS TABBERER,
AND HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS FROM TENNESSEE.
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE BROOKS FAMILY,
TO HIS WIFE HELEN
AND SONS
MARK AND MIKE
The Brooks family appreciates all of you for
staying in touch with him, and for being the friends they know you to be.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Official and first website of the USS Tabberer
Honoring the crew of the destroyer escort USS Tabberer DE-418, and in memory of those who served...
To a friend who is no longer with us
- Mr. Tom Fallon, a crew member who used to say:
"Long Live Iron Men and Wooden Ships"
NEW: "The Baker Affair" a novel by Lou Barber, former
EM on the USS Tabberer during 1951-1953.
Lou Barber served a
total of 20 years in the military, retiring as a Major. "The Baker Affair" is a story based on historical
fact about the Baker family of Bernardston,
Massachusetts, and the exploits of the Baker
brothers, Les and Paul, in W.W.II, Korea,
and Vietnam.
More than just a war epic, however, this is also a romance story about New England, the Baker brothers, and the women they love.
The book
also includes the USS Tabberer, along with a photo of
the ship. Lou's book will appeal to those of
us who like an old fashioned family and military story, written without
disturbing and foul language. Lou's book comes with high praise! Additionally,
Lou Barber's autobiography "Dropout to Test Pilot" is available...it is a true story
about an "up-the-ladder" climb of a poor boy from a large New England family. He became a military instructor at
the Guided Missile
School in Alabama and received a direct appointment to
2nd Lieutenant. Lou gives a Polish-American Sergeant credit for this
achievement! He became a pilot in both fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
Lou was an assault helicopter flight leader in the First Cavalry Division
during the Vietnam War! He was a test pilot on the world's first attack
helicopter, the AH-1G Huey Cobra! "Lou is a survivor,
whose uphill battle for success in the military and his amazing accomplishments
in civilian life have been and inspiration to me! His story will
probably affect your life when you read Dropout to Test Pilot"...quote
by M. Scott McAda.
www.TheBakerAffair.com
To
order a copy of either or both books call 1-800-881-7529
B. Dalton Books, Bayou Books of Niceville Florida, Books-A-Million,
Barnes & Noble (on the Internet), amazon.com
(Fast Shipping)
Published by: Creative Arts Book
Company of Berkley, California
Check the outstanding
collection of photos compiled by Richard T. Tobin, a former member of
the Tabberer, with additional photos from Herbert
R. Brooks. Richard Tobin owns the majority of surviving Tabberer photographs. Both men served aboard the Tabberer during WW II, and they have graciously allowed us
to look through their private collection of Tabberer
photographs. Please go to their home pages and peruse their photo albums. Richard Tobin's collection and Herbert
R. Brooks' collection. Use the back button to return here.
The majority of photographs aboard the Tabberer were taken by Lt.
Arthur F. Carpentier, the ship's Engineering
Officer.
U.S.S. TABBERER (DE-418)
The U.S.S. Tabberer (DE-418)
was laid down at Houston, Texas on January 12th, 1943 by the Brown Shipbuilding
Company. She was launched on February 18th, 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Mary M. Tabberer, and was commissioned on May 23rd, 1944 with Lt.
Henry Lee Plage, USNR, in command.
On June 27th, Tabberer headed toward Bermuda for her shakedown training. At the end of a
fortnight's post-shakedown at the Boston Navy
Yard, she got underway on August 16th to escort the U.S.S. Severn (AO-61) to
the Hawaiian Islands. The two ships transited
the Panama Canal later that month, and reached Pearl
Harbor on September 7th. For over a month, the destroyer escort
conducted underway training in the waters surrounding the islands. Her
exercises included antisubmarine warfare drills, and gunfire practice. She also
screened carriers Coral Sea (CVE-57), Ranger (CV-4), and Saratoga (CV-3) during night flying
qualifications and amphibious support training.
