Gentry DE-349

Gentry

Wayne Roy Gentry, born in Twin Falls, Idaho, 25 August 1920, enlisted in the Naval Reserve 18 June 1941 and was appointed an Aviation Cadet 18 September 1941. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve 27 May 1942, he served at Corpus Christi, Tex., and San Diego, Calif., before being ordered to duty in the Pacific. Lieutenant Gentry was killed in action 2 November 1942 in the Solomon Islands area while serving as a pilot in a Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron and was posthumously awarded the Air Medal.

(DE-349: dp. 1,350; 1. 306, ; b. 36'8"; dr. 13'4"; s. 24 k.; cpl. 222; a. 2 5", 4 40mm., 10 20mm., 3 21", 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (h.h.), 2 dct; cl. John C. Butler)

Gentry (DE-349) was laid down 13 December 1943 by the Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex., launched 15 February 1944; sponsored by Miss Jean Maxine Gentry, Lt. Gentry's sister; and commissioned 14 June 1944, Lt. Comdr. D. A. Smith in command.

Following shakedown off Bermuda and duty as a school ship at Norfolk, Gentry arrived New York 25 September 1944. Between 6 October and 23 December, she made two round-trip, convoy-escort voyages out of New York to Marseilles, France, and Oran, Algeria. Gentry then sailed from New London, Conn., 9 January 1945; escorted submarines Bullhead (SS-332) and Lionfish (SS-298) to Key West, Fla.; and continued via the Panama Canal to the Western Pacific, arriving Manus, Admiralties 20 February. During the next 4 months Gentry escorted convoys between New Guinea and the Philippines, throughout
the Philippine Archipelago, and from Manila Bay and Leyte Gulf to the Palaus and Western Carolines. In July she escorted a convoy to Okinawa and served on picket duty before returning Leyte late in the month.

After the Japanese capitulation 15 August, Gentry continued escorting convoys out of Leyte Gulf to New Guinea, Manila Bay, and Okinawa. In addition, she served on air-sea rescue patrol in Leyte Gulf until 27 November when she departed Leyte for the United States. Arriving Los Angeles 18 December, she was towed to San Diego 6 April 1946. Gentry decommissioned there 2 July 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Stockton, Calif. She was later transferred to Mare Island, Calif., where she remains.