U.S.S. Leopold (DE-319)
Dublin Core
Title
U.S.S. Leopold (DE-319)
Alternative Title
USS Leopold (DE-319)
Subject
World War, 1939-1945
Veterans--Florida
Description
A photograph of the USS Leopold, which was an Edsall Class destroyer escort that was laid down in Orange, Texas, in March 1943 by the Consolidated Steel Corporation. A destroyer escort’s mission included escorting merchant shipping and protecting them from submarines. The USS Leopold was named for Ensign Robert Lawrence Leopold, who was killed on the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. The USS Leopold launched on June 12, 1943, sponsored by Miss Helen S. Leopold, who was the sister of Ensign Leopold. After commissioning ceremonies on October 18, 1943, the USS Leopold was delivered to Galveston, Texas, for firing tests. It made its maiden voyage to the port of New Orleans, Louisiana. The ship completed its shakedown training in Great Sound, Bermuda, in November 1943. After completing crew training in December 1943, the ship deployed as a destroyer escort for naval convoys. The USS Leopold was hit by a torpedo fired by the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) U-255 on March 9, 1944. The ship was badly damaged and the crew abandoned ship. The USS Leopold remained afloat until March 10, 1944, when it officially sank south of Iceland during a storm.
A notable crewmember of the USS Leopold was Francis Patrick Currey. Currey was born on August 9, 1924, in Buffalo, New York. On December 12, 1941, Currey enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, where he served on the USS Leopold as a Petty Officer Third Class. Currey’s duties included transmitting, receiving, encoding, decoding, and distributing messages obtained via the visual transmission systems of flag semaphore, visual Morse code, and flag hoist signaling. After the USS Leopold was struck by a torpedo, Currey was declared Missing in Action or Lost at Sea, presumed dead, in the Atlantic Ocean, about 400 miles south of Iceland on March 9, 1944.
In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
A notable crewmember of the USS Leopold was Francis Patrick Currey. Currey was born on August 9, 1924, in Buffalo, New York. On December 12, 1941, Currey enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, where he served on the USS Leopold as a Petty Officer Third Class. Currey’s duties included transmitting, receiving, encoding, decoding, and distributing messages obtained via the visual transmission systems of flag semaphore, visual Morse code, and flag hoist signaling. After the USS Leopold was struck by a torpedo, Currey was declared Missing in Action or Lost at Sea, presumed dead, in the Atlantic Ocean, about 400 miles south of Iceland on March 9, 1944.
In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Creator
United States Department of the Navy
Source
Original black and white photograph.
Publisher
United States Department of the Navy
Date Created
1943-06-12
Is Part Of
Format
image/jpg
Extent
975 KB
Medium
1 black and white photograph
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Orange, Texas
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally created and published by the United States Department of the Navy.
Rights Holder
This resource is not subject to copyright in the United States and there are no copyright restrictions on reproduction, derivative works, distribution, performance, or display of the work. Anyone may, without restriction under U.S. copyright laws:
• reproduce the work in print or digital form
• create derivative works
• perform the work publicly
• display the work
• distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.
This resource is provided here by RICHES for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to Section 5 of Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code.
• reproduce the work in print or digital form
• create derivative works
• perform the work publicly
• display the work
• distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.
This resource is provided here by RICHES for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to Section 5 of Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code.
Curator
Stoddard, James
Cravero, Geoffrey
Source Repository
External Reference
Abney, Barb. "VA Selects UCF Historians to Archive Stories of Deceased Veterans Veterans." UCF Today, March 13, 2017. Accessed August 9, 2017. https://today.ucf.edu/va-selects-ucf-historians-archive-stories-deceased-veterans/.
Black, Jeremy. World War Two: A Military History. London [u.a]: Routledge, 2003.
Collection
Citation
United States Department of the Navy, “U.S.S. Leopold (DE-319),” RICHES, accessed April 24, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/10121.