USS Leland E . Thomas ( DE - 420 ) USS Leland E . Thomas ( DE - 420 ) 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 . Post - war , after her service in the Pacific Ocean war zone , her crew members returned home proudly with one battle star to their credit . " Leland E . Thomas " ( DE - 420 ) was named in honor of Leland Evan Thomas who contributed to the sinking of a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross . " Leland E . Thomas " ( DE - 420 ) was laid down 21 January 1944 by Brown Shipbuilding Co . , Houston , Texas ; launched 28 February 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Benjamin E . Thomas , mother of " Lieutenant Thomas " ; and commissioned 19 June 1944 , Lt . Comdr . Leslie E . Rosenberg in command . History . Following fitting out and tests at Galveston , Texas , and shakedown off Bermuda , " Leland E . Thomas " got underway for Massachusetts 11 August , arriving Boston the 13th . After completing availability at the Boston Navy Yard , the destroyer escort headed for Norfolk , Virginia , arriving 25 August . Two days later she began hunter - killer operations along the U . S . East Coast until she headed for Maine 5 September , arriving at Casco Bay the 6th . She operated along the Atlantic coast until she sailed for Italy 20 September , escorting a convoy into Naples , Italy , 4 October . The " destroyer escort " sailed for the United States 10 October , escorting a convoy to New York 23 October . She got underway 10 November escorting store ship " Polaris " ( AF - 11 ) to the Panama Canal Zone , arriving Cristobal 16 November . " Leland E . Thomas " , with other ships of Escort Division 76 , proceeded to the southwest Pacific 17 November , arriving at Manus 20 December . From 1 January to 19 February 1945 , she escorted convoys between Leyte Gulf , Manus , and Hollandia . The DE was busy defending Mangarin Bay , Mindoro , and patrolling lanes in the Sulu Sea , Mindoro Strait , and western approaches to Luzon until 17 March . On 4 March , while she was investigating a possible submarine sighting south of San Jose de Buenavista , Panay , her lookouts spotted enemy planes on a nearby airstrip . Immediately the ship requested fighter - bombers which soon effectively bombed the airstrip . From 18 March to 28 April , she escorted ships and convoys within the Philippine sea frontier . From 29 April to 9 June 1945 , she protected Polloc Harbor , Mindanao , and operated with the Davao Gulf 3d Resupply Echelon and the Davao Gulf Attack Unit . " Leland E . Thomas " bombarded Falisay Point area , north of Cape San Augustan , Davao Gulf 19 May and on 1 June with destroyer " Flusser " ( DD - 368 ) shelled Luayan Point . The same task unit participated in the landing on Balut Island , Sarangani Group . The DE headed for Borneo escorting " Chepachet " ( AO - 78 ) to a fueling rendezvous with the task group which bombarded Balikpapan , Borneo . Later she patrolled the outer anchorage area in Balikpapan during the initial landings . On 20 July she set course for Subic Bay , arriving 28 July . " Leland E . Thomas " was busy escorting convoys between Subic Bay and Okinawa when the war ended 15 August , and continued on this duty , touching at Manila and other Philippine Islands ports until 28 November . Fate . She got underway from Samar , Philippine Islands for home via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor , arriving San Pedro , California , 17 December 1945 . She decommissioned 3 May 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet Group at San Diego , California . On 1 September 1972 she was struck from the Navy list , and , on 11 September 1973 , she was sold for scrapping . Awards . " Leland E . Thomas " received one battle star for World War II service .