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USS Somersworth

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USS Somersworth, c. 1960s
History
United States
NameUSS Somersworth
NamesakeSomersworth, New Hampshire
BuilderPullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co., Chicago, Illinois
Laid down24 September 1943
Launched31 January 1944
Sponsored byMrs. Frank G. Hammar[1][2]
Commissioned11 April 1944, as USS PCE(R)-849
DecommissionedSeptember 1965
RenamedSomersworth, 15 February 1956
ReclassifiedEPCE(R)-850 (Experimental Patrol Craft Escort (Rescue)), 1959
Stricken1 April 1966
HomeportNew London, CT (1946–1965)
FateSold; scrapped in 1972 at Portsmouth, Virginia
General characteristics
Class and typePCER-848 class armed rescue ship
Displacement903 long tons (917 t)
Length184 ft 6 in (56.24 m)
Beam33 ft 1 in (10.08 m)
Draft9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × 900 bhp (671 kW) General Motors 12-567A diesel engines
  • Falk single reduction gear
  • 2 shafts
Speed15.7 knots (29.1 km/h; 18.1 mph)
Complement99 officers and enlisted
Armament

USS Somersworth (PCE(R)-849) was a United States Navy PCE(R)-848-class Patrol Craft Escort (Rescue), in commission from April 1944 to September 1965. The ship was named after the city of Somersworth, New Hampshire.

Role

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Each ship of the PCER-848 class was an armed rescue ship built on the hull of the PCE (Patrol Craft Escort) by the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company in Chicago, Illinois. The ships were to serve three missions: damage control / firefighting; casualty treatment / evacuation; and patrol / guardship. Each ship's hospital contained 65 beds, with a surgical suite, and X-ray facilities. The medical department consisted of a staff of 11 doctors and hospital corpsmen.

Three ships of the class—PCER-848, -849 and -850—were refitted and their hospital spaces converted into communications centers to support the US Army's activities in the Pacific Theater.[1]

Service history

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The ship was laid down on 24 September 1943 by the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company of Chicago, launched on 31 January 1944, and commissioned as USS PCE(R)-849 on 11 April 1944.[3] The ship was at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944.[4] It was also present at the surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945,[5] and was the first American ship to dock post-war at the Port of Tokyo.[6] The ship received three battle stars for service during World War II.[1]

From 1946 to 1965, the ship was stationed at New London, Connecticut, at the Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory.[1][7] The ship was named USS Somersworth on 15 February 1956.[3]

On 17 July 1957, three crew members were killed and eight were injured (four seriously) by an explosion when the ship was approximately 90 miles (140 km) southeast of Montauk, New York.[8][9] The blast was attributed to the premature detonation of explosives used for underwater sound tests.[8] The four seriously injured crew members were transferred to the nearby RMS Queen Mary, which was en route from New York City to England, and later transported to Newport, Rhode Island, by the USS Sunbird.[10][9] One injured seaman had to have his left leg amputated.[9] The Navy later issued dereliction of duty letters to the ship's commander and gunnery officer.[11]

In 1959, the ship was reclassified as EPCE(R)-849, an Experimental Patrol Craft Escort (Rescue).[3] The ship was decommissioned in September 1965 and was struck from the naval register on 1 April 1966.[3] It was later sold, and then scrapped in 1972 at Portsmouth, Virginia.[3]

Legacy

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USS Somersworth Park is located in the city that the ship was named for—Somersworth, New Hampshire—at the intersection of Main Street and Market Street.[12] A memorial to crew members who served on the ship is located in Stein Park on Main Street.[13]

On July 17, 2004, a reunion of 32 personnel who had served on the ship, including four former captains, was held in Somersworth.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Somersworth". Naval History and Heritage Command. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "PCE Boat First To Enter Dock Of Tokyo". Daily Calumet. Chicago. September 19, 1945. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Somersworth (EPCE[R] 849)". navsource.org. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  4. ^ "Victory over Japan: Veterans Who Were There Still Remember – Willis Gathright". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. August 14, 2005. p. 13A. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Allied Ships Present in Tokyo Bay During the Surrender Ceremony, 2 September 1945". history.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Jap Civilian Greets Yanks by Bowing Self Off Dock". The Boston Globe. AP. September 11, 1945. p. 6. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Officials To Inspect Ship Named After Town". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. AP. June 26, 1957. p. 41. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b "Ship in Port with Bodies from Blast". South Bend Tribune. South Bend, Indiana. INS. July 18, 1957. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c "Delaware Seaman Loses Leg in Blast Aboard Navy Ship". The Marion Star. Marion, Ohio. AP. July 19, 1957. p. 19. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "TNT Blast Kills 3 on Navy Craft". Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. AP. July 18, 1957. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Officers Censured for Blast". Independent. Long Beach, California. UP. May 20, 1958. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "USS Somersworth". somersworth.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  13. ^ Holmes, Jenne (April 29, 2021). "Simply Somersworth: USS Somersworth is part of proud past". Foster's Daily Democrat. Dover, New Hampshire. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  14. ^ Wagner, Bill (October 31, 2004). "Shipmates Hold Reunion; Recall 1957 Sea Tragedy". The Sunday Times. Scranton, Pennsylvania. p. B11. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
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