USS John L . Williamson ( DE - 370 ) USS " John L . Williamson " ( DE - 370 ) 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 . She was named in honor of Seaman First Class John Leon Williamson who was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his bravery during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . She was laid down 22 May 1944 by Consolidated Steel Corp . , Orange , Texas ; launched 29 August 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Sherman Register , sister of Seaman First Class Williamson ; and commissioned 31 October 1944 , Lt . Comdr . J . E . Allen in command . History . World War II . Following shakedown training in waters off Bermuda , the new escort vessel arrived at Boston , Massachusetts on 21 December 1944 . Early in 1945 , she received orders to join the U . S . Pacific Fleet and got underway on 3 January to steam via the Panama Canal to San Diego , California . There she arrived on 19 January and moved on to Pearl Harbor on 28 January for training exercises . As Allied amphibious assaults struck ever - closer to Japan , " John L . Williamson " sailed on 2 March with a convoy for Iwo Jima , arriving on 20 March after a stop at Eniwetok . She took up antisubmarine patrol around the island for four days and anchored again at Eniwetok 28 March 1945 . After serving on a brief antisubmarine patrol off Eniwetok , the ship steamed to Majuro on 5 April and for the next three weeks operated in the Marshall Islands . Air strikes and shore bombardments combined with surrender demands over loudspeakers were used to induce Japanese holdouts to give themselves up . " John L . Williamson " fired at shore batteries and emplacements at Mill , Alu and other islands , taking off scores of prisoners and natives from these bypassed islands . She sailed from Majuro on 24 April and arrived at Ulithi five days later for picket duty . " John L . Williamson " remained on patrol duty around Ulithi with an occasional escort voyage to Eniwetok with troop transports until departing on 15 July with a large convoy for Okinawa . She arrived in Okinawa on 21 July during the final stages of this , the last great island fight of the war , and after two days patrolling off the transport area returned to Ulithi on 27 July . The ship made one more escort voyage to Okinawa in August , and was at anchor at Ulithi when the Japanese accepted surrender terms on 15 August . The destroyer escort sailed on 22 August for Okinawa and Japan , arriving at Wakayama on 14 September to escort ships through the swept channel and aid in occupation operations . After screening flight operations off Japan , she carried out courier duties between Wakayama and Yokosuka until she sailed for the United States on 2 January 1946 . Post - war decommissioning . " John L . Williamson " arrived in San Francisco , California on 2 January 1946 and was decommissioned on 14 June 1946 at San Diego , California . She entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet there and in January 1947 was transferred to Stockton , California . On 15 September 1970 , she was struck from the Navy list , and , on 13 June 1973 , she was sold for scrapping .