The USS Rich (DE-695) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. Laid down on March 27, 1943, at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan, she was launched on June 22, 1943, and commissioned on October 1, 1943. The vessel's construction involved a series of complex transport maneuvers, including traveling via Lake Huron, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, the Chicago River, and down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, before reaching her final destination at the Todd Johnson Shipyard in Algiers, Louisiana. The Rich's service history primarily involved coastal escort and patrol duties initially off Bermuda, before transitioning to trans-Atlantic escort missions. By May 1944, she had completed three round-trip crossings to Britain. Her most notable service was during the Normandy invasion, where she arrived at Plymouth, England, on June 4, 1944. As part of the naval component supporting the landings on Utah Beach, she played a crucial role in screening larger ships and providing gunfire support. Notably, Rich laid a smoke screen to protect against German E-Boat attacks during the initial landings. Tragically, on June 8, 1944, while assisting the minesweeper Staff after it struck a mine, Rich was hit by two mines herself. The first mine caused minor damage and a fire, but the second exploded beneath her, blowing off approximately 50 feet of her stern, causing catastrophic damage. The ship sank in approximately 40 feet of water off the coast of Normandy, resulting in 91 fatalities, including crew members who died from wounds or the sinking itself. The sinking marked her as the only American destroyer escort lost during the invasion. The wreck of USS Rich was later salvaged for parts, with artifacts displayed at the Normandy D-Day Museum. The ship earned one battle star for her service in World War II, and her legacy remains significant as a symbol of wartime sacrifice and naval resilience.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.