On October 16th, Tabberer sortied
from Pearl Harbor with Task Group (TG) 12-7, a hunter/killer group built around
the U.S.S. Anzio (CVE-57), formerly the U.S.S. Coral
Sea (CVE-57). Upon arrival at Eniwetok on the 23rd,
the ships joined Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet, and on October 27, stood out of Eniwetok as TG 30-7. After
stopping at Ulithi during the first three days of
November, the task group headed for the 3rd Fleet fueling group's operating
area to conduct antisubmarine sweeps. On November 18th, TG 30-7 registered its
first kill when Tabberer's sister-ship the U.S.S.
Lawrence C. Taylor (DE-415) sent I-41 to the bottom, after a coordinated depth
charge attack with the U.S.S. Melvin R. Nawman
(DE-416). Following a replenishment period at Ulithi,
Tabberer sortied with TG
30-7 on December 9th to resume antisubmarine sweeps of the Philippine Sea
during Task Force 38's Luzon strikes, in support of the Mindoro landings.
On December 17th, as Tabberer was steaming in
company with the 3rd Fleet fueling group to the east of the Philippine Islands, rising wind and a choppy sea forced her to break
off preparations to take on more fuel. The barometer dropped precipitously as
the weather grew worse. By evening, the small but powerful warship was fighting
a full typhoon. During the night, Tabberer lost
steerageway and could not fight her way out of the deep troughs. She frequently
took rolls up to 60 degrees, and on several occasions, approached an angle of
72 degrees from the vertical.
The high winds and seas continued to batter her on the 18th. By 18:30 her
mast and radio antennae were gone. At 2130, a signalman trying to rig an
emergency antenna, sighted a man in the water, and then sounded the "man
overboard" alarm. Tabberer rushed to the rescue.
Once on board, the sailor reported that he was from the U.S.S. Hull (DD-350),
and that his ship had sunk at about noon that same day. Thus, the Tabberer was the first ship of the 3rd Fleet to learn of
the tragedy of December 18th, 1944. Though unable to call for help, she
immediately embarked upon a search for the survivors. Her rescue efforts
continued throughout the night, all day on the 19th, and into the 20th. In all,
the U.S.S. Tabberer saved the lives of 55 officers
and men, both from the U.S.S. Hull and also the U.S.S. Spence (DD-512). Later, Tabberer was relieved by other units of the fleet. An
additional 36 men, a few of whom belonged to the crew of the typhoon's third
victim, the U.S.S. Monaghan (DD-354), were also rescued by the Tabberer. The outstanding rescue efforts during the storm
resulted in the awarding of Navy and Marine Corps medals for several
crewmembers. Lt. Plage won the
Legion of Merit, and for the Tabberer, the Navy Unit
Commendation.
On December 21st, the destroyer escort re-entered Ulithi
lagoon before heading back to Hawaii.
She stopped at Eniwetok early in January 1945 and
reached Oahu soon thereafter. She stood out of
Pearl Harbor on January 29th. She steamed via Eniwetok and Saipan to screen TF
38 during the air strikes which supported the marines who stormed ashore at Iwo Jima
on February 19th.
Tabberer remained in the Volcano Islands through the first week of March 1945,
screening the carriers from enemy submarines and aircraft. Though the task
force was subjected to several air attacks, and carriers suffered kamikaze and
bomb hits, Tabberer sustained no damage. On March
7th, she headed for the Philippines
and entered San Pedro
Bay, Leyte
on the 12th.
From late March to early May, the destroyer escort cruised with various
task groups of TF 38 during the invasion of Okinawa.
Once again she protected the American carriers from Japanese submarines and
aircraft, while their planes struck enemy positions. Although she operated
continuously for 52 days, and sighted many unidentified planes, the ship never
came under attack. Frequently she rejoined the Anzio hunter/killer
group for nighttime antisubmarine sweeps.
