A SPECIAL NOTE:
My father, Warren Szczypiorski, passed away this morning, May 15th, 2009, after a long struggle with cancer.

We, his family, want to thank every one of you for your support and involvement in making this site come to life. It meant so much to my father and his struggle to understand the trials of his father, who returned from World War II with great personal challenges. Because of everyone's wonderful reception and donations of information, pictures, and memorabilia, this site has helped preserve a small sliver of American history for everyone.

On behalf of myself, my two brothers, and my mother, please accept our most heartfelt thanks. My father's funeral will be Wednesday, May 20th. If you would like to make a donation for flowers, send condolences, or wish to support this website, please contact us at warrensz@earthlink.net

Once again - thank you.

My father was a great man. This website helped him understand why.

 

Crewmate Anthony Faiella,
with USS Gillette
in background.
 

Smokestack logo
designed in 1945
by crewmate
Walter Bowden

It all began with a single dollar bill, signed by several crewmembers, which was saved through the decades. The signatures would be the starting point for the creation of this site.

(click to enlarge)
 

DE-681
(1943 - 1947)
 
Destroyer Escort
(Buckley Class)
Flagship of
Escort Division 56
 
Sister ship of:
USS Gunason (DE-795)
USS Kenyon (DE-683)
USS Major (DE-796)
USS Underhill (DE-682)
USS Weeden (DE-797)

Welcome To The USS Gillette Homepage.

Site Created: March, 2000
Last Update: September, 2008

Thank you for visiting us. Here you can find incredible stories of regular people committed to bravery and survival through one of the most important episodes in human history.

Our site is organized by sections, with each section broken up into pages that contain information and photos.

The History section deals mostly with the ship, her travels, and the details of her journey and history.

The Crew section is broken up into stories focusing on a particular crewmate, with photos that are from their personal archives.

The Dedication section is in honor of the man that this site honors with much love and respect.

The Artifacts section contains information and photos of memorabilia that survived from the period.

The Credits section is a “thank you” to the numerous people that have been so critical to creation of this site.

Finally, the Links section for you to continue your own research into World War II naval history.

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