USS PC-815 was a PC-461-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War II. Its first commander, for about eighty days in 1943, was L. Ron Hubbard, who later became the founder of Scientology. After Hubbard was removed from command for conducting unauthorized gunnery practice in Mexican territorial waters, the PC-815 served as a shore patrol vessel off San Diego, California.
The Admirable class was one of the largest and most successful classes of minesweepers ordered by the United States Navy during World War II. Typically, minesweepers detected and removed naval mines before the rest of the fleet arrived, thereby ensuring safe passage for the larger ships. They were also charged with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) duties with rear-mounted depth charge racks and a forward-firing Hedgehog antisubmarine mortar. Their job was essential to the safety and success of U.S. naval operations during World War II and the Korean War. These minesweepers were also employed as patrol vessel and convoy escorts. The only remaining ship of this class is located at Freedom Park, Omaha, NE.
USS PC-1264 was a PC-461-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was one of only two U.S. Navy ships to have a predominantly African-American enlisted complement during the war, the other being the Evarts-class destroyer escortUSS Mason.
A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II.
The Defoe Shipbuilding Company was a small ship builder established in 1905 in Bay City, Michigan, United States. It ceased to operate in 1976 after failing to renew its contracts with the United States Navy. The site of the former company is now being developed for business and housing on the bank of the Saginaw River.
The Type 062 gunboat is a class of gunboat of the People's Liberation Army Navy first developed and constructed in the 1950s. This unsophisticated class is relatively well-armed for its size and is the most widely built and exported Chinese naval vessel in terms of numbers. A total of 30 were built, initial boats being known as the Shanghai I class and later slightly improved boats being known as the Shanghai II class. The Shanghai I class was slightly smaller than its successor, the Shanghai II class, displacing 125 tons instead of 135 tons, and had a twin Chinese Type 66 57 mm gun mount forward. All other specifications are identical to the Shanghai II class, which replaced the 57 mm with twin 37 mm gun mounts. Some boats remained in active service well into the early 1990s in the PLA navy and longer in the case of the Korean People's Navy.
USS Adroit (AM-82/PC-1586) was an Adroit-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.
The Adroit-class minesweepers were a class of United States Navy PC-461-class submarine chasers completed as minesweepers. However, they were considered unsatisfactory in this role, and were all eventually converted back into submarine chasers.
USS Daring (AM-87) was an Adroit-class minesweeper of the United States Navy.
USS Direct (AM-90) was an Adroit-class minesweeper of the United States Navy. It was laid down on 26 December 1941 by the Dravo Corporation, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, launched on 25 April 1942, and commissioned on 31 August 1942. The ship started conversion to a submarine chaser on 16 May 1944 at Norfolk, Virginia, and was reclassified PC-1594 on 1 June 1944.
Dravo Corporation was an American shipbuilding company with shipyards in Pittsburgh and Wilmington, Delaware. It was founded by Frank and Ralph Dravo in Pittsburgh in 1891. The corporation went public in 1936 and in 1998 it was bought out by Carmeuse for $192 million. On March 5, 1942, it became the first corporation to receive the Army-Navy "E" Award for outstanding war time production. Dravo ranked 72nd among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.
The PCE-842-class patrol craft escort was a United States Navy (USN) ship class of submarine chasers designed during World War II. The PCE-842-class was the only class ever designated by the USN as the "patrol craft escort" (PCE) type. The PCE design was derived from the 180-foot (55 m) Admirable-class minesweeper to complement the 173-foot (53 m) PC-461-class submarine chasers that were used for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) in coastal areas. At 185 feet long and 640 tons, the PCE is more than twice the displacement of the PC but with a less powerful engine also much slower; however, because of its larger size, the PCE was able to undertake longer-range tasks over PC-461-class vessels. The USN envisaged the PCE as enabling PCs and smaller vessels to undertake coastal patrols without being called-upon as often to perform open ocean and convoy escort duties, while simultaneously freeing-up some larger vessels - such as destroyer escorts and destroyers - from convoy ASW duties. The PCE-482-class had a standard crew complement of 99 officers and men. The class would ultimately see 68 total vessels built, serving with multiple navies around the world.
