Wilhouite (DER 397) - Naval Cruise Book

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ww-fsww-s-L -vs Norm most useful in Operation Marker V Tme off the coast of Vietnam and in the Taiwan Patrol. wlilvll Vials lei liiilfl TGI' UIPQB 3193-Tl, WILHCHTE was originally commissioned p.lu3'iiimi! from Pearl Harbor tn on 16 December, 1943 at Houston, Texas. and was named for an early Vi orld ii ar ll Naval hero, Ensign Thomas M. Xl illioite, USNR, who was killed while piloting :fi iizivy fighter plane in the 1942 invasion oi' North Africa. USS WILHOITE QUE-3337i joined the North Atlantic convoys as convoy escort in 1944. While on such convoy escort duly, WILHOITE had the distinction oi' being in the longest single World Xi fir II c . cfsigzigefiiieinii with an enemy submarine. The Slllllllfiflllif was sunk after a20day battle and WIl.llUI I'l-L was awarded the Presidential Unit Cimtinn. At the cessation of hostilities inthe- it- . f --1 - if , 'ff J lantic. WILHOITE was transferred to l'iiaf'iiiif' waters for further escort duty. at the f-lose of World War II, she was rlecommission J-rl I and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. On 2 September, 1954, WILHGITE was recommissioned as DER-397, having been converted to a radar picket escort. WIL- HOITE Joined Escort Squadron F ive, based in Seattl ' e, Washington. Here she worked as a unit of the Continental Air Defense Command as a coastal radar picket shin In M h arc , 1959, WILHOITE was transfe-rrorl to Pearl Harbor, operating as a unit the Distant Early Warning QDEWQ line. She was also a unit attached to Operation Deen Freeze in 1961, serving as a Rescue and Navigational Aid Ship in cold waters near the Antarctic continent. onv or uss wsu-ions nm mwoira msn-aan is it radar In Mar. 1965, WM was no Mstroyeresfon 49513-nedprimarily csc! lux' llinlan! Early WIHXQ pan-ailing and searching. lgluring the is :is reassigned to !'ll duty Wm-ld situations, this type ship has Sem-'ixlli l-levi. In June 1985 0 iirsi t-raise as in uni! ol the US l- lt-vi, and c'tm'inwiif'0d Milk! The Jars: patrol established n return to Pearl Harbor the foll0Wi!lg u:ir'y. llluriug the first. two years, were twmlined to patrolling of the vlvlllfllll :ts :1 uni! of Markol. Time to pi-to-vent the infiltration of weapom :umiiunilion to the Vie! Cong by Walid 'l'livsv cruises also included Visits te Korng, Knoliisixingi, Taiwan, Bangkok, Bray :ind ..l:iyi:in. The home port time in lit-url llarhor was utilized in repair and lfrsiinlng, y'irop:irir'ig' for the next CPIHSQB the Svvvnih lfleot.. ln 1967, the Seventh Fleet q tht- IH-TH were expanded. ln addition to ruff Tll'l'lf,'. Wll,,llOlTlfZ also enjoyed dawg? ,, Station Ship Hong' Kong and as a unit nine 1 Ta iwa n iimtrol . it On 15 July, .1 967. WILHOITE wasa or unit involved in the capture of a N013 Viotn:-1 mcse lrawler attempting U0 niitrnnatic- vvczfiporis and ammunition 910 Viet Conti. The trawler was refloated turned over to the South Vietnamese by US Navy. li. was put on display in South Vietn:m'i. The captured weapons :irnniuniiion were turned over t0 the VlQl.llllll'lf.'SL' Government forces. F03' part in this action, WILHOITE Was lTlCl'lflt'Cl for the Navy Unit C and scvc-ral WILHQITE personnel avvarded niedzils hy the governmom South Vietnwni