USS Gulfport (PF-20)

History
Name	Gulfport
Namesake	City of Gulfport, Mississippi
Builder	American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio
Launched	21 August 1943
Commissioned	16 September 1944
Decommissioned	28 May 1946
Stricken	19 June 1946
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 13 November 1947
General characteristics
Class and type	Tacoma-class frigate
Displacement	1,430 long tons (1,453 t) light; 2,415 long tons (2,454 t) full;
Length	303 ft 11 in (92.63 m)
Beam	37 ft 11 in (11.56 m)
Draft	13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
Propulsion	2 × 5,500 shp (4,101 kW) turbines; 3 boilers; 2 shafts;
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	190
Armament	3 × 3"/50 dual purpose guns (3x1); 4 x 40 mm guns (2×2); 9 × 20 mm guns (9×1); 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar ; 8 × Y-gun depth charge projectors; 2 × Depth charge tracks;

Last updated February 09, 2022

USS Gulfport (PF-20), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Gulfport, Mississippi.

Construction

Gulfport (PF-20), a frigate, originally classified PG-128, was launched on 21 August 1943, at the American Ship Building Company in Cleveland, Ohio, sponsored by Mrs. John C. Chambers; and commissioned at Gulfport, Mississippi, on 16 September 1944, with Commander G. A. Knudsen, USCG, in command.

Service history

Gulfport underwent shakedown at Bermuda, and then returned to Norfolk, Virginia, for training on 2 December 1944. The frigate was soon active as a convoy escort, however, departing with her first convoy from Norfolk to Oran, Algeria, on 18 December. She continued on this vital duty between Algeria and the United States until VE day.

Scheduled for conversion to a weather ship, Gulfport entered the New York Navy Yard on 5 July 1945. Upon completion, she was assigned to the Pacific Fleet, sailing via the Panama Canal and Pearl Harbor to her new home port of Adak, Alaska, where she arrived on 16 September 1945. Gulfport performed weather duties so singularly important in the movements of both ships and aircraft in the Pacific area until decommissioning on 28 May 1946 at Seattle, Washington.

Her name was struck from the Navy List on 19 June 1946, and she was sold to Zidell Ship Dismantling Company for scrap on 13 November 1947 at Seattle.

Related Research Articles

USS El Paso (PF-41) was a Tacoma-class frigate manned by the United States Coast Guard for the United States Navy. She was named after El Paso, a city situated in Western Texas and along the border with New Mexico and the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

USS Eugene (PF-40), a Tacoma-class frigate, originally classified as PG-148, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Eugene, Oregon.

USS San Pedro (PF-37), a Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1943 to 1945, thus far has been the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for San Pedro, California. She later served in the Soviet Navy as EK-5 and in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as Kaya (PF-8), Kaya (PF-288) and as YAC-23.

USS Uniontown (PF-65), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

USS Reading (PF-66), a Tacoma-class frigate, originally classified as PG-174, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Reading, Pennsylvania.

USS Moberly (PF-63), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Moberly, Missouri.

USS Davenport (PF-69), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Davenport, Iowa.

USS Poughkeepsie (PF-26), a Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1944 to 1945, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Poughkeepsie, New York. She later served in the Soviet Navy as EK-27 and in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as JDS Momi (PF-4), JDS Momi (PF-284), and as YAC-13.

USS Manitowoc (PF-61), a Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1944 to, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Manitowoc, Wisconsin. After commissioned service in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946. After her Navy service, she served in the United States Coast Guard for a few months in 1946. Sold to France in 1947, she commissioned into service in the French Navy as Le Brix (F715) in 1948 and operated as a weather ship until scrapped in 1958.

USS Allentown (PF-52), a United States Navy Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1944 to 1945, has thus far been the only U.S. Navy ship to be named for Allentown, Pennsylvania. She later served in the Soviet Navy as EK-9 and in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as JDS Ume (PF-9), JDS Ume (PF-289) and as YAC-14.

USS Alexandria (PF-18), originally classified PG-126, a Tacoma-class frigate, was the second ship of the United States Navy to hold that name, but it was the first to be named for the city of Alexandria, Virginia.

USS Annapolis (PF-15) was a United States Navy Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1944 to 1946. She was the second ship of the U.S. Navy to be named for Annapolis, Maryland. She later served in the Mexican Navy as ARM General Vicente Guerrero.

USS New Bedford (PF-71), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for New Bedford, Massachusetts.

USS Gladwyne (PF-62), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. Originally named Worcester after Worcester, Massachusetts, the name was changed in order to give it to new light cruiser USS Worcester (CL-144) then under construction.

USS Racine (PF-100), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Racine, Wisconsin.

USS Key West (PG-125/PF-17), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Key West, Florida.

USS Bangor (PF-16) was a United States Navy Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1944 to 1946. Thus far, she has been the only U.S. Navy ship named for Bangor, Maine. She later served in United States Coast Guard as USCGC Bangor and in the Mexican Navy as ARM General José María Morelos and ARM Golfo de Tehuantepec.

USS Orlando (PF-99) was a Tacoma-class frigate that served during World War II. She was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Orlando, Florida.

The second USS Machias (PF-53) was a United States Navy Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1944 to 1945 which later served in the Soviet Navy as EK-4 and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as JDS Nara (PF-2), JDS Nara (PF-282) and YTE-8.

The second USS Brunswick (PF-68) was a United States Navy Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1944 to 1946.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.

External links

Photo gallery of USS Gulfport at NavSource Naval History
hazegray.org: USS Gulfport

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History


Name	Gulfport
Namesake	City of Gulfport, Mississippi
Builder	American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio
Launched	21 August 1943
Commissioned	16 September 1944
Decommissioned	28 May 1946
Stricken	19 June 1946
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 13 November 1947
General characteristics
Class and type	Tacoma-class frigate
Displacement	1,430 long tons (1,453 t) light 2,415 long tons (2,454 t) full
Length	303 ft 11 in (92.63 m)
Beam	37 ft 11 in (11.56 m)
Draft	13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
Propulsion	2 × 5,500 shp (4,101 kW) turbines 3 boilers 2 shafts
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	190
Armament	3 × 3"/50 dual purpose guns (3x1) 4 x 40 mm guns (2×2) 9 × 20 mm guns (9×1) 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar 8 × Y-gun depth charge projectors 2 × Depth charge tracks