USS Charlottesville: Difference between revisions
m →External links: Added template. |
m Llammakey moved page USS Charlottesville (PF-25) to USS Charlottesville without leaving a redirect: per WP:NC-SHIPS, only ship of name, no need for disambiguation |
||
(30 intermediate revisions by 20 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{short description|Tacoma-class patrol frigate}} |
|||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
}} |
}} |
||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox ship career |
||
|Ship country= |
|Ship country=United States |
||
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1953}} |
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1953}} |
||
|Ship name= |
|Ship name= ''Charlottesville'' |
||
|Ship namesake=[[Charlottesville, Virginia |
|Ship namesake=City of [[Charlottesville]], Virginia |
||
|Ship reclassified= PF-25, 15 April 1943 |
|Ship reclassified= PF-25, 15 April 1943 |
||
}} |
}} |
||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox ship career |
||
|Hide header=yes |
|Hide header=yes |
||
|Ship builder= [[Walter Butler Shipbuilding Company]], [[Superior, Wisconsin|Superior]], [[Wisconsin]] |
|Ship builder= [[Walter Butler Shipbuilding Company]], [[Superior, Wisconsin|Superior]], [[Wisconsin]] |
||
Line 21: | Line 23: | ||
|Ship decommissioned= 12 July 1945 |
|Ship decommissioned= 12 July 1945 |
||
|Ship honors=2 [[battle star]]s, [[World War II]] |
|Ship honors=2 [[battle star]]s, [[World War II]] |
||
|Ship fate=Transferred to the [[Soviet Navy]], 12 July 1945<ref name="transfer date">The [https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/charlottesville.html ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' ''Charlottesville''] article states that ''Charlottesville'' was transferred on 13 July 1945 and [http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/08025.htm NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive Charlottesville (PF 25) ex-PG-133] and [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/patrol/pf25.htm hazegray.org ''Charlottesville''] both repeat this, but Russell, Richard A., ''Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan'', Washington, D.C.: [[Naval Historical Center]], 1997, {{ISBN|0-945274-35-1}}, p. 39, which includes access to Soviet-era records unavailable during the [[Cold War]], reports that the transfer date was 12 July 1945. As sources, Russell cites Department of the Navy, ''Ships Data: U.S. Naval Vessels'' Volume II, 1 January 1949, (NAVSHIPS 250-012), Washington, DC: Bureau of Ships, 1949; and Berezhnoi, S. S., ''Flot SSSR: Korabli i suda lendliza: Spravochnik'' ("The Soviet Navy: Lend-Lease Ships and Vessels: A Reference"), St. Petersburg, Russia: Belen, 1994. According to Russell, Project Hula ships were decommissioned by the U.S. Navy simultaneously with their transfer to the Soviet Navy – see photo captions on p. 24 regarding the transfers of various [[large infantry landing craft]] (LCI(L)s) and information on p. 27 about the transfer of {{USS|Coronado|PF-38}}, which Russell says typified the transfer process – indicating that ''Charlottesville''{{'}}s U.S. Navy decommissioning, transfer, and Soviet Navy commissioning all occurred simultaneously on 12 July 1945.</ref> |
|||
|Ship fate=Transferred to the [[Soviet Navy]], 13 July 1945 |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox ship career |
||
|Hide header=yes |
|Hide header=yes |
||
|Ship struck= |
|Ship struck= |
||
Line 29: | Line 31: | ||
|Ship fate=Transferred to [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]], 14 January 1953 |
|Ship fate=Transferred to [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]], 14 January 1953 |
||
}} |
}} |
||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox ship career |
||
|Hide header=title |
|||
|Ship country= |
|Ship country=Soviet Union |
||
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Soviet Union|naval-1935}} |
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Soviet Union|naval-1935}} |
