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STORIES OF THE MEN
Albert T. Harris
Albert
Thomas Harris—born on
29 August 1915 in
Madison,
Ga.—attended North
Georgia College and the
University of Georgia before
enlisting in the Naval
Reserve on 10 September
1940.
After a period of
training—some of which he
spent in the battleship
New York (BB-34)—- he
was discharged on 15 June
1941 to
accept an appointment as a
midshipman in the Naval
Reserve
the following day. After
receiving training at the
Naval Reserve
Midshipman's School at
Northwestern University,
he was commissioned
an ensign in the Naval
Reserve on 12 September
1941.
Then, following instruction
in communications, Harris,
assigned to the 12th
Naval District temporarily
on 15 November 1941,
awaited transfer to the
heavy cruiser
San Francisco
(CA-38). He
reported for duty on board
that ship at
Pearl Harbor on the
afternoon of 6 January 1942.
Two
days after he reported, his
ship sailed with Task Force
(TF) 8 as part of the force
covering the movement of
marines to
Samoa. Detached from
TF 8 to provide local cover
for the newly arrived
forces at Tutuila,
San Francisco
then rejoined her old
division, Cruiser Division
6, part of TF 11, soon after
clearing Samoan
waters on 8 February. Ens.
Harris saw his first action
on 20 February 1942, when
San Francisco
screened the aircraft
carrier Lexington
(CV-2) as TF 11 battled
Japanese land-based
bombers off Bougainville, in
the Northern Solomons.
San Francisco
received credit for downing
one of the attacking
aircraft.
On 10 March 1942, the heavy
cruiser stood ready to
protect
Lexington,
as that carrier, and
Yorktown (CV-5),
launched a successful
surprise attack on enemy
shipping off the New Guinea
settlements of Lae and
Salamaua. In the spring of
1942, Ens. Harris'
ship escorted convoys
between the
United States, and
Hawaii,
Australia and the
Fiji Islands.
After seeing a convoy safely
to
Fiji in July,
San Francisco
joined the expeditionary
force bound for the
Solomon Islands, in
the initial assualt phase of
Operation "Watchtower"—the
invasion
of Guadalcanal. His ship
covered the landings on 7
August, and, following a
logistics period at
Noumea, New Caldeonia,
covered a supply convoy to
Guadalcanal; during the
latter movement,
he witnessed the loss of the
carrier Wasp (CV-7)
on 15
September. He took part on
the Battle of Cape Esperance
on the night of 11 and 12
October, and participated in
the shelling of
Japanese supply and
ammunition dumps at Koli
Point on 4
November.
Newly promoted Lt. (jg.)
Harris saw his last action
on the
afternoon of 12 November
1942, when 21 Japanese twin-engined
torpedo planes
(Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betties")
attacked San Francisco's
task group near Lunga
Point. While commanding the
antiaircraft battery on the
after machine gun platform,
he
directed the fire of his
20-millimeter guns on an
approaching
Japanese torpedo plane that
had been set afire by
gunfire from
the nearby transport
McCawley (AP—10). Harris
and his gallant
gunners unflinchingly
remained at their posts,
courageously
maintaining a heavy tire
until the "Betty" crashed
into them; the young officer
and three of his gun
Comdr.
Herbert
E.
Schonland,
upon
whose
shoulders
command
of
the
heavy
cruiser
devolved
after
Capt.
Cassin
Young
died
of
wounds
suffered
in
the
Naval
Battle
of
Guadalcanal,
praised
"the
remarkable
fire
discipline
and
courage"
of
Harris
and
his
men.
"They
met
their
deaths
without
flinching,"
Schonland
wrote,
"and
in a
manner
which
has
been
an
inspiration
to
us
all."
For
his
conspicuous
bravery
"in
the
face
of
certain
death,"
Lt.
(jg.)
Harris
was
awarded
the
Navy
Cross
posthumously.
(DE-447:
dp.
1,350;
1.
306'0";
b.
36'7";
dr.
13'4";
s.
24.3
k. (tl.);
cpl.
222;
a. 2
5",
4
40mm.,
10
20mm.,
3
21"
tt,
8
dcp.,
1
dcp.
(hh.);
2
dct.;
cl.
John
C.
Butler)
Albert
T.
Harris
(DE-447)
was
laid
down
on
13
January
1944
at
Newark,
N.J.,
by
the
Federal
Shipbuilding
&
Drydock
Co.;
launched
on
16
April
1944;
sponsored
by
Mrs.
