USS Pettit (DE-253) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. She was named in honor of Robert Lee Pettit who was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously. She was laid down 6 February 1943 by the Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas; launched 28 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Robert Lee Pettit; and commissioned 23 September 1943, Lt. Commander William B. Ellis, USCG, in command.