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USS Dennis (DE-405)
Encyclopedia
USS Dennis (DE-405) was a World War II
John C. Butler-class
destroyer escort
in the service of the United States Navy
. Dennis was named after Radioman Third Class Otis Lee Dennis. He was killed in action 1 February 1942 with Carleton Thayer Fogg (namesake of USS Fogg
) when their SBD Dauntless
was lost during an attack launched by USS Enterprise
on Roi-Namur
, Kwajalein
. It was one of the first offensive operations following Pearl Harbor
.
Dennis was launched on 4 December 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding
, in Houston, Texas
; sponsored by Mrs. J. L. Dennis, mother of the late Radioman Third Class Dennis; and commissioned on 20 March 1944, with Lieutenant Commander
Sig Hansen, USNR
, in command.
on 19 June 1944 to escort a convoy
to Eniwetok and Kwajalein
. She returned to Eniwetok on 29 July screening (CVL-24). Joining the 5th Fleet, she escorted Carrier Division 22 to Manus
for exercises, then sortied with Task Force 77 on 10 September to supply air support for the landings on Morotai Island
15 September through 27 September.
From 12 October Dennis screened the escort carrier
s supplying the air cover for the invasion of Leyte. On 25 October she joined her carriers in making history as they fought a gallant action with the Japan
ese counter-attacking force in the Battle off Samar
phase of the Battle of Leyte Gulf
. Dennis rescued 434 survivors from the bombed (CVE-63). For this action she shared in the Presidential Unit Citation
awarded to TU 77.4.3, "Taffy 3". Arriving at Kossol Roads
, Palau
s, on 28 October, she sailed 3 days later for the west coast, arriving at San Francisco, California
on 26 November for an overhaul.
Returning to the forward area Dennis departed Guam
on 16 February 1945 for the invasion of Iwo Jima
, patrolling off the island until 8 March when she sailed to escort a convoy to Ulithi
. On 21 March she proceeded to join a carrier group launching air strikes in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. She remained with the carriers as they gave close support to the invasion forces ashore. Again she performed rescue services, on 4 May, saving 88 of the crew of (CVE-26), a kamikaze
victim. She served on radar picket
duty at Ulithi from 9 May to 3 June, then returned to Okinawa to join the Third Fleet
for strikes against the Japanese mainland until 26 June.
From 30 June 1945 until the end of the war, Dennis escorted convoys among Ulithi, Okinawa, the Philippines
, and New Guinea
. After the war she escorted landing craft
to Okinawa, then departed Leyte Gulf
on 14 October for the west coast, arriving at San Diego, California
, on 6 November. She was placed out of commission in reserve there 31 May 1946.
, Dennis received four battle stars for World War II service.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
John C. Butler-class
John C. Butler class destroyer escort
The John C. Butler class destroyer escort originated during World War II. The lead ship was the , commissioned on 31 March 1944. The class was also known as the WGT type from their Westinghouse Geared Turbine drive...
destroyer escort
Destroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
in the service of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Dennis was named after Radioman Third Class Otis Lee Dennis. He was killed in action 1 February 1942 with Carleton Thayer Fogg (namesake of USS Fogg
USS Fogg (DE-57)
USS Fogg , a of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Carleton Thayer Fogg , who was killed in action while serving aboard the aircraft carrier during the initial attack Kwajalein, 1 February 1942....
) when their SBD Dauntless
SBD Dauntless
The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a naval dive bomber made by Douglas during World War II. The SBD was the United States Navy's main dive bomber from mid-1940 until late 1943, when it was largely replaced by the SB2C Helldiver...
was lost during an attack launched by USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (CV-6)
USS Enterprise , colloquially referred to as the "Big E," was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Launched in 1936, she was a ship of the Yorktown class, and one of only three American carriers commissioned prior to World War II to...
on Roi-Namur
Roi-Namur
Roi-Namur is an island in the northern part of the Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands.Occupied by Japanese forces prior to World War II, it was the target of the U.S. 4th Marine Division in the Battle of Kwajalein, in February 1944....
, Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
. It was one of the first offensive operations following Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
.
Dennis was launched on 4 December 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding
Brown Shipbuilding
The Brown Shipbuilding Company was founded in Houston, Texas in 1942 as a subsidiary of Brown and Root by brothers Herman and George R. Brown to build ships for the US Navy during World War II....
, in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
; sponsored by Mrs. J. L. Dennis, mother of the late Radioman Third Class Dennis; and commissioned on 20 March 1944, with Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Sig Hansen, USNR
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
, in command.
History
Dennis arrived at Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 19 June 1944 to escort a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
to Eniwetok and Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
. She returned to Eniwetok on 29 July screening (CVL-24). Joining the 5th Fleet, she escorted Carrier Division 22 to Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
for exercises, then sortied with Task Force 77 on 10 September to supply air support for the landings on Morotai Island
Morotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
15 September through 27 September.
From 12 October Dennis screened the escort carrier
Escort aircraft carrier
The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used by the British Royal Navy , the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, and the...
s supplying the air cover for the invasion of Leyte. On 25 October she joined her carriers in making history as they fought a gallant action with the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese counter-attacking force in the Battle off Samar
Battle off Samar
The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on 25 October 1944...
phase of the Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
. Dennis rescued 434 survivors from the bombed (CVE-63). For this action she shared in the Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation (US)
The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
awarded to TU 77.4.3, "Taffy 3". Arriving at Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads, Palau is a large body of reef-enclosed water north of Babeldaob. During World War II, it was used by the United States Navy as the location of a floating resupply and repair base....
, Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
s, on 28 October, she sailed 3 days later for the west coast, arriving at San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on 26 November for an overhaul.
Returning to the forward area Dennis departed Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
on 16 February 1945 for the invasion of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, patrolling off the island until 8 March when she sailed to escort a convoy to Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
. On 21 March she proceeded to join a carrier group launching air strikes in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. She remained with the carriers as they gave close support to the invasion forces ashore. Again she performed rescue services, on 4 May, saving 88 of the crew of (CVE-26), a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
victim. She served on radar picket
Radar picket
A radar picket is a radar-equipped ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a force to protect it from surprise attack. Often several detached radar units encircle a force to provide increased cover in all directions.-World War II:Radar picket ships...
duty at Ulithi from 9 May to 3 June, then returned to Okinawa to join the Third Fleet
Third Fleet
The name Third Fleet can refer to:* United States 3rd Fleet* Third Fleet , part of the British effort of the late eighteenth century to colonise Australia* IJN 3rd Fleet, Imperial Japanese Navy...
for strikes against the Japanese mainland until 26 June.
From 30 June 1945 until the end of the war, Dennis escorted convoys among Ulithi, Okinawa, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. After the war she escorted landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
to Okinawa, then departed Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
on 14 October for the west coast, arriving at San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, on 6 November. She was placed out of commission in reserve there 31 May 1946.
Honors
In addition to her Presidential Unit CitationPresidential Unit Citation (US)
The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
, Dennis received four battle stars for World War II service.