- USS Sacramento (PG-19)
The second USS "Sacramento" (PG-19) was a
gunboat in theUnited States Navy ."Sacramento" was launched on
21 February 1914 by the William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company,Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania ; sponsored by Miss Phebe Briggs; and commissioned on26 April 1914 at thePhiladelphia Navy Yard , Comdr.Luke McNamee in command.World War I
"Sacramento's" first duty was in Mexican and
Caribbean waters, and she arrived off Vera Cruz on14 May 1914 . "Sacramento" visited Dominican, Mexican,Nicaragua n, and Honduran ports repeatedly into1916 , protectingUnited States interests and observing uneasy local political conditions. Arriving atNew Orleans on17 March 1917 , "Sacramento's" crew assisted U.S. Customs authorities in taking over the interned German merchant vessels "Breslau", "Andromeda", "Anna", "Louise", and "Teresa" after the U.S. enteredWorld War I .Departing New Orleans on
15 April , "Sacramento" proceeded to Newport,Rhode Island , to commence patrol and escort duty off theNew England coast. She rescued the crew of the burning British motor ship "Sebastian" on8 May and vainly attempted to tow her to Newport, receiving commendation from the British government for her efforts. In late June, she took part in refloating the grounded cruiser "Olympia".Assigned to European waters, "Sacramento" departed New York on
22 July 1917 in company with a British mercantile convoy bound forGibraltar , arriving on6 August . As a unit of the United States Patrol Force based at Gibraltar, she performed continuous convoy escort duty to theBritish Isles with additional service along theNorth Africa n and Italian coasts into1918 . Following the Armistice, "Sacramento" was ordered back to theUnited States . She departed Gibraltar on11 December 1918 for New Orleans.Post-war duties
After completing repairs there, the gunboat steamed to New York prior to her next duty assignment with the United States Naval Forces, Northern
Russia . "Sacramento" arrived atMurmansk on22 May 1919 ; and, through July, served as a dispatch ship, distributed food and clothing, provided medical help, and assisted in the withdrawal of American forces from areas bordering theWhite Sea . Subsequently sailing southward, "Sacramento" called at Norwegian, British, and French ports before arriving at Gibraltar on20 September to assist in demobilizing the naval forces there. She returned toHampton Roads , on15 February 1920 to join theAtlantic Patrol Force andSpecial Service Squadron .Designated PG-19 on
17 July 1920, Sacramento's new assignment took her back to Caribbean waters where she spent considerable time cruising off troubledHonduras .Asiatic Squadron
She was reassigned to the
Asiatic Squadron in1922 , and departed Charleston,South Carolina , on12 June en route for thePhilippine Islands . Passing through the Mediterranean and transiting theSuez Canal , "Sacramento" called atBombay ,Colombo , andSingapore while progressing eastward toManila . HerAsiatic Fleet service was spent largely in Chinese andJapan ese ports but included a visit toVladivostok ,Russia , from11 September to24 November 1922. She remained on station until21 December 1928 when she departedCavite for Caribbean duty.She sailed first to
Mare Island ,California , then joined theSpecial Service Squadron and cruised the Caribbean, calling atCentral America n andWest Indies ports, into1932 . She departed Balboa, Canal Zone, on11 January 1932 bound forSan Diego andSan Francisco , preparatory to crossing thePacific for duty with the Asiatic Fleet. She arrived atShanghai , China, on1 April 1932 and remained in adjacent waters throughout the gradually worsening crisis, just short of war, during the rest of the 30's. With other U.S. forces, she helped to protect national interests during this period. Ordered home toward the end of the decade, the veteran gunboat departed Cavite on12 January 1939 for New York, via the Mediterranean. She earned the nickname "the Galloping Ghost of the China Coast.""Sacramento" served as a training ship for 9th Naval District Reservists, on the Great Lakes, from
20 November 1939 into 1940. Returning to theBoston Navy Yard for refitting, she subsequently departed theNorfolk Navy Yard en route to her next assignment in theHawaiian Islands .World War II
Entering
Pearl Harbor on15 August 1941 , she was assigned to the Naval Coastal Force of the Fourteenth Naval District, with gunboat "Niagara" and U.S. Coast Guard patrol craft "Reliance" and "Tiger". At the time of the Japanese attack on7 December 1941 , "Sacramento" was berthed in the Navy Yard's repair berth B-6, with destroyers "Mugford" and "Jarvis" nested beside her. "Sacramento's" battle stations were manned by 0800 hours on that day; and, two minutes later, her gun crews opened fire on Japanese aircraft attacking "battleship row" offFord Island . Her batteries assisted in destroying one enemy plane which crossed her bow 200 yards ahead and later helped down another which was pressing home an attack on "Nevada". Her boat crews participated in rescue and salvage operations throughout the aftermath of the battle."Sacramento" patrolled the Hawaiian Sea Frontier out of Pearl Harbor until
27 September 1942 when she commenced service as a tender for Torpedo Boat Unit 6, Division 2, of MTBRon 1, at Palmyra Island, south of Hawaii; with additional duty as air-sea rescue vessel for the Naval Air Station. She departed Palmyra on25 November 1942 forSan Diego and duty with the Western Sea Frontier patrol force. There she trained gun crews from December of that year to March1945 . Based atSan Francisco thereafter, "Sacramento" operated on weather patrol and plane guard station for the remainder ofWorld War II ."Sacramento" was decommissioned on
6 February 1946 atSuisun Bay , California, and simultaneously transferred to theWar Shipping Administration for disposal. She was sold on23 August 1947 for mercantile service, initially operating under Italian registry as "Fermina".Awards
"Sacramento" was awarded one
battle star for World War II service.See also
* See USS "Sacramento" for other ships of this name.
*List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/pearl/ph79.htm After action report from Pearl Harbor attack]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/09019.htm Photos of USS "Sacramento"]
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