||
|Ship name= ''EK-1'' |
|Ship name= ''EK-1'' |
||
|Ship acquired= 12 July 1945 |
|Ship acquired= 12 July 1945<ref name="transfer date"/> |
||
|Ship commissioned=12 July 1945 |
|Ship commissioned=12 July 1945<ref name="transfer date"/> |
||
|Ship decommissioned= |
|Ship decommissioned= |
||
|Ship struck= |
|Ship struck= |
||
|Ship fate=Returned to United States, 17 October 1949 |
|Ship fate=Returned to United States, 17 October 1949 |
||
}} |
}} |
||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox ship career |
||
|Hide header=title |
|||
|Ship country=Japan |
|Ship country=Japan |
||
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Japan|naval}} |
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Japan|naval}} |
||
|Ship name= |
|Ship name=''Matsu'' |
||
|Ship namesake= |
|Ship namesake= |
||
|Ship acquired= 14 January 1953 |
|Ship acquired= 14 January 1953 |
||
Line 48: | Line 52: | ||
|Ship renamed=''YAS-36'', 31 March 1966 |
|Ship renamed=''YAS-36'', 31 March 1966 |
||
}} |
}} |
||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox ship career |
||
|Hide header=yes |
|Hide header=yes |
||
|Ship reclassified=Auxiliary service vessel (YAS) 31 March 1966 |
|Ship reclassified=Auxiliary service vessel (YAS) 31 March 1966 |
||
}} |
}} |
||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox ship career |
||
|Hide header=yes |
|Hide header=yes |
||
|Ship decommissioned=31 March 1969 |
|Ship decommissioned=31 March 1969 |
||
|Ship struck= |
|Ship struck= |
||
|Ship fate= |
|Ship fate=*Returned to United States, 12 July 1972 |
||
*Final disposition unknown |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox ship characteristics |
||
|Ship class= {{sclass|Tacoma|frigate|1}} |
|Ship class= {{sclass|Tacoma|frigate|1}} |
||
|Ship displacement={{convert|1430|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} light |
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1430|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} light |
||
*{{convert|2415|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} full |
|||
|Ship length= {{convert|303|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}} |
|Ship length= {{convert|303|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}} |
||
|Ship beam= {{convert|37|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}} |
|Ship beam= {{convert|37|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}} |
||
Line 66: | Line 72: | ||
|Ship depth= |
|Ship depth= |
||
|Ship hold depth= |
|Ship hold depth= |
||
|Ship propulsion=2 × {{convert|5500|shp|0|abbr=on}} turbines |
|Ship propulsion=*2 × {{convert|5500|shp|0|abbr=on}} turbines |
||
*3 boilers |
|||
*2 shafts |
|||
|Ship speed= {{convert|20|kn|lk=in}} |
|Ship speed= {{convert|20|kn|lk=in}} |
||
|Ship range= |
|Ship range= |
||
|Ship complement=190 |
|Ship complement=190 |
||
|Ship armament=*3 × [[3"/50 caliber gun|3"/50 dual purpose]] guns (3x1) |
|||
|Ship armament=• 3 × [[3"/50 caliber gun]]s (3×1)<br />• 4 × 40 mm guns (2×2)<br />• 9 × 20 mm guns (9×1)<br />• 1 × [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] [[anti-submarine mortar]]<br />• 8 × Y-gun [[depth charge]] projectors<br />• 2 × depth charge tracks |
|||
*4 x [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm gun]]s (2×2) |
|||
*9 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm gun]]s (9×1) |
|||
*1 × [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] [[anti-submarine mortar]] |
|||
*8 × Y-gun [[depth charge]] projectors |
|||
*2 × Depth charge tracks |
|||
|Ship armor= |
|Ship armor= |
||
|Ship notes= |
|Ship notes= |
||
}} |
}} |
||
|} |
|} |
||
'''USS ''Charlottesville'' (PF-25)''', a [[United States Navy]] {{sclass|Tacoma|frigate}} in commission from 1944 to 1945, has been the only |
'''USS ''Charlottesville'' (PF-25)''', a [[United States Navy]] {{sclass|Tacoma|frigate}} in commission from 1944 to 1945, has been the only US Navy ship thus far to be named for [[Charlottesville]], Virginia. She later served in the [[Soviet Navy]] as '''''EK-1''''' and in the [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]] as '''JDS ''Matsu'' (PF-6)''', '''JDS ''Matsu'' (PF-286)''' and '''''YAS-36'''''. |
