USS Dent (DD-116) - Service History

Service History

Dent escorted a convoy to Ireland between 19 September and 8 November 1918, and then carried out training at Guantanamo Bay. On 1 May 1919 she got underway from New York to serve on station off Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland, during the historic first aerial crossing of the Atlantic, a feat accomplished by a Navy seaplane. She returned to Newport on the 24th, and on 20 June she joined the escort for the yacht Imperator, carrying the President of Brazil from New York to Newport.

Dent arrived at San Pedro, California, 6 August 1919 to join the Pacific Fleet. She cruised to Hawaii as escort for New York with the Secretary of the Navy embarked in August, then steamed to Seattle for a Fleet Review in September. She returned to San Diego 22 September and went into reserve. She was placed in active commission again 14 December 1920, and operated with 50 percent of her complement on gunnery and torpedo practice, and in fleet maneuvers. She made a cruise to South America from 7 January to 11 March 1921, visiting Valparaíso, Chile; Costa Rica; and various ports in Mexico. Dent was placed out of commission in reserve 7 June 1922.

Recommissioned 15 May 1930, Dent acted as plane guard for carrier operations, trained reservists, and sailed for a fleet problem in the Caribbean and a visit to the East Coast from April to November 1934. On 18 December, she entered the Rotating Reserve at San Diego and tested ordnance until returning to active commission 10 June 1935. Dent operated along the West Coast and in the Hawaiian Islands until the United States entered World War II. At San Diego on 7 December 1941, she got underway the next day to screen Saratoga in her high speed run to Pearl Harbor.