J.
D.
Harris,
the
mother
of
Lt.
(jg.)
Harris;
and
was
commissioned
on
29
November
1944
at
the
New
York
Navy
Yard,
Lt.
Comdr.
Sidney
King
in
command.
The
destroyer
escort
spent
three
weeks
at
New
York
outfitting
before
embarking
on
her
shakedown
cruise
to
the
British
West
Indies
late
in
December.
She
returned
to
the
United
States
briefly
at
the
end
of
January
1945
but
soon
got
underway
again,
bound
for
duty
in
the
Pacific.
The
warship
transited
the
Panama
Canal
in
mid-February
and
continued,
via
the
Galapagos
and
Society
Islands,
to
Manus
in
the
Admiralties.
There,
she
became
an
element
of
Escort
Division
(CortDiv)
77,
and
for
the
next
five
months,
served
on
convoy
escort
duty
and
screened
three
amphibious
operations.
Albert
T.
Harris
served
as
part
of a
demonstration
group
making
a
feint
at
Morotai
during
the
occupation
of
the
Zamboanga
Peninsula
of
Mindanao
between
17
and
23
April
and
participated
in
the
surface
force
that
covered
the
landings
at
Santa
Cruz
on
the
Davao
Gulf
on 3
and
4
May.
In
June,
she
provided
support
for
the
seizure
of
Brunei
Bay,
Borneo.
Reassigned
to
the
Philippine
Sea
Frontier
in
July,
Albert
T.
Harris
spent
the
remainder
of
the
war
escorting
ships
between
islands
of
the
Philippines,
protecting
them
from
Japanese
submarines.
Though
she
logged
several
attacks
on
suspected
enemy
submersibles,
the
destroyer
escort
scored
no
successes.
Following
Japan's
capitulation,
the
warship
joined
the
South
China
Force
to
assist
in
the
occupation
of
territory
still
held
by
Japanese
forces,
a
mission
that
took
her
to
Shanghai
and
Hong
Kong
in
China,
Haiphong
and
Hongay
in
French
Indochina,
Korea,
and
the
island
of
Formosa.
She
returned
to
the
United
States
at
San
Diego
on
12
February
1946
and
was
decommissioned
there
on
26
July
1946.
The
destroyer
escort
remained
in
reserve
with
the
San
Diego
Group,
Pacific
Reserve
Fleet,
for
almost
five
years.
The
North
Korean
invasion
of
South
Korea
late
in
June
1950
triggered
an
expansion
in
the
Navy's
active
fleet.
Accordingly,
Albert
T.
Harris
was
recommissioned
at
San
Diego
on
27
April
1951,
Lt.
Comdr.
W.
M.
Robinson
in
command.
While
she
saw
no
combat
service,
her
reactivation
released
other
Atlantic
Fleet
warships
for
duty
off
Korea.
She
served
with
the
Pacific
Fleet
along
the
west
coast
until
September.
At
that
time,
the
destroyer
escort
transited
the
Panama
Canal
and
joined
the
Atlantic
Fleet
as
an
element
of
Escort
Squadron
12
based
at
Newport,
R.I.
During
the
ensuing
six
years,
Albert
T.
Harris
operated
along
the
eastern
seaboard
and
in
the
West
Indies.
In
addition
to
the
normal
training evolutions, independent ship's exercises, type training, and the annual Operation "Springboard" fleet problem— she also provided services to the Fleet Sonar School and made midshipman summer training cruises.
Reassigned to naval reserve training duty in September, 1957, under the operational control of the Commandant, 3d Naval District, the ship spent the remaining 11 years of her Navy career, operating out of New York helping reservists to sharpen their skills as sailors. In August 1968, Albert T. Harris was declared excess to the needs of the Navy. On 19 September 1968, she reported to the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Philadelphia to begin inactivation. Decommissioned at Philadelphia on 21 September 1968, Albert T. Harris was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 23 September 1968. The former warship was sunk as a target off the Virginia capes on 9 April 1969.
Albert T. Harris earned two battle stars during World War II.
Albert T. Harris (DE-447), 17 December 1944, in Measure 31, design 2D camouflage. The colors are haze gray, ocean gray and dull black on vertical surfaces; deck blue on the horizontal. (NH 96647)
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