Foreman- DE-633

Foreman

Andrew Lee Foreman, born 25 September 1920 at Berkeley, Calif., was commissioned ensign in the Naval Reserve 13 May 1942. Serving as assistant to the Damage Control Officer in New Orleans (CA-32) when his ship was torpedoed during the Battle of Tassafaronga 30 November 1942, Ensign Foreman remained at his station to help in saving his ship until asphyxiated by gas generated by the explosion. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic self-sacrifice.

(DE-633: dp. 1,400; 1. 306'; b. 37', dr. 9'5", s. 24 k.;
cpl. 186; a. 3 3", 3 21" tt., 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (hh.),
2 dct.; cl. BuckIey)

Foreman (DE-633) was launched 1 August 1943 by Bethlehem Steel Co., San Francisco, Calif., sponsored by Miss Nadine Foreman, sister of Ensign Foreman; and commissioned 22 October 1943, Lieutenant Commander C. A. Manston, USNR, in command.

Foreman arrived at Funafuti, Ellice Islands, 28 January 1944 to begin 9 months of convoy escort duty in the southwest Pacific. She guarded the movement of men and supplies as well as of larger combatant ships in the lengthy series of operations necessary to consolidate Allied control of the northern Solomon Islands and western New Guinea. Several times she also served on antisubmarine patrol. Sailing for Sydney, Australia, for upkeep 29 September, Foreman returned to Hollandia 18 October, and put to sea 26 October to escort two hospital transports to newly assaulted Leyte, arriving 30 October. One of the transports was completely loaded that day, and before midnight, Foreman and she sailed for Kossol Roads.

After escorting a resupply convoy to San Pedro Bay in the first week of November 1944, Foreman began duty escorting combatant ships, auxiliaries, and merchantmen between the Manus base and Hollandia, Eniwetok, Majuro, and Ulithi. From 9 to 19 March 1946, the escort served as station ship at Kossol Roads, then sailed to Ulithi to stage for the attack on Okinawa.

Foreman sortied from Ulithi 21 March 1946, and arrived off Okinawa 26 March. The next 5 days she spent with a fire support unit bombarding the island in anticipation of the landings on 1 April. On 27 March, when her task force first came under air attack, she fired on a Japanese plane which crashed close aboard on her bow, inflicting no casualties. After the landings, Foreman was assigned to antisubmarine patrol off the entrance to the transport anchorage at Kerama Retto. Here on 3 April, she suffered a direct hit when a lone enemy bomber attacked her. The bomb passed through her bottom to explode about 30 feet below. All power and light were lost, and one of her firerooms flooded to the waterline, but no men were killed. Within 30 minutes, damage was under control, and repairs had been made to allow her to make her way under her own power into Kerama Retto for emergency repairs.

Fully repaired at Ulithi between 17 April 1946 and 29 May, Foreman returned to patrol off Okinawa 3 June, 8 days later shooting down a kamikaze with the aid of a sister destroyer before it could crash her. On 29 June she was assigned to escort duty with a force covering minesweeping operations in the East China Sea and flying air strikes on Chinese targets, serving with this task force until returning to Okinawa 16 August for brief overhaul. Escort duty from Buckner Bay followed until 26 September, when she sailed from Wakayama, Japan, with homeward bound servicemen. Arriving at San Diego 17 October, she disembarked her passengers and sailed on to the east coast. Foreman was decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Fla., 28 June 1946.

Foreman received five battle stars for World War II service.