Tabberer put into Apra
Harbor, Guam, on May 11th to replenish and make repairs. On the 23rd, she
rejoined Anzio for
further antisubmarine operations on the sea lanes between Okinawa and the Marianas. On May 31st, Anzio planes scored
a kill, and the Tabberer assisted the U.S.S. Oliver
Mitchell (DE-417) in recovering evidence of their success. Following a
fortnight's visit to San Pedro
Bay, Leyte, she resumed
antisubmarine sweeps with the Anzio task group. For the
remainder of the war, she hunted Japanese submarines and protected the
logistics group during the 3rd Fleet's final air assault on the Japanese home
islands. During the final months of the war, she destroyed mines and rescued downed
Anzio
air crewmen.
After the cessation of hostilities on August 15th, 1945, Tabberer remained in the Far East
to support the occupation forces. She escorted ships between Okinawa; Jinsen, Korea
; and Tientsin and Taku, China. She also destroyed mines in
the Yellow Sea. On December 22nd, the warship
departed Tsintao, China, to return to the United States.
Along the way, she made stops at Okinawa, Eniwetok,
and Pearl Harbor, before entering San
Francisco on January 15th, 1946. In April, she shifted
to San Diego
where she was placed out of commission, in reserve, on April 24th, 1946.
Tabberer was recommissioned
at San Diego on
April 7th, 1951, Lt. Commander Williard J. McNulty in
command. In June, she changed home ports from San Diego
to Newport, Rhode Island, and in August reported for
duty with the Atlantic Fleet. For the next nine years, she operated along the
Atlantic seaboard from Key West, Florida to Halifax,
Nova Scotia. Frequently, she
operated in the Caribbean Sea, often near Guantanamo Bay
and Vieques
Island. Tabberer participated in a variety of exercises, and on
several occasions, embarked with the Naval
Academy and NROTC
midshipmen for their summer cruises. She left the western Atlantic only once
during this period, in the fall of 1957, for a two month deployment to the Mediterranean. After that, she resumed her operations
along the east coast with Lt. Commander James C.
Wilson in command from June of 1958.
On April 19, 1959, the destroyer escort put into port
for the last time. At Philadelphia,
she began preparations for deactivation. Tabberer was
placed out of commission, in reserve, in May of 1960, and was berthed at Philadelphia for the
remainder of her career. On August 1st, 1972, her name was struck from the Navy
List. On October 3rd, 1973 she was sold for scrapping to Mr. David Hahn of Key West, Florida.
The United
States Ship TABBERER proudly earned four Battle Stars and a Navy Unit Commendation for
service in World War II.
Photos of the Tabberer and crew, from the archives of crew member Lyle
Robson, scanned and uploaded by his son Alan
LETTERS FROM CREW AND
FRIENDS
The U.S.S. Tabberer - Photo
Charles Arthur Tabberer
Lt. Commander James C.
Wilson 1920-1981 - Photos from my family album
Looking for Crew information
etc from the US Naval archives ?
Read "Typhoon Cobra"
which mentions the activities of the Tabberer
This
unofficial web page is dedicated to the men of the U.S.S. Tabberer
Presented by Matt Wilson, son of the late
Lt. Commander James C. Wilson,
former Skipper of the Tabberer, and Executive Officer of the USS Irwin.
Any crewmen, relatives or anyone
connected with the Tabberer, please write.
Thanks...Matt
Matt
Wilson
356 Briar
Drive
Millville NJ
08332-5115
1-856-327-8399
matt@mattwilson.com
This page was created 9-21-96,
updated 5-28-05
Thanks very much for all of the wonderful email from former crew
members, friends and family of the Tabberer.
It has been a great pleasure
to meet you. God Bless all and the USA.
This web site is a recipient of the Spirits of Ships
award. Given to sites honoring the memory of
decommissioned US
Navy war ships. These sites keep the spirits of our
bygone ladies alive so the
world can know how much they meant to us, and
that they live on in our memories.
Receiving this award indicates your
dedication to a most important
part of our country, Naval history and the
preservation of freedom.
This
web site is free to distribute, copy, reproduce or link. No permission is needed.
Please share it with someone.
