USS Whitehurst (DE-634)-- Part 2: Sank a Sub and Hit By Kamikaze That Killed Norman Ellsworth.

On October 29, 1942, the Whitehurst received word that the destroyer escort USS Eversole (DE-404) had been torpedoed and sunk. The Whitehurst and USS Bull went to the scene and while the other ship rescued survivors, the Whitehurst searched for the submarine, making contact and sinking the I-45, believed to have been the submarine that had sunk the Eversole.

The Whitehurst next served off Okinawa during the invasion and on April 1, 1945, was struck by a kamikaze. Norman Ellsworth was among those killed.

The ship did not sink and returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs and later served in the Korean War. It was featured in the movie "The Enemy Below" where it was the USS Haynes.

In 1969, it was struck from the Navy List and eventually taken to sea and sunk as a target ship by the USS Trigger (SS-564) on 28 April 1971.

--GreGen