||
==Construction and commissioning== |
==Construction and commissioning== |
||
''Charlottesville'' |
Originally classified as a patrol [[gunboat]], '''PG-133''', ''Charlottesville'' was reclassified as a [[patrol frigate]], PF-25, on 15 April 1943. She was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 30 July 1943, by the [[Walter Butler Shipbuilding Company]] in [[Superior, Wisconsin|Superior]], [[Wisconsin]], under a [[Maritime Commission]] contract, sponsored by Mrs. J. E. Gleason, wife of the [[mayor]] of Charlottesville, [[Virginia]]. The ship was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 10 April 1944. |
||
==Service history== |
==Service history== |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | Departing [[New York City]] on 18 August 1944, ''Charlottesville'' arrived at [[Finschhafen]], [[New Guinea]], on 29 September 1944 by way of [[Bora Bora]] in the [[Society Islands]]. She operated on [[convoy]] escort and [[anti-submarine]] patrol duty between New Guinea and the [[Philippine Islands]] until 6 March 1945, when she departed [[Leyte Island|Leyte]] in the Philippines |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | Earmarked for transfer to the [[Soviet Navy]] in [[Project Hula]], a secret program for the transfer of U.S. Navy ships to the Soviet Navy in anticipation of the [[Soviet Union]] joining the [[Pacific War|war against Japan]], ''Charlottesville'' steamed to [[Kodiak, Alaska|Kodiak]] in the [[Territory of Alaska]] after the completion of [[wikt:overhaul|overhaul]] and modifications at Seattle. On 13 June 1945, ''Charlottesville'' joined her [[sister ship]]s {{USS|Long Beach|PF-34}}, {{USS|Belfast|PF-35}}, {{USS|Glendale|PF-36}}, {{USS|San Pedro|PF-37}}, {{USS|Coronado|PF-38}}, {{USS|Allentown|PF-52}}, {{USS|Machias|PF-53}}, and {{USS|Sandusky|PF-54}} in getting underway from Kodiak for [[Cold Bay, Alaska|Cold Bay]], Alaska, where they arrived on 14 June 1945 to enter Project Hula. Training of ''Charlottesville''{{'}}s new Soviet Navy crew soon began at Cold Bay.<ref>Russell, Richard A., ''Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan'', Washington, D.C.: [[Naval Historical Center]], 1997, ISBN |
||
⚫ | Departing [[New York City]] on 18 August 1944, ''Charlottesville'' arrived at [[Finschhafen]], [[New Guinea]], on 29 September 1944 by way of [[Bora Bora]] in the [[Society Islands]]. She operated on [[convoy]] escort and [[anti-submarine]] patrol duty between New Guinea and the [[Philippine Islands]] until 6 March 1945, when she departed [[Leyte Island|Leyte]] in the Philippines for [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. |
||
⚫ | Earmarked for transfer to the [[Soviet Navy]] in [[Project Hula]], a secret program for the transfer of U.S. Navy ships to the Soviet Navy in anticipation of the [[Soviet Union]] joining the [[Pacific War|war against Japan]], ''Charlottesville'' steamed to [[Kodiak, Alaska|Kodiak]] in the [[Territory of Alaska]] after the completion of [[wikt:overhaul|overhaul]] and modifications at Seattle. On 13 June 1945, ''Charlottesville'' joined her [[sister ship]]s {{USS|Long Beach|PF-34}}, {{USS|Belfast|PF-35}}, {{USS|Glendale|PF-36}}, {{USS|San Pedro|PF-37}}, {{USS|Coronado|PF-38}}, {{USS|Allentown|PF-52}}, {{USS|Machias|PF-53}}, and {{USS|Sandusky|PF-54}} in getting underway from Kodiak for [[Cold Bay, Alaska|Cold Bay]], Alaska, where they arrived on 14 June 1945 to enter Project Hula. Training of ''Charlottesville''{{'}}s new Soviet Navy crew soon began at Cold Bay.<ref>Russell, Richard A., ''Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan'', Washington, D.C.: [[Naval Historical Center]], 1997, {{ISBN|0-945274-35-1}}, p. 25.</ref> |
||
===Soviet Navy, 1945–1949=== |
===Soviet Navy, 1945–1949=== |
||
