USS Williams ( DE - 372 ) USS " Williams " ( DE - 372 ) 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 . She was named in honor of Rear Admiral George Washington Williams , who was awarded the Navy Cross for his World War I efforts . She was laid down on 5 June 1944 at Orange , Texas , by the Consolidated Steel Corp . ; launched on 22 August 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . E . Willoughby Middleton , the first cousin of " Rear Admiral Williams " ; and commissioned on 11 November 1944 , Lt . Comdr . L . F . Loutrel in command . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . Following shakedown out of Great Sound , Bermuda , " Williams " underwent post - shakedown availability at Boston , Massachusetts , before shifting to New London , Connecticut , on 11 January 1945 . Departing on the 19th , she moved to Newport , Rhode Island , to rendezvous with , and got underway on the 30th for Panama . " Williams " escorted the attack transport to Balboa , in the Panama Canal Zone , and subsequently sailed for the U . S . West Coast in company with , arriving at San Diego , California , on 7 February . " Williams " soon steamed independently to Hawaii , arriving at Pearl Harbor on 16 February . Following a period of training and minor repairs , the destroyer escort pushed on for the New Hebrides before escorting a group of LCI ' s from Espiritu Santo to Lunga Point from 25 to 27 March . Returning via Tulagi to Espiritu Santo on the 30th , " Williams " shifted to Noumea soon thereafter , to rendezvous with and escort the repair ship to Ulithi where they arrived on 15 April . After shifting to Manus Island , in the Admiralties , upon the conclusion of this escort mission , " Williams " convoyed to Guam which she reached on 25 April , before escorting to Eniwetok , and eventually returning to Manus on 6 May . Four days later , the busy escort vessel departed the Admiralties with , , and , bound for the Philippines escorting Transport Division 11 . While en route on the afternoon of 15 May , ships in the group sighted a derelict mine and sank it with gunfire . The escorts delivered their charges at Leyte on 16 May , and " Williams " subsequently sailed for Hollandia and Manus , arriving at the latter on 30 May . Her respite in the Admiralties ended on 4 June when she got underway again and joined sister ship " Presley " in escorting a task unit bound for Tinian with ground forces of the Army Air Force 20th Bomber Command embarked . Completing this mission on the 7th , " Williams " operated between Manus and the Marshalls into the latter part of June when she escorted to Eniwetok . End - of - war activity . " Williams " operated out of Manus through the end of the war with Japan in mid - August 1945 . During this time , she carried out drills , training exercises , and harbor entrance patrols before spending the first weeks of September in operations with the Ulithi unit of the Western Carolines Patrol and Escort Group . After a brief visit to Yap and a stint towing a derelict ammunition barge , " Williams " was transferred to the Marianas patrol on 20 September . She escorted to Okinawa between 24 and 27 September before getting underway on the latter date to return to Guam . Caught in a deadly typhoon . On the return passage , on the night of 29 September , " Williams " found herself trapped in the path of a severe tropical hurricane . A huge breaking wave pounded into the starboard side of the ship and nearly rolled " Williams " over . One man was swept overboard and out of sight in the stormy sea . Severe structural damage occurred topside , and minor flooding occurred below decks . However , round - the - clock work by damage control parties soon restored the ship to fighting efficiency , and she resumed her passage . Before she reached Guam , she spotted a floating mine and destroyed it with gunfire . Post - war decommissioning . " Williams " underwent permanent repairs at Guam before she sailed via Pearl Harbor for the west coast of the United States . Decommissioned at San Diego , California , on 4 June 1946 , " Williams " was inactivated and placed in reserve on 7 October of the same year . She never saw further service and was struck from the Navy list on 1 July 1967 . Stripped to a hulk , the former destroyer escort was towed to sea from San Diego and sunk as a target by shellfire and missiles launched from both ships and planes on 29 June 1968 .