The Cleveland Diesel Engine Division of General Motors (GM) was a leading research, design and production facility of diesel engines from the 1930s to the 1960s that was based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cleveland Diesel Engine Division designed several 2 stroke diesel engines for submarines, tugboats, destroyer escorts, Patapsco-class gasoline tankers and other marine applications. Emergency generator sets were also built around the Cleveland Diesel and were installed in many US warships. The division was created in 1938 from the GM-owned Winton Engine Corporation and was folded into the GM Electro-Motive Division in 1962. The engines continue in use today on older tugs.
Harbor Boat Building Company was a shipbuilding company on Terminal Island in San Pedro, California. To support the World War II demand for ships General Engineering built: minesweepers, torpedo boats, submarine chasers, and air-sea rescue boats. In 1919 Romolo Rados founded Harbor Boat Building. After the war he renamed the company Harco Shipyard and built and sold a standard design motor boat. In 1959 he sold the company to LTV. The shipyard was closed and the company was sold again in 1971 to Omega-Alpha, Inc. The last ship built was in 1965 for the US Navy. The shipyard was located at 263 Wharf St, San Pedro.
South Coast Shipyard was a shipbuilding company in Newport, California. To support the World War II demand for ships South Coast Shipyard built: minesweepers, Torpedo Boats, Submarine chasers, & Air-sea rescue boats. South Coast Shipyard was opened in 1938 by Walton Hubbard. After World War II the shipyard continued to build ships for the US Navy till 1955. The shipyard was located at 2300 Newport Boulevard, Newport, California. The shipyard closed in 1963.
San Diego Marine was a shipbuilding company in San Diego, California. In order to support demand for ships during World War II, San Diego Marine built minesweepers and sub chasers. San Diego Marine was opened in 1915 as San Diego Marine Construction Company by Captain Oakley J. Hall. It was sold to Campbell Industries in 1972. It was sold again in 1979 and renamed Southwest Marine. Boatbuilding ended in 1983. Southwest Marine was sold to U.S. Marine Repair in 2003. The named changed to BAE Systems Ship Repair in 2005. The shipyard is located at 2205 East Belt Street, San Diego.
The Kari-class submarine chaser was a class of submarine chasers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force after the Second World War, in the mid-1950s.
The Kamome-class submarine chaser was a class of submarine chasers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force after the Second World War, in the mid-1950s.
US Navy Small Craft Training Centers(SCTC) were United States Navy training bases used to train sailors in the operation of the many small wooden crafts used in World War II. These crafts were given the nickname Splinter Fleet. There was a shortage of steel and steel shipyards during World War II, so there was a need for a vast wooden fleet of crafts. The Small Craft Training Centers had classrooms and crafts for training. The bases had barrack housing and mess halls. To get the men and crafts out into the field quickly, at many of the bases men trained on new ships. The new ships were at the center for about 4 weeks as part of the vessel's sea trial. Tugboats, Minesweepers, Net laying ships, Crash boats, PT boats and other crafts built near the center were taken to the Small Craft Training Centers for testing. Crafts built at Lynch Shipbuilding in San Diego, California were taken to the Small Craft Training Center at Terminal Island, San Pedro, California for their sea trial. Lynch Shipbuilding built tugboats, and minesweepers. Some of the craft at the Terminal Island school were: USS Density (AM-218), USS Waxsaw (AN-91), and USS Climax (AM-161), USS Wateree (ATF-117), USS Quest (AM-281), USS Snowbell (AN-52). The US Navy also had Small Craft Training Centers in Miami, Florida, Santa Barbara, California, New Orleans, Louisiana and other sites.