''Charlottesville'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 12 July 1945 at Cold Bay and transferred to the Soviet Union under [[Lend-Lease]] immediately along with nine of her sister ships, the first group of patrol frigates transferred to the Soviet Navy. Commissioned into the Soviet Navy immediately, ''Charlottesville'' was designated as a ''storozhevoi korabl'' ("escort ship") and renamed '''''EK-1''''' in Soviet service. On 15 July 1945, ''EK-1'' departed Cold Bay in company with nine of her sister ships – ''EK-2'' (ex-''Long Beach''), ''EK-3'' (ex-''Belfast''), ''EK-4'' (ex-''Machias''), ''EK-5'' (ex-''San Pedro''), ''EK-6'' (ex-''Glendale''), ''EK-7'' (ex-''Sandusky''), ''EK-8'' (ex-''Coronado''), ''EK-9'' (ex-''Allentown''), and ''EK-10'' (ex-{{USS|Ogden|PF-39}}) – bound for [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]] in the Soviet Union. ''EK-1'' served as a patrol vessel in the [[Soviet Far East]].<ref>Russell, Richard A., ''Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan'', Washington, D.C.: [[Naval Historical Center]], 1997, ISBN |
''Charlottesville'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 12 July 1945 at Cold Bay and transferred to the Soviet Union under [[Lend-Lease]] immediately<ref name="transfer date"/> along with nine of her sister ships, the first group of patrol frigates transferred to the Soviet Navy. Commissioned into the Soviet Navy immediately,<ref name="transfer date"/> ''Charlottesville'' was designated as a ''storozhevoi korabl'' ("escort ship") and renamed '''''EK-1''''' in Soviet service. On 15 July 1945, ''EK-1'' departed Cold Bay in company with nine of her sister ships – ''EK-2'' (ex-''Long Beach''), ''EK-3'' (ex-''Belfast''), ''EK-4'' (ex-''Machias''), ''EK-5'' (ex-''San Pedro''), ''EK-6'' (ex-''Glendale''), ''EK-7'' (ex-''Sandusky''), ''EK-8'' (ex-''Coronado''), ''EK-9'' (ex-''Allentown''), and ''EK-10'' (ex-{{USS|Ogden|PF-39}}) – bound for [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]] in the Soviet Union. ''EK-1'' served as a patrol vessel in the [[Soviet Far East]].<ref>Russell, Richard A., ''Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan'', Washington, D.C.: [[Naval Historical Center]], 1997, {{ISBN|0-945274-35-1}}, pp. 27, 39.</ref> |
||
In February 1946, the United States began negotiations for the return of ships loaned to the Soviet Union for use during World War II. On 8 May 1947, [[United States Secretary of the Navy]] [[James V. Forrestal]] informed the [[United States Department of State]] that the [[United States Department of the Navy]] wanted 480 of the 585 combatant ships it had transferred to the Soviet Union for World War II use returned, ''EK-1'' among them. Negotiations for the return of the ships was protracted, but on 17 October 1949 the Soviet Union finally returned ''EK-1'' to the U.S. Navy at [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka]], Japan.<ref>Russell, Richard A., ''Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan'', Washington, D.C.: [[Naval Historical Center]], 1997, ISBN |
In February 1946, the United States began negotiations for the return of ships loaned to the Soviet Union for use during World War II. On 8 May 1947, [[United States Secretary of the Navy]] [[James V. Forrestal]] informed the [[United States Department of State]] that the [[United States Department of the Navy]] wanted 480 of the 585 combatant ships it had transferred to the Soviet Union for World War II use returned, ''EK-1'' among them. Negotiations for the return of the ships was protracted, but on 17 October 1949 the Soviet Union finally returned ''EK-1'' to the U.S. Navy at [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka]], Japan.<ref>Russell, Richard A., ''Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan'', Washington, D.C.: [[Naval Historical Center]], 1997, {{ISBN|0-945274-35-1}}, pp. 37-38, 39.</ref> |
||
===Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 1953–1972=== |
===Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 1953–1972=== |
