The USS Mannert L. Abele (DD 733) was built in Bath ME and commissioned on July 4, 1944 at the Charlestown MA Navy Yard. She was one of the Sumner class destroyers, designed after the start of World War II and delivered beginning 1944, thus she represented the latest US Navy destroyer design. The Abele was 376 feet long and was manned by a crew of 358, including 26 officers. She was equipped with the latest radar and other electronics.