USS Galena (PC-1136)

The third USS "Galena" (PC-1136) was a patrol boat in the United States Navy. She was named for a city in Kansas, a city in Illinois; a town in Maryland and a town in Missouri; and a village in Ohio and a village in Alaska. All of those which were named for a native lead sulfide, the chief ore of lead.

"PC-1136" was laid down at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company, in Bay City, Michigan on 17 December 1942, launched on 5 March 1943 and commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana on 16 November 1943, with Lieutenant (j.g.) Aliston Boyer in command.

After shakedown, "PC-1136" operated out of Miami, Florida, and Key West, Florida, while receiving anti-submarine warfare training. Departing from Key West on 1 January 1944, she steamed via the Panama Canal and the Society and Tonga Islands to arrive at Nouméa, New Caledonia, on 12 March for duty as patrol and escort ship. From 27 March to 1 April, she escorted merchant ships to Guadalcanal and then sailed the following day to Efate as escort for the ammunition ship USS|Shasta|AE-6|6. Arriving on 4 April, she steamed next day to Espiritu Santo to escort a merchant tanker to Guadalcanal.

"PC-1136" reached Guadalcanal on 8 April, and for almost two months she continued intermittent convoy escort and ASW patrol duties out of the Solomons to New Caledonia and the New Hebrides. Departing in convoy on 31 May, she arrived at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands on 6 June to prepare for the invasion of Guam. Assigned to Task Group 58.1, she sailed on the 9 June, arriving east of the Marianas on 22 June. After patrolling east of Saipan, she returned to Kwajalein on 5 July. Between 15 and 21 July she steamed to Guam, where she served as amphibious control ship during the landings. After screening offshore transports during the next week, she departed for the Marshalls on 28 July and arrived at Eniwetok on 3 August. Between 5 and 13 August, she sailed to Saipan as a convoy escort. For almost seven months she operated between the Marshals and the Marianas, escorting merchant ships and searching for enemy submarines. She departed Guam on 3 March 1945, touched at Eniwetok and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 18 March.

After overhaul and conversion to a control ship, "PC-1136" sailed for the Western Pacific on 21 May. Escorting a convoy of LSTs, she reached Guam on 9 June and resumed convoy escort duties in the Marianas. She departed Guam on 6 August, touched at Ulithi and arrived at Subic Bay, Philippines on 15 August. She was reclassified to "PCC-1136" five days later. After steaming to Lingayen Gulf on 10 September, she escorted a convoy of LSTs to Japan, arriving at Wakayama on 19 September. Between 24 and 30 September she returned to Lingayen Gulf and during the first two days of October, she sailed to Manila.

"PCC-1136" departed Manila for the Marianas on 17 October and arrived at Guam on the 22. For more than six months, she operated out of Guam, steaming to Saipan, Rota, Marianas, and Ulithi. She sailed for the United States on 1 May 1946 via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor, arriving at Astoria, Oregon, on 29 May. She decommissioned on 28 July 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. While berthed in the Columbia River, she was classified "PC-1136" on 27 October 1955 and named "GaIena" on 15 February 1956. She was sold by the Navy on 11 March 1960 to Miami Ports Company and subsequently scrapped.

"PC-1136" received one battle star for World War II service.

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g1/galena-iii.htm