_underway_in_the_Atlantic_Ocean_in_July_1944.jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Builder | Dravo Corporation,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Laid down | 12 May 1943 |
| Launched | 11 September 1943 |
| Commissioned | 19 January 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 26 June 1946 |
| Stricken | 1 February 1966 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 5 March 1968 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 306 ft 0 in (93.27 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 9 in (11.20 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 24knots (44 km/h) |
| Range | 4,940 nautical miles (9,150 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) |
| Complement | 15 officers, 198 men |
| Armament |
|
USSJenks (DE-665) was aBuckley-classdestroyer escort in service with theUnited States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1968.
Henry Pease Jenks was born on 31 May 1914 inChicago, Illinois. He enlisted in theUnited States Navy on 8 October 1940. He attendedHamilton College, in New York, graduating in 1936. After undergoing Reserve Officer training, he was appointedEnsign on 6 June 1941 and reported tocruiserUSS Atlanta, soon to be commissioned. In June 1942, Jenks served onAtlanta, during theBattle of Midway and later during the landings onGuadalcanal, first American amphibious operation of the war. In theNaval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942, in which the Japanese move on the island was frustrated,Atlanta wastorpedoed in the early stages of the action and damaged severely by enemy gunfire. She survived the night, but was scuttled next day offLunga Point.Lieutenant (j.g.) Jenks was killed in the battle, for which his ship received thePresidential Unit Citation.
Jenks was laid down byDravo Corporation,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 12 May 1943;launched on 11 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. M. L. Jenks. mother of Lieutenant (j.g.) Jenks; andcommissioned atNew Orleans, Louisiana, on 19 January 1944.
Followingshakedown training out ofBermuda in February, the ship moved to the all-importantAtlanticconvoy lanes to act as an escort ship during the great buildup of men and supplies in Europe. She arrived atNew York on 21 April after one such voyage to theUnited Kingdom in April. Following training exercises, she steamed toNorfolk, Virginia on 10 May and joinedescort carrierUSS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) and herhunter-killer group underCaptainDaniel V. Gallery. The ships sortied 15 May bound for the Atlantic shipping lanes in quest ofGermanU-boats. After two weeks of searching, the group was headed towardCasablanca when on 4 June it detectedU-505 and closed for the attack. An accuratedepth charge attack byUSS Chatelain (DE-149) brought the submarine to the surface, where her crew abandoned ship. Immediately, a well-plannedboarding action commenced; and, despite the danger from damage and Germanbooby traps, salvage parties succeeded in saving the submarine.Jenks picked up survivors from the U-boat, and her boat went alongside to take off valuablebridge publications. Through skillful damage control work the captured submarine, a major intelligence find, was gotten safely and secretly to Bermuda.
Jenks returned from this history-making cruise 16 June and arrived atNew London, Conn. on 28 June to serve as atraining ship. She remained on this duty until late July, and departed Norfolk the 31st with another convoy to theMediterranean. In the months that followed the ship made four escort voyages toAfrican ports, helping to protect the vital flow of supplies and men. Between assignments she engaged in training out ofCasco Bay,Maine.
Jenks reachedBoston on her final convoy voyage 19 May 1945, the war against the European foe then over. The ship underwent much-needed voyage repairs atBoston Navy Yard and then sailed toMiami, Florida, arriving 8 June to serve as school ship for the Naval Training Center. In August she took part in training exercises in theCaribbean.Jenks continued peacetime operations out ofCharleston, S.C. andKey West, Fla. until arrivingGreen Cove Springs, Fla., 2 May 1946. Shedecommissioned on 26 June entered theAtlantic Reserve Fleet, and was later moved to the Texas Group, where she remained until she was struck from theNavy List on 1 February 1966 and scrapped.
Jenks received twobattle stars forWorld War II service, in addition to thePresidential Unit Citation for taking part in the capture ofU-505.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
