USS Kenneth M . Willett ( DE - 354 ) USS " Kenneth M . Willett " ( DE - 354 ) was a 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 . " Kenneth M . Willett " was named in honor of Kenneth Martin Willett who was awarded the Navy Cross for his brave actions in the South Atlantic Ocean . She was launched 7 March 1944 by Consolidated Steel Corp . , Orange , Texas ; sponsored by Mrs . D . C . Willett , mother of Lt . ( j . g . ) Willett ; and commissioned 19 July 1944 at Orange , Lt . Comdr . J . M . Stuart in command . History . World War II . After shakedown and training off Bermuda , " Kenneth M . Willett " served as a training ship in the Chesapeake Bay from 1 to 20 October . Joining CortDiv 82 , she departed Norfolk , Virginia , 21 October for duty in the $ 3 with the U . S . 7th Fleet . Steaming via the Panama Canal , the Galápagos Islands , and the New Hebrides , she reached Hollandia , New Guinea , 28 November . Assigned to convoy escort duty between $ 3 , New Guinea , and Leyte Gulf , Philippines , " Kenneth M . Willett " made seven trips from 13 December 1944 to 25 February 1945 . On 1 January 1945 , while she screened a convoy to Hollandia , " Kenneth H . Willett " ' s guns brought down an attacking enemy torpedo plane close aboard one of the merchant ships . Upon arriving Leyte Gulf 25 February , the destroyer escort was assigned to patrol and ASW duty . Steaming to Mangarin Bay , Mindoro , 6 March , she made hunter - killer patrols off Mindoro and Luzon , then returned to Leyte Gulf 4 June for escort duty between Leyte and Ulithi , Western Carolines . After two runs to Ulithi , she resumed patrol duty off Mindoro 2 July ; and on the 10th she returned to Leyte for a convoy escort run to Okinawa . Departing 17 July with a convoy of LCI ' s and LST ' s , " Kenneth M . Willett " steamed via Casiguran Bay , Luzon , for the Ryūkyūs . After safely passing through a typhoon 30 to 31 July , the convoy reached Okinawa 7 August . " Kenneth M . Willett " departed the next day for Leyte . During the next 16 weeks she made convoy runs out of Leyte and Manila to Ulithi , Tokyo , and Shanghai . And from 29 December to 29 January 1946 she operated out of Guiuan Roadstead , Samar , on intermittent weather patrols east of Leyte Gulf . Steaming to Manila 10 February , " Kenneth M . Willett " cleared the bay 15 February for patrol duty along the Chinese coast . She arrived Tsingtao 20 February with five other destroyer escorts and commenced operations from the Yellow Sea to Shanghai in support of Chinese Nationalists ' efforts to wrest control of the northern Chinese Mainland from the Communists . Following ASW operations in the North Yellow Sea 1 to 5 April , she departed Tsingtao 15 April en route to the United States . Steaming via Guam , Eniwetok , and Pearl Harbor , she arrived San Pedro , California , 11 May . She decommissioned 24 October and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego , California , 10 November . Korean War operations . During the Korean War " Kenneth M . Willett " recommissioned 25 May 1951 at San Diego , Lt . Comdr . E . N . Weatherly in command . After shakedown along the California coast , she departed San Diego 4 September and steamed via the Panama Canal en route to New Orleans , Louisiana , where she arrived 18 September for duty as a Naval Reserve training ship . Assigned to the 8th Naval District , she departed 5 November on a Naval Reserve cruise to San Juan , Puerto Rico . From then until 16 October 1958 she made 63 training cruises that carried her from New Orleans to South America , Canada , the eastern seaboard of the United States , and throughout the Caribbean . During this time she rendered vitally important service , making certain that men of the Naval Reserve remained qualified to serve on a moment ' s notice to guard the nation ' s security on the high seas . Final decommissioning . Upon her arrival from Havana , Cuba , 16 October 1958 " Kenneth M . Willett " completed her final training cruise . She departed New Orleans 30 November , arriving Orange , Texas , the following day . She then was painted , all equipment was made oprational and closed up and sealed and was decommissioned 26 February 1959 . Assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet , she was berthed at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . On 1 July 1972 she was struck from the Navy List , and , on 6 March 1974 , she was sunk as a target off the coast of Puerto Rico .