USS Dufilho ( DE - 423 ) USS " Dufilho " ( DE - 423 ) , a , is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Marion William Dufilho . She was laid down 31 January 1944 by Brown Shipbuilding of Houston , Texas , launched 9 March 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . M . W . Dufilho , widow of Lieutenant Dufilho , and commissioned 21 July 1944 , Commander A . H . Nienau , USNR , in command . The USS " Dufilho " escorted with Admiral R . E . Ingersoll , Commander - in - Chief , Atlantic Fleet embarked on a tour of inspection of the Caribbean naval bases between 18 September and 19 October 1944 . After a voyage to Casablanca , French Morocco , as escort for from 24 October to 14 November , " Dufilho " sailed from Norfolk 7 December for the Pacific , passed through the Panama Canal on 17 December , crossed the Equator on 20 December , and arrived at Manus , Admiralty Islands , 15 January 1945 . History . " Dufilho " got underway for Leyte 23 January 1945 but was diverted to Morotai to join the escort for a convoy of 80 LST s bound with reinforcements of men and supplies for Lingayen Gulf , Luzon . She patrolled there on 9 and 10 February while the men and supplies were unloaded , then sailed to San Pedro Bay , Leyte , 14 February . She continued to escort supply convoys from Morotai and Leyte to Subic Bay and Lingayen Gulf until the 27th when she was assigned to the San Bernardino - Verde Islands Minesweeping unit guarding minecraft as they cleared the sea lane to Manila , as well as taking part in naval and amphibious operations along this route . Arriving at Subic Bay 6 March , " Dufilho " operated on antisubmarine patrol and escort duty . Between 26 April and 5 July 1945 , " Dufilho " joined in the Borneo operation , escorting shipping from the Philippines and Mios Woendi to Morotai in preparation for the landings at Tarakan and Brunei Bay in May and June . She convoyed reinforcements to Tarakan , and patrolled off the beaches during the assaults at Brunei Bay , escorted support troops in , and returned with empty landing craft to San Pedro Bay . After brief overhaul , " Dufilho " patrolled out of Leyte on antisubmarine , air - sea rescue , weather reporting and escort duty . On 2 August 1945 she aided in the rescue of survivors from . Lieutenant Commander Nienau , the circulation man for the " Seattle Star " before the war , pieced together radio messages regarding " debris in the water " and sped to the debris coordinates . Arriving after dark , the " Dufilho " lookouts spotted a lone survivor , Seaman Second Class Francis H . Rineay of New Orleans . While the whaleboat was picking up Seaman Rineay , the " Dufilho " ' s sonar picked up a strong sonar contact only away . Concerned the Japanese submarine might still be lurking in the area , the " Dufilho " attacked with depth charges and hedgehogs . After 20 minutes with no evidence of a destroyed submarine , the " Dufilho " picked up the whaleboat and survivor and commenced screening for the rescue operation until 1615 the following afternoon , when she was released to return to Leyte . Following a voyage to Okinawa to convoy LSTs and LSM s to Leyte for repairs , " Dufilho " sailed from Leyte 6 September and after calling at Okinawa , arrived at Shanghai 22 September , the first ship to enter Shanghai harbor in four years . She operated on a variety of duties at port and Hong Kong until 5 January 1946 when she sailed for the west coast . " Dufilho " arrived at San Diego 12 February and was decommissioned on 14 May 1946 . " Dufilho " was stricken from the inventory on 1 December 1972 and was sold for scrapping on 1 August 1973 by the Defense Reutilizaiton and Marketing Service .