USS Gentry

USS Gentry (DE-349) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. The primary purpose of the destroyer escort was to escort and protect ships in convoy, in addition to other tasks as assigned, such as patrol or radar picket.

History
United States
Name: Gentry
Namesake: Wayne Roy Gentry
Builder: Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas
Laid down: 13 December 1943
Launched: 15 February 1944
Commissioned: 14 June 1944
Decommissioned: 2 July 1946
Stricken: 15 January 1972
Fate: sold for scrapping 15 January 1973
General characteristics
Class and type: John C. Butler-class destroyer escort
Displacement: 1,350 tons
Length: 306 ft (93 m)
Beam: 36 ft 8 in (11.18 m)
Draft: 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)
Propulsion: 2 boilers, 2 geared turbine engines, 12,000 shp (8,900 kW); 2 propellers
Speed: 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Range: 6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement: 14 officers, 201 enlisted
Armament:

Gentry was named after Wayne Roy Gentry who was killed in action 2 November 1942 in the Solomon Islands area while serving as a pilot in a Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron and was posthumously awarded the Air Medal. The destroyer escort's keel was laid down 13 December 1943 by the Consolidated Steel Corporation at their yard in Orange, Texas. Gentry was launched on 15 February 1944, sponsored by Miss Jean Maxine Gentry, Lt. Gentry's sister and commissioned on 14 June 1944, Lt. Comdr. D. A. Smith in command.

Operational history

World War II North Atlantic operations

Following shakedown off Bermuda and duty as a school ship at Norfolk, Virginia, Gentry arrived at New York on 25 September 1944. Between 6 October and 23 December, she made two round-trip, convoy-escort voyages out of New York to Marseilles, France, and Oran, Algeria. Gentry then sailed from New London, Connecticut on 9 January 1945 escorting the submarines Bullhead and Lionfish to Key West, Florida.

Transfer to the Pacific Fleet

The destroyer escort then continued via the Panama Canal to the Western Pacific, arriving at Manus, Admiralty Islands on 20 February. During the next four months Gentry escorted convoys between New Guinea and the Philippines, throughout the Philippine Archipelago, and from Manila Bay and Leyte Gulf to the Palaus and Western Carolines. In July she escorted a convoy to Okinawa and served on picket duty before returning Leyte late in the month.

End-of-war activity

After the Japanese capitulation 15 August, Gentry continued escorting convoys out of Leyte Gulf to New Guinea, Manila Bay, and Okinawa. In addition, she served on air-sea rescue patrol in Leyte Gulf until 27 November when she departed Leyte for the United States. Arriving at Los Angeles, California on 18 December, she was towed to San Diego, California on 6 April 1946.

Post-war decommissioning

Gentry decommissioned there on 2 July 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Stockton, California. She was later transferred to Mare Island, California. The destroyer escort was stricken 15 January 1972 and sold for scrap on 15 January 1973.

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.