About this Unit
The USS Thomas J. Gary (DE-326/DER-326) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort commissioned by the United States Navy in 1943. During World War II, she served primarily in the Atlantic, escorting convoys and protecting them from German U-boats, earning two battle stars for her wartime service. After the war, she was decommissioned but later recommissioned and converted to a radar picket ship (DER-326) during the Cold War, enhancing America's early warning capabilities. The USS Thomas J. Gary continued in this role until her final decommissioning in 1969, after which she was sunk as a target off Puerto Rico.
Historical Facts
• Namesake Hero: USS Thomas J. Gary (DE-326/DER-326) was named in honor of Seaman Thomas Joseph Gary, who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for heroism during the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942.
• Edsall-class Destroyer Escort: She was an Edsall-class destroyer escort, a class designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare and convoy escort duties during World War II.
• Commissioned in 1943: USS Thomas J. Gary was commissioned on 27 October 1943 at Orange, Texas, with Lieutenant Commander H. L. Fitch in command.
• Atlantic Convoy Escort: During World War II, she escorted convoys across the Atlantic Ocean to North Africa and Europe, protecting ships from German U-boat attacks.
• Hunter-Killer Operations: She participated in hunter-killer groups, patrolling the Atlantic to locate and destroy enemy submarines, and played a role in the sinking of U-879 in April 1945.
• Rescue Operations: In July 1944, Thomas J. Gary rescued survivors from the torpedoed Liberty ship SS Paul Hamilton, showing her crew's commitment to saving lives at sea.
• Postwar Conversion: After World War II, she was decommissioned and then converted to a radar picket ship (DER-326) in 1956 to serve in the early warning defense network during the Cold War.
• Radar Picket Duty: As a radar picket ship, she patrolled off the US coastline, providing early warning against potential Soviet bomber or missile attacks as part of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line extension at sea.
• Cuban Missile Crisis: USS Thomas J. Gary was active during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, patrolling the Atlantic and monitoring for Soviet activity.
• Final Fate: She was decommissioned on 20 September 1963 and was ultimately sunk as a target in 1973, ending a career that spanned both WWII and the Cold War.
