USS Walter S. Gorka

History
United States
Name	USS Walter S. Gorka
Namesake	Aviation Ordnanceman Third Class Walter S. Gorka (1922-1942), a U.S. Navy sailor and Air Medal recipient
Builder	Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Massachusetts
Laid down	3 April 1945
Launched	26 May 1945
Sponsored by	Mrs. Josephine B. Gorka
Commissioned	7 August 1945
Decommissioned	January 1947
Reclassified	From destroyer escort (DE-604) to high-speed transport (APD-114) while under construction
Stricken	1 June 1960
Fate	Sold to Ecuador August 1961 for use as floating power plant
Notes	Laid down as Rudderow-class destroyer escort USS Walter S. Gorka (DE-604)
General characteristics
Class and type	Crosley-class high speed transport
Displacement	2,130 long tons (2,164 t) full
Length	306 ft (93 m)
Beam	37 ft (11 m)
Draft	12 ft 7 in (3.84 m)
Speed	23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Troops	162
Complement	204
Armament	1 × 5 in (130 mm) gun 6 × 40 mm guns 6 × 20 mm guns 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Walter S. Gorka (APD-114), ex-DE-604, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1947.

Namesake

Walter Stanley Gorka was born on 24 March 1922 in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve at Hartford, Connecticut, on 15 May 1940 and eventually attained the rate of aviation ordnanceman third class.

During Operation Torch, the Allied amphibious landings in North Africa, Gorka was a bombardier and gunner on a Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber of Escort Scouting Squadron 27 (VGS-27) embarked on auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Suwannee. On 10 November 1942, Gorka went on an attack mission against a Vichy French submarine. French antiaircraft shot down Gorka's aircraft and he was killed. He was posthumously awarded the Air Medal.

Construction and commissioning

Walter S. Gorka was laid down as the Rudderow-class destroyer escort USS Walter S. Gorka (DE-604) on 20 March 1945 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., at Hingham, Massachusetts. She was reclassified as a Crosley-class high-speed transport and redesignated APD-114 during construction, and was launched on 26 May 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Josephine B. Gorka. Walter S. Gorka was commissioned on 7 August 1945, with Commander R. G. Werner, USNR, .

Service history

Walter S. Gorka was still fitting out when the surrender of Japan ended World War II on 15 August 1945. Following fitting out, she conducted shakedown training in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from 2 September 1945 to 27 September 1945 and subsequently carried some 140 officers and enlisted men from Guantanamo Bay to the United States.

Upon her arrival in the United States, Walter S. Gorka was ordered to remain in commission, in reserve, in the St. Johns River with the Florida Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs, Florida. She served there as headquarters ship during the deactivation of several of her sister ships.

Decommissioning and disposal

Walter S. Gorka herself was decommissioned at Green Cove Springs in January 1947, and remained there, inactive, until stricken from the Navy List on 1 June 1960. She subsequently was sold to the government of Ecuador for conversion and use as a floating power plant.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive DE-604 / APD-114 Walter S Gorka

This page was last edited on 31 October 2023, at 06:41