USS Chester T . O ' Brien ( DE - 421 ) USS " Chester T . O ’ Brien " ( DE - 421 ) 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 . " Chester T . O ' Brien " ( DE - 421 ) was named in honor of Platoon Sergeant Chester Thomas O ' Brien who was awarded the Silver Star medal for heroic service at Guadalcanal . " Chester T . O ' Brien " ( DE - 421 ) was launched 29 February 1944 by Brown Shipbuilding Co . , Houston , Texas ; sponsored by Mrs . J . Edington , sister of " Platoon Sergeant O ' Brien " ; commissioned 3 July 1944 , Lieutenant Commander R . D . White , USNR , in command ; and reported to the Atlantic fleet . History . World War II . " Chester T . O ' Brien " interrupted her shakedown training to escort the captured Italian submarine " Mameli " to Portsmouth on 24 August 1944 . She escorted a convoy to Naples , Italy . " Chester T . O ' Brien " sailed from New York 10 November for convoy escort duty between Leyte and Manus , to Palau , and throughout the Philippines until 20 April 1945 . The escort sailed from Hollandia 14 May to protect the landing of reinforcements of Davao Gulf , and to bombard St . Augustine Point . At Polloc Harbor off Moro Gulf in southern Mindanao , she became administrative control ship for amphibious forces , 20 May , and sailed to Zamboanga , 12 June , to coordinate amphibious shipping in training exercises . On 20 July she landed troops on Balut , the island controlling the Saragani Straits . From 11 August 1945 " Chester T . O ' Brien " had convoy escort duty in the Philippines and participated in redeployment of forces in the Far East until 25 November , when she sailed with homeward bound troops for San Pedro , California , arriving 17 December 1945 . " Chester T . O ' Brien " was decommissioned 2 July 1946 at San Diego , California , and placed in reserve . Training duty . " Chester T . O ' Brien " was recommissioned 28 March 1951 , departed San Diego 22 June for Newport , Rhode Island , and arrived at her new homeport 11 July . After a period of training , overhaul , and exercises , she served as school ship for the Fleet Sonar School at Key West , Florida ( 30 June - 18 October 1952 ) . Participation in Operation Springboard ( 5 – 30 January 1953 ) preceded another assignment with the Fleet Sonar School ( 30 March – 23 June ) , and on 8 July " Chester T . O ' Brien " departed Newport for a midshipman cruise to ports of northern Europe ( Bergen , Norway and Copenhagen , Denmark ) and Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , returning to Narragansett Bay 5 September . Overhaul , training , and antisubmarine exercises were her employment until 19 July 1954 , when she sailed again on a midshipmen cruise to Quebec and Cuba , returning 21 August . Between 20 September 1954 and 25 April 1958 , " Chester T . O ' Brien " served as school ship with the Fleet Sonar School and with the Escort Vessel Gunnery School of Destroyer Force , Atlantic , and conducted local operations at Newport and Key West . Operations out of New York , Norfolk , and Narragansett Bay continued until 5 September 1958 when she reported for duty as a Reserve training ship at New York . Fate . Decommissioned 21 February 1959 , she continued her training duty until 25 May 1960 , when she was placed in reserve at Bayonne , New Jersey . On 1 July 1972 she was struck from the Navy list and , on 4 April 1974 , she was sold for scrapping .