USS Oliver Mitchell ( DE - 417 ) USS Oliver Mitchell ( DE - 417 ) 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 active participation in the Pacific War , her crew returned home with five battle stars to their credit . She was named in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Oliver Mitchell , USMC who was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for “ Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as a pilot while pressing home his attack in the face of tremendous anti - aircraft fire . . . ” " Oliver Mitchell " ( DE – 417 ) was laid down 3 January 1944 by the Brown Shipbuilding Co . of Houston , Texas ; launched 8 February 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Margaret R . Mitchell , mother of Lieutenant Mitchell ; and commissioned 14 June 1944 , with Lieutenant Commander Kenneth J . Barclay in command . History . Following shakedown off Bermuda , " Oliver Mitchell " steamed out of Hampton Roads , 31 August 1944 , for the Pacific Theater . ASW exercises with her division , CortDiv 72 , interrupted her westward passage for a month at Hawaii , but , continuing on , she arrived at Ulithi 1 November . Assigned to Task Group TG 30 . 7 , she screened during aerial search and flight operations out of Ulithi until 10 December , then conducted antisubmarine sweeps to the north of task force TF 38 as the fast carriers ’ planes flew strikes in support of the Mindoro landings . Continuing screen and plane guard duties with the fast carriers into the new year , 1945 , she sailed with them for strikes against Formosa and Luzon in support of the Lingayen assault . On 2 February , back with her escort carrier group , now TG 50 . 7 , she steamed to the Marianas , thence to the Volcanos where she screened " Anzio " as its planes bombed Japanese positions on Iwo Jima ( 16 February – 3 March ) . With victory in the offing there , the group retired to Leyte prior to deployment off Okinawa . Departing Leyte Gulf 21 March in TU 52 . 1 . 1 , the Amphibious Support Force , she sailed into the East China Sea with Western Islands Attack Force . Screening the escort carriers through the assaults on Kerama Retto and against the Hagushi beaches , she retired to Guam 6 April to join TF - 51 ’ s escort pool . Returning to the Ryukyus on the 20th , she screened escort carriers as their planes flew air cover and ASW patrols during May . Detached 4 June , she returned to Ulithi , whence she conducted a voyage to Leyte prior to a 47 - day deployment at sea screening carrier task forces operating off the east coast of Japan . During the next four months , " Oliver Mitchell " escorted forces to Korea for occupation duty and to and along the China coast trying to assuage postwar unrest in that country . On 26 December , pressed into Operation Magic Carpet duty , " DE – 417 " headed back to the United States . Fate . She arrived at San Francisco , California , 15 January 1946 and on 24 April , at San Diego , California , decommissioned and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet . Later transferred to the Mare Island Reserve Group , she remained a unit of the Reserve Fleet into 1970 . She was stricken 15 March 1972 and sold for scrapping 15 January 1973 . Awards . " Oliver Mitchell " earned 5 battle stars during World War II .