USS Swenning (DE-394) was an in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was sold for scrapping in 1974. Namesake Gust J. Swenning was born on 2 August 1917 at Manor, Texas. He enlisted in the Navy on 9 September 1938. Upon completion of basic training at San Diego, California, he was transferred to for duty. After participation in the defense of Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and operations off Guadalcanal and in the Solomon Islands, Swenning was still serving in New Orleans on 30 November 1942. That night, Imperial Japanese Navy forces began the Battle of Tassafaronga, Solomon Islands. Swenning was a member of the Forward Repair Party when New Orleans was struck by a torpedo which detonated the forward magazines. He dived through the oil and water in a flooded compartment to close a watertight door. In further efforts to assist in bringing the damaged ship to port, he labored continuously for twelve hours after the cessation of the action. He died on 1 December 1942 and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. History Swenning was laid down on 17 July 1943 by the Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas; launched on 13 September 1943; sponsored by Miss Hertha Rhode; and commissioned on 1 December 1943. Battle of the Atlantic Swenning moved to Galveston, Texas, to complete fitting out and sailed from there on the 28th en route to Bermuda on her shakedown cruise. The cruise ended at Charleston, South Carolina, where the ship entered the navy yard for a post-shakedown availability period. She sailed for New York on 14 February as an escort for and . On the return voyage to Norfolk, Virginia, she was in the escort for convoy UGS-34 and arrived on 20 February. Six days later the ship stood out of Norfolk with Task Group (TG) 21.11, a "hunter-killer" antisubmarine group composed of , a destroyer, and three other escorts of Escort Division (CortDiv) 51. The task group hunted along the Atlantic sea lanes for German U-boats. On 13 March, aircraft from Bogue in conjunction with , and developed and attacked a promising submarine contact. At 1839 hours, the submarine surfaced in full view of the entire task group. It was immediately fired on by the attacking ships and planes from the carrier. At 1844 hours, the slid under the water, stern first. Twenty-three