2012-3 Remembrances Special EditionCity of Schertz Remembrance Special Edition 2012-3 Presented by: Schertz Historical Preservation Committee
USS DeHaven – The Search for a Schertz Connection
Two plaques hang at the Museum of The Pacific in Fredericksburg, Texas. One plaque is for a WWII war ship known as the USS DeHaven DD-469 and another for the WWII war ship USS DeHaven DD-727. The former ship was one of fifteen destroyers that went down in the Guadalcanal Campaign. The USS DeHaven DD-727 was christened January 9, 1944 as a replacement for DD-469. The DD-727 was eventually sold to the South Korea Navy and
subsequently destroyed in 1944. But what connection might these two ships have to our city or to anyone in the city? First, a bit more about the ship and its namesake. The namesake for the two destroyers is Lt. Commander Edwin Jesse DeHaven. Lt. Commander DeHaven was born May 7, 1816 and married Mary Norris De Costa. The couple had six
children. DeHaven was exposed to seafaring ways by his uncle and guardian Commander Isaac McKeever. By the age of 15 DeHaven was a Midshipman and qualified as an Acting Master by the age of 23. DeHaven began naval service in the West Indies aboard the U. S. ships called Natchez and the Eric (1830-1831). He served in South American waters aboard three different ships. In 1837, he was sent to the Pacific and ended up aboard the U. S. Exploring Expedition
during the summer of 1839. In the early 1840s he served on ships that explored the Puget Sound and later that decade he joined in the fight against Mexico. He went back to war ship duty from 1846 to 1848 and thereafter was assigned to the Naval Observatory. He took command of the Grinnell River Expedition along the ice blocks of Greenland and during such contracted scurvy which limited his ability to operate under hostile environmental conditions. On February 6,
1862, after a distinguished career, he retired from the Navy and became the first officer ever to retire with the rank of Lt. Commander. The cruiser USS DeHaven DD-469 had a distinguished battle record during WWII. On January 19, 1943, it and three other destroyers bombarded the shoreline of Cape Experience with 2000
pounds of five inch shells. From Cap Experience, the DeHaven joined a task force of two cruisers and four destroyers at Kula Gulf to bombard the Japanese air strip at Vila. The air strip at Vila had been a priority project for the Japanese and they had worked day and night to construct it. On February 1, 1943, the USS DeHaven while participating in a shepherding operation for light carrier transport (LTC) boats was caught without adequate air support. Some
fourteen enemy planes arrived at the scene and a treacherous volley of gunfire plummeted the DeHaven. Three planes were downed but three bombs struck direct hits on the DeHaven. The vessel was engulfed in flames as sailors were desperately striving to launch life rafts. Altogether, 167 crew members perished with the ship while 148 survived (38 of whom were wounded).
So what does all this heroism have to do with Schertz and/or its citizens? Well, it seems that a member of the Schertz Area Senior Center by the name of Ronald (Ron) DeHaven believes that he is a descendant of Lt. Commander DeHaven and has set about trying to prove his case. Ron has long had an interest in family genealogy and has traced his family origins back several
generations but has yet to reach the generation of or immediately after Lt. Commander
DeHaven’s time. Ron has joined forces with another avid DeHaven ancestor named Dorothy
Bertini to search for any connection Ron may have to the legendary Naval officer.
We wish Ron well in his investigation of the DeHaven family genealogy. If and when he determines whether there is a connection we will let you know. In the mean time, if you know of any of our Schertz citizens with famous ancestors please let us know and we will pass the story
along to our readers.
Lt. Comdr. Edwin Jesse DeHaven Ronald (Ron) DeHaven, Schertz Area (Photo U.S. Navy) Senior Citizens Member