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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Drawing of an Edsall class escort ship, like USS Farquhar

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIPS --

USS Farquhar (DE-139), 1943-1974

USS Farquhar, a 1200-ton Edsall class escort ship, was built at Orange, Texas. She was commissioned in August 1943 and began war operations in October, escorting a trans-Atlantic convoy to Casablanca, Morocco. After two more such missions, in April 1944 Farquhar cruised the Atlantic as a member of the escort aircraft carrier (CVE) Core's antisubmarine hunter-killer task group. She made another hunter-killer voyage in mid-summer, rescuing survivors of the torpedoed USS Fiske (DE-143) in early August. In September 1944, Farquhar became part of the CVE Mission Bay's group, operating in the South Atlantic.

In December 1944 and January 1945, while undergoing training off Cuba and Florida, Farquhar rescued several aviators whose planes had crashed at sea. She made a North Atlantic antisubmarine cruise with the Mission Bay group in April and May, and on 6 May delivered a depth charge attack that sank the German submarine U-881, the last U-Boat "kill" of World War II made by U.S. forces. A few months later Farquhar went to the Pacific, but arrived only a week before Japan agreed to surrender. She subsequently operated in the Central Pacific, helping to take the surrender of Japanese forces on Ponape in September and serving as a station ship until the beginning of 1946. Farquhar was then sent back to the U.S. East Coast, where she was decommissioned in June 1946. Following well over two decades as part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in October 1972 and sold for scrapping in March 1974.

USS Farquhar was named in honor of Rear Admiral Norman Von H. Farquhar (1840-1907), who served in the Navy from 1854 until 1902.

The Naval Historical Center photographic collection contains no pictures of USS Farquhar (DE-139), but this page provides information on views of her that may be available from the National Archives.


The images listed below are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections.
DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".



  • Photo #: 80-G-364589
    USS Farquhar (DE-139) underway in the Atlantic, coming alongside USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) in October 1944.
    Port bow surface view, taken from about the same height as the top of Farquhar's pilothouse. There are many crewmen on her decks.

  • Photo #: 80-G-364592
    As in 80-G-364589, but with Farquhar seen from somewhat tighter on the bow, and with the light coming from more ahead and to starboard of the ship.

  • Photo #: 80-G-364593
    As in 80-G-364592, but with Farquhar somewhat more distant.


    Note: In all of the above photographs USS Farquhar is painted in a horizontal two-tone camouflage (probably Measure 22).


    Reproductions of these images should be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system for pictures not held by the Naval Historical Center.

    The images listed in this box are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections. DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".


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    Page made 28 September 2002