USS John Willis (DE-1027)

USS John Willis (DE-1027)

USS John Willis (DE-1027) was a Dealey-class destroyer escort in the United States Navy. She was named for John Harlan Willis, a navy hospital corpsman who at Iwo Jima was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

The John Willis was launched by the New York Shipbuilding Company of Camden, New Jersey on 4 February 1956, and was sponsored by Mrs. Winfrey M. Duke, widow of John Willis. She was commissioned at Philadelphia Naval Yard on 21 February 1957, Lt. Comdr. H. O. Anson, Jr., in command.