||
{{other ships|Japanese ship Matsu}} |
|||
⚫ | Reverting to her former name, ''Charlottesville'' was laid up in the [[Pacific Reserve Fleet]] at Yokosuka, and remained idle until the United States loaned her to [[Japan]] on 14 January 1953 for service in the [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]], which renamed her '''JDS ''Matsu'' (PF- |
||
⚫ | Reverting to her former name, ''Charlottesville'' was laid up in the [[Pacific Reserve Fleet]] at Yokosuka, and remained idle until the United States loaned her to [[Japan]] on 14 January 1953 for service in the [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]], which renamed her {{Nihongo|'''JDS ''Matsu'' (PF-6)'''|まつ (PF-6)||"[[Pine|pine tree]]"}}.{{Sfn|The Naval Database}} ''Matsu'' was redesignated '''PF-286''' on 1 September 1957.{{Sfn|The Naval Database}} She was reclassified as an "auxiliary service vessel" and renamed '''''YAS-36''''' on 31 March 1966.{{Sfn|The Naval Database}} Decommissioned on 31 March 1969, she was returned to U.S. custody on 12 July 1972. Her fate thereafter is unknown. |
||
==Awards== |
==Awards== |
||
The |
The US Navy awarded ''Charlottesville'' two [[battle star]]s for service in [[World War II]]. |
||
== References == |
== References == |
||
{{DANFS| |
{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/charlottesville.html}} |
||
{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
||
== External links == |
== External links == |
||
* {{navsource|12/08025|USS Charlottesville}} |
* {{navsource|12/08025|USS Charlottesville}} |
||
*[http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/patrol/pf25.htm hazegray.org: USS ''Charlottesville''] |
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/patrol/pf25.htm hazegray.org: USS ''Charlottesville''] |
||
* {{cite web| title = The Naval Database: JMSDF Kusu class patrol frigate (PF286) Matsu | url = http://hush.gooside.com/name/m/Ma/Matsu/Matsu.html#anchor120333 | language=ja | ref = {{SfnRef|The Naval Database}} | access-date = 2014-09-22 }} |
|||
<!-- non-breaking space to keep AWB drones from altering the space before the navbox--> |
|||
{{Tacoma class frigate|others}} |
{{Tacoma class patrol frigate|others}} |
||
{{Project Hula ships}} |
{{Project Hula ships}} |
||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlottesville (PF-25)}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlottesville (PF-25)}} |
||
[[Category:Tacoma-class frigates]] |
[[Category:Tacoma-class frigates]] |
||
[[Category:Ships built in Wisconsin]] |
[[Category:Ships built in Superior, Wisconsin]] |
||
[[Category:1943 ships]] |
[[Category:1943 ships]] |
||
[[Category:World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States]] |
[[Category:World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States]] |
||
[[Category:United States Navy Virginia-related ships]] |
|||
[[Category:Tacoma-class frigates of the Soviet Navy]] |
[[Category:Tacoma-class frigates of the Soviet Navy]] |
||
[[Category:World War II frigates of the Soviet Union]] |
[[Category:World War II frigates of the Soviet Union]] |
||
[[Category:Cold War frigates of the Soviet Union]] |
[[Category:Cold War frigates of the Soviet Union]] |
||
[[Category:Tacoma-class frigates of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]] |
[[Category:Tacoma-class frigates of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]] |
||
[[Category:Ships transferred under Project Hula]] |
|||
[[ja:シャーロッツビル (哨戒フリゲート)]] |
Latest revision as of 13:31, 25 April 2023
USS Charlottesville in 1948
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | Charlottesville |
Namesake | City of Charlottesville, Virginia |
Reclassified | PF-25, 15 April 1943 |
Builder | Walter Butler Shipbuilding Company, Superior, Wisconsin |
Laid down | 12 May 1943 |
Launched | 30 July 1943 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. J. E. Gleason |
Commissioned | 10 April 1944 |
Decommissioned | 12 July 1945 |
Honors and awards | 2 battle stars, World War II |
