The U.S. Navy Destroyer Escort Rinehart (DE-196), built by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Newark, New Jersey, was laid down on 21 October 1943 and commissioned on 12 February 1944. Lieutenant Partee W. Crouch was the ship's first commanding officer.
The Rinehart began convoy escort duties on 8 May 1944, when she sailed for New York to begin the first of many escort cruises. She escorted valuable cargo to and from the U.S. East Coast to ports in Europe and North Africa until the end of May 1945.
Following the cessation of hostilities with Germany, the Rinehart was ordered to he Pacific, arriving in Pearl Harbor on 21 July 1945, via the Panama Canal and San Diego.
After training in Hawaiian waters, the Rinehart left Pearl Harbor on 8 August acting as an escort for an Eniwetok-bound convoy. After delivering her charges safely on 16 August, the Rinehart was assigned as ready duty ship and also was assigned to patrolling on the barrier line between convoy lanes. On 12 September the Rinehart crew recovered LCVP-3832 which had been adrift off the island of Eniwetok.
On 27 September 1945, the Rinehart arrived off Wake Island and assumed radio and station ship duty until she was relieved on 4 October. After several support operations, the Rinehart returned to Wake Island on 24 October 1945 to serve as port director and radio ship. During this duty, a terrible storm nearly tossed the Rinehart up on a coral reef, the sad fate of the SS Pierre Victory. Luckily, however, the Rinehart managed to ride out the weather and after several more months at Wake, she embarked Navy passengers at Eniwetok Atoll for transportation to Pearl Harbor. The Rinehart left Wake on 1 December 1945 and arrived at Pearl Harbor two weeks later.
After a brief tour as weather-station ship off Pearl Harbor, the Rinehart departed for the U.S. East Coast, and arrived at the Boston Navy Yard on 7 March 1946. On 16 April the Rinehart reported for inactivation at Green Cove Springs, Florida. She remained in inactive service until her decommissioning three months later on 17 July 1946. She was in the U.S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet until 1 June 1950, at which time she was transferred to the Netherlands under terms of the Military Assistance Program. She was struck from the U.S. Navy list on 26 September 1950 and served out the remainder of her days as the Royal Netherlands frigate De Bitter (F-807).