- USS Winnemucca (PC-1145)
"PC-1145" was laid down on
2 June 1943 at theDefoe Shipbuilding Company inBay City, Michigan ; launched on27 October 1943; and commissioned atNew Orleans, Louisiana , on1 June 1944 , withLieutenant J. L. Houget,USNR , in command. "PC-1145" completedshakedown training in theGulf of Mexico on11 June and reported for duty to the Commander,Gulf Sea Frontier . For the next year, the submarine chaser plied the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and theAtlantic seaboard conductinganti-submarine patrols and escorting coastwiseconvoy s, In the performance of those duties, the little warship ranged as far north asNew York City and as far south as thePanama Canal Zone . Following the victory in Europe, "PC-1145" received orders assigning her to thePacific Fleet . Early in June 1945, she departed her base atMiami, Florida , and headed via thePanama Canal for theCalifornia coast and underwentrepair s atSan Diego, California , before continuing west toHawaii . She departed San Diego on15 July and arrived inPearl Harbor on the 21st. She did not resume her westward voyage toward theMarshall Islands until7 August . The submarine chaser reported for duty upon her arrival atEniwetok Atoll on the 13th, but hostilities ceased the following day. Nevertheless, the submarine chaser remained in the western Pacific more than a year. For about a month following her arrival, she performedpatrol andescort duty in the Marshalls and the Carolines. On7 September , she departed Eniwetok for a round-trip voyage toJapan , returning almost a month later, on5 October . The ship then resumed her patrol and escort duties in the Marshalls and Carolines. After a round-trip voyage toWake Island late in October, she reported to the atoll commander atMajuro in November for duty as stationsearch and rescue ship. That assignment lasted until mid-February 1946 when she departed Majuro for extensivemaintenance atGuam . She completed repairs on16 June and departed Guam on an inspection tour of theWestern Carolines carrying representatives of theUnited States Commercial Company , a public corporation charged with responsibility for the economic rehabilitation of theCentral Pacific region. For the next four months, "PC-1145" served the United States Military Government administering the Central Pacific islands and worked hand-in-hand with officials of the United States Commercial Company surveying the region in preparation for efforts to reestablish a viable localeconomy . In November, she departed the Central Pacific for her first completeoverhaul since commissioning. She entered thePearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on21 November and remained there until23 December . On that date, she reported to the Commander,Fleet Training Center , Pearl Harbor, under whose auspices she conducted refresher training and made a cruise toHilo . "PC-1145" departed Pearl Harbor on27 February 1947 , and on4 March , arrived atMidway Island where she reported for duty to the Commander,Naval Operating Base, Midway . There, she served as an air search and rescue ship until the end of the second week in May. Relieved by "PC-1172" on the 13th, "PC-1145" headed back to Pearl Harbor. The warship operated out of theOahu base conducting upkeep and repairs and serving as a training ship until late July. She then returned to Midway and resumed duty as search and rescue vessel. On 15 November, "PCS-1399" relieved her at Midway; and "PC-1145" returned to Pearl Harbor for a restricted availability. For the remainder of her active career, "PC-1145" alternated between duty out of Pearl Harbor and service as an air search and rescue ship, at first based at Midway but later atKwajalein ,Johnston Island , Guam, andSamoa . After1950 , however, Guam and Samoa ceased to beduty station s for the submarine chaser and her sister ships. Duty in and out of Pearl Harbor consisted of repairs,training ,target towing, andanti-submarine warfare operations. "PC-1145" departed Pearl Harbor for the last time on19 February 1955 and arrived inSan Francisco, California , a week later. Following nearly four months of repairs at Treasure Island, she stood out ofSan Francisco Bay on her way toAstoria, Oregon , and inactivation. On15 August 1955, the ship was placed out of commission at Astoria and was berthed with theColumbia River Group ,Pacific Reserve Fleet . On15 February 1956 , the submarine chaser--still inactive--was named "Winnemucca", after a city in northwesternNevada situated on theHumboldt River , and the seat of government forHumboldt County . She remained with the reserve fleet until1 June 1960 when her name was struck from the Navy List. On1 November , she was transferred to the Navy of theRepublic of Korea .Sources
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