USS George E . Davis ( DE - 357 ) USS George E . Davis ( DE - 357 ) 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 . She was named in honor of Lt . George Elliot Davis , Jr . , who was killed in action by enemy aircraft near Madoera Strait , Borneo . She was laid down 15 February 1944 by the Consolidated Steel Corp . , Orange , Texas ; launched 8 April 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . George E . Davis , Jr . , widow ; and commissioned 11 August 1944 , Lt . Cdr . Frederick L . Lincoln in command . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . After shakedown off Bermuda , George E . Davis departed Norfolk , Virginia , for the Pacific Ocean 21 October and arrived Hollandia , New Guinea , 28 November . As a convoy escort , she sailed 7 December for the Philippines where she arrived San Pedro Bay , Leyte , 12 December . Assigned to the Philippine Sea Frontier , during the remaining months of fighting in the Pacific she served in the Southwest Pacific on convoy escort and antisubmarine patrols . Supporting Philippine operations . Until March 1945 " George E . Davis " operated out of San Pedro Bay , Leyte , escorting troop and supply convoys to and from New Guinea , the Admiralties , and the Palaus . On 23 March she departed Leyte for the western Philippines ; and , steaming via Mindoro , she arrived Subic Bay , Luzon , the 30th . During the next two months she patrolled the convoy lanes west of Mindoro and Luzon , sweeping the South China Sea in search of Japanese submarines . Between 3 and 7 June she steamed from Subic Bay to Ulithi , Western Carolines , returning to Subic Bay the 12th as escort for a convoy . Departing 16 June , she returned to Ulithi the 20th ; and between 27 and 30 June , she escorted a supply convoy to Leyte Gulf . End - of - war activity . During July " George E . Davis " escorted convoys between the Philippines and Okinawa . After the Japanese capitulation 15 August , she continued escort and patrol duties in the Philippines and in the East China Sea . In September she guarded convoys carrying occupation troops from the Philippines to Japan . Early in December she sailed from the Philippines to the coast of China where she supported American and Chinese Nationalist troops during reoccupation operations along the coast of northern China . During January and February 1946 she operated along the coast of Japan before returning to Tsingtao , China , 20 February . She patrolled the East China Sea and Yellow Sea off mainland China until 16 April when she departed for the United States . She arrived San Pedro , California , 11 May decommissioned at San Diego , California , 26 August , and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet . Recommissioned as a training ship . " George E . Davis " recommissioned at San Diego 11 July 1951 , and departed San Diego 11 October . She steamed via the Panama Canal to the U . S . East Coast , where she arrived Newport , Rhode Island , 27 October . Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet , during the next 3 years she operated out of Newport , providing valuable service as a training ship for the U . S . Naval Reserves . This unheralded but important duty carried her along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean and she continued this service until June 1954 . Final decommissioning . She decommissioned 11 November 1954 at Green Cove Springs , Florida , and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . On 1 December 1972 she was struck from the Navy list and , on 2 January 1974 , she was sold for scrapping .