>From the “Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,” 

(1968) Vol. 3, pp.349-350.





HOLLIS





	Ralph Hollis was born 10 September 1906 in 

Crawfordsville, Ga., and served in enlisted status 1923-26.  

He was appointed Ensign in the Naval Reserve 21 November 

1934 and was called to active duty in May 1941.  Ensign 

Hollis reported to battleship ARIZONA (BB-39) in September 

and was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 7 

December 1941.  Over his gallant ship now stands a monument 

to men like Ensign Hollis who died on board.





DE-794

Displacement:  1,400 t.

Length:  306’

Beam:  36’10”

Draft:  9’5”

Speed:  24 k.

Complement:  186

Armament:  3 3”; 4 1.1”; 8 20mm; 3 21” torpedo tubes;

	2 depth charge tracks;

	8 depth charge projectors;

	1 hedge hog

Class:  BUCKLEY





	HOLLIS (DE-794) was launched by Consolidated Steel 

Corp., Orange, Tex., 11 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. 

Hermione C. Hollis, widow of Ensign Hollis; and commissioned 

24 January 1944 at Orange, Lt. Comdr. G. D. Kissam in 

command.



	Following shakedown in the Atlantic, HOLLIS made two 

escort voyages along the East Coast and then reported to 

Quonset Point, R.I. to assist in sonic research.  The aim 

was to find countermeasures for the German acoustic torpedo, 

and the destroyer escort remained on this important duty 

until 28 May, when she sailed to Casablanca in a carrier 

screen.  Returning to New York 17 June, HOLLIS was soon at 

sea again, this time as part of an escort and hunter-killer 

unit.  She operated from July to mid-August escorting 

convoys in the Mediterranean, and escorted a convoy to the 

southern France invasion area 15 August as allied troops 

stormed ashore.  In the months that followed, as the 

offensive gained momentum, HOLLIS continued to act as an 

escort in the Mediterranean, ensuring the flow of vital 

supplies and men.  She sailed for the United States 28 

December, and arrived 18 January 1945 to undergo conversion 

to a high-speed transport at Philadelphia Navy Yard.



	Fitted out to carry amphibious assault troops, HOLLIS 

was reclassified APD-86, 24 January 1945, and conducted her 

shakedown in April and May off the Atlantic coast.  Sailing 

from Miami 10 May, the ship transited the Panama Canal and 

sailed for Pearl Harbor and the Pacific war.  She arrived 30 

May and immediately began training with Underwater 

Demolition Teams, the Navy's famed "frogmen", on Maui 

island.  Converted to a UDT flagship, HOLLIS sailed to 

Eniwetok and Guam as the Japanese were accepting surrender 

terms, arriving Apra Harbor 23 August 1945.



	HOLLIS, now flagship for Pacific UDT forces, sailed to 

Tokyo Bay to assist in the occupation, arriving 1 September.  

There, she witnessed the formal surrender ceremonies of the 

Japanese Empire the next day.  Following occupation duties, 

the ship sailed for San Diego, where she arrived 23 October, 

and thence via the Panama Canal to Boston.  Arriving 15 

February 1946, the transport spent 4 months at Charleston, 

S.C., before arriving Green Cove Springs Fla., 13 October 

1946.  HOLLIS decommissioned 5 May 1947 and entered the 

Atlantic Reserve Fleet.



	With the increase in fleet strength brought about by 

the Korean conflict, HOLLIS recommissioned 6 April 1951 and 

conducted shakedown training out of Norfolk.  The ship 

sailed from her home port, Little Creek, Va., 8 October to 

take part in amphibious exercises in the Caribbean and on 

the coast of North Carolina, returning 20 November.



	For the next 5 years, HOLLIS continued to participate 

in amphibious exercises, antisubmarine training, and 

maneuvers.  In 1954 and 1955, she served briefly as school 

ship for Fleet Sonar School, Key West.  In 1954, she took 

part in a North Atlantic cold weather exercise off Labrador, 

and in 1955 her schedule included a month of NROTC 

midshipman training.



	HOLLIS arrived Green Cove Springs, Fla., 17 July 1956 

and decommissioned there 16 October 1956.  She remains in 

the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, berthed at present in Orange, 

Tex.



	HOLLIS received one battle star for World War II 

service.



	[Stricken from the Navy Register on 15 September 1974, 

HOLLIS was sold on 1 July 1975.



K. Jack Bauer and Stephen S. Roberts, “Register of Ships of 

the U. S. Navy, 1775-1990,” p.231.]





Transcribed by Michael Hansen

mhansen2@home.com