Pride DE-323

Pride

(DE-323: dp. 1,590 (f.); 1. 306'0", b. 36'7", dr. 12'3", s. 21 k.;

cpl. 216; a. 3 3", 8 40mm, 2 dct., 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (hh.), 3 21" tt.; cl. Edsall)

Pride (DE-323) was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Co., Orange, Tex., 12 April 1943; launched 3 July 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Lewis Bailey Pride, mother of Lewis Bailey Pride, Jr.; and commissioned 13 November 1943, Comdr. R. R. Curry, U.S.C.G, in command.

After shakedown off Bermuda, Pride spent the next twelve months escorting six convoys into the Mediterranean. On 20 April 1944 during the second voyage German planes attacked Convoy UGS-38 at dusk off Algiers, and sank five ships including a transport carrying 500 soldiers, and destroyer Land~dale. On the return voyage Pride with Joseph E. Campbell (DE-70), RF Se'negalais and HMS Blankney, sank U~71, taking 49 prisoners, 4 May 1944.

On 1 March 1945, she was assigned hunter killer work wilh three other ships of her division, the group scoring against U-866 off Halifax 1 March. She then joined a North Atlantic escort carrier group assigned to search out and destroy U-boats before they gained access to the shipping lanes. By the end of European hostilities, 5 of the 6 submarines known to be in the area were destroyed. The 6th surrendered shortly after V-E Day.

She then escorted two transports to Liverpool, whence she steamed back across the Atlantic to Panama where she conducted submarine training exercises until late in 1945. On 29 December she reported to the Atlanetie Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs, Fla. On 26 April 1946 Pride decommissioned at Green Cove Springs. In 1961 she was moved to Orange, Tex., where she remains into 1970.

Pride earned three battle stars for World War II service.