USS Altus (PC-568)

USS Altus (PC-568) was a PC-461 class subchaser in the United States Navy during World War II. PC-568 was named for Altus, a city in the state of Oklahoma.

She was laid down by Brown Shipbuilding Company in Houston, Texas on September 15, 1941, launched on April 25, 1942, and commissioned on July 13, 1942 with Lt. David A. Smith in command.

World War II operation

Following a brief period of shakedown training, the submarine chaser reported to Commander, Caribbean Sea Frontier, for duty. The vessel carried out convoy and antisubmarine patrols from Key West and Miami, Florida to various ports in the Caribbean. Among her ports of call were Guantanamo Bay and Havana, Cuba, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Bridgetown, Barbados, Trinidad, [Aruba] , and Curacao. In April 1943, PC-568 reported to Commander, Eastern Sea Frontier, and began a series of convoy and antisubmarine patrols from New York City to Guantanamo Bay.

On March 25, 1944, the submarine chaser departed New York City and proceeded to the United Kingdom. Upon her arrival the ship reported to Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe, and became a member of the 12th Fleet. PC-568 then became involved in preparations for the Allied invasion of France. When the assault troops first went ashore on the beaches of Normandy, on 6 June, the submarine chaser assumed convoy duty in the English Channel and also carried out patrol duty along the French coast.

PC-568 operated in the English Channel through June 1945. In that month, she began providing services to American occupation forces in Germany. The ship remained in this role through October 4, when she set sail from Bremerhaven, Germany, bound for the United States. She visited Plymouth, England, Ponta del Gada, Azores, and Bermuda before arriving at Norfolk, Virginia, on October 22.

Deactivation

Preparations for deactivation of the vessel were then begun at Norfolk. She got underway again on January 8, 1946 to sail to Mayport, Florida. PC-568 was decommissioned on April 30, 1946 and was laid up in the St. Johns River, Green Cove Springs, Florida. In February 1956, the ship was named Altus. Her name was struck from the Navy list on March 15, 1963, and the ship was transferred permanently to the custody of the United States Air Force.

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a7/altus.htm