- USS Rockford (PF-48)
USS "Rockford" (PF-48), a "Tacoma"-class
frigate , was the only ship of theUnited States Navy to be named forRockford, Illinois ."Rockford", projected as PG-156, was laid down
28 August 1943 as PF-48 byConsolidated Steel Corporation ,Los Angeles, California ; launched27 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Harry L. Crotzer; and commissioned6 March 1944 ,Commander D. H. Bartlett, USCG, in command.Following shakedown off
Los Angeles , she reported to the Pacific Fleet and got underway25 June 1944 for the southwest Pacific. On2 July she attacked an enemysubmarine with depth charges, doing some damage. She made a second antisubmarine attack with "hedgehogs" on7 July and proceeded viaEspiritu Santo to Australia arriving Cairns23 July .On
2 August "Rockford" moored inMilne Bay and operated onconvoy escort duty and antisubmarine patrol off the New Guinea coast until23 September when she made a brief run toManus Island ,Admiralties .She then returned to New Guinea until
15 October when she steamed via Manus Island andPearl Harbor . En route she combined with USS|Ardent|AM-340 to help sink Japanese submarine "I-12"13 November . She arrived San Francisco17 November for scheduled repairs."Rockford" then reported to Commander, Alaskan Sea Frontier for duty,
4 January 1945 , and operated until August atDutch Harbor ,Cold Bay , and Adak as pilot vessel for the AM-222 group."Rockford" was leased to the
Soviet Union as EK-20 on27 August 1945, and returned to the United States atYokosuka, Japan ,1 November 1949 . She was then loaned toSouth Korea 23 October 1950 to enforce the blockade againstNorth Korea and harass the enemy. She served the Korean Navy as "Apnokkang" (62) until returned to the U.S. Navy3 September 1952 and assigned a status of inactive out of commission in reserve. "Rockford" was struck from the Navy list26 May 1953 and sunk as a torpedo target30 September 1953."Rockford" earned two
battle star s for World War II service.References
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/r8/rockford.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Rockford"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/08048.htm navsource.org: USS "Rockford"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/patrol/pf48.htm hazegray.org: USS "Rockford"]
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