Fate | Transferred to the Soviet Navy, 12 July 1945[1] |
Acquired | Returned by Soviet Navy, 17 October 1949 |
Fate | Transferred to Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 14 January 1953 |
Soviet Union | |
Name | EK-1 |
Acquired | 12 July 1945[1] |
Commissioned | 12 July 1945[1] |
Fate | Returned to United States, 17 October 1949 |
Japan | |
Name | Matsu |
Acquired | 14 January 1953 |
Renamed | YAS-36, 31 March 1966 |
Reclassified | Auxiliary service vessel (YAS) 31 March 1966 |
Decommissioned | 31 March 1969 |
Fate |
|
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Tacoma-class frigate |
Displacement |
|
Length | 303 ft 11 in (92.63 m) |
Beam | 37 ft 11 in (11.56 m) |
Draft | 13 ft 8 in (4.17 m) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
Complement | 190 |
Armament |
|
USS Charlottesville (PF-25), a United States Navy Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1944 to 1945, has been the only US Navy ship thus far to be named for Charlottesville, Virginia. She later served in the Soviet Navy as EK-1 and in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as JDS Matsu (PF-6), JDS Matsu (PF-286) and YAS-36.
Construction and commissioning
[edit]Originally classified as a patrol gunboat, PG-133, Charlottesville was reclassified as a patrol frigate, PF-25, on 15 April 1943. She was launched on 30 July 1943, by the Walter Butler Shipbuilding Company in Superior, Wisconsin, under a Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. J. E. Gleason, wife of the mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia. The ship was commissioned on 10 April 1944.
Service history
[edit]U.S. Navy, World War II, 1944–1945
[edit]Departing New York City on 18 August 1944, Charlottesville arrived at Finschhafen, New Guinea, on 29 September 1944 by way of Bora Bora in the Society Islands. She operated on convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol duty between New Guinea and the Philippine Islands until 6 March 1945, when she departed Leyte in the Philippines for Seattle, Washington.
Earmarked for transfer to the Soviet Navy in Project Hula, a secret program for the transfer of U.S. Navy ships to the Soviet Navy in anticipation of the Soviet Union joining the war against Japan, Charlottesville steamed to Kodiak in the Territory of Alaska after the completion of overhaul and modifications at Seattle. On 13 June 1945, Charlottesville joined her sister ships USS Long Beach (PF-34), USS Belfast (PF-35), USS Glendale (PF-36), USS San Pedro (PF-37), USS Coronado (PF-38), USS Allentown (PF-52), USS Machias (PF-53), and USS Sandusky (PF-54) in getting underway from Kodiak for Cold Bay, Alaska, where they arrived on 14 June 1945 to enter Project Hula. Training of Charlottesville's new Soviet Navy crew soon began at Cold Bay.[2]
Soviet Navy, 1945–1949
[edit]Charlottesville was decommissioned on 12 July 1945 at Cold Bay and transferred to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease immediately[1] along with nine of her sister ships, the first group of patrol frigates transferred to the Soviet Navy. Commissioned into the Soviet Navy immediately,[1] Charlottesville was designated as a storozhevoi korabl ("escort ship") and renamed EK-1 in Soviet service. On 15 July 1945, EK-1 departed Cold Bay in company with nine of her sister ships – EK-2 (ex-Long Beach), EK-3 (ex-Belfast), EK-4 (ex-Machias), EK-5 (ex-San Pedro), EK-6 (ex-Glendale), EK-7 (ex-Sandusky), EK-8 (ex-Coronado), EK-9 (ex-Allentown), and EK-10 (ex-USS Ogden (PF-39)) – bound for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the Soviet Union. EK-1 served as a patrol vessel in the Soviet Far East.[3]
In February 1946, the United States began negotiations for the return of ships loaned to the Soviet Union for use during World War II. On 8 May 1947, United States Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal informed the United States Department of State that the United States Department of the Navy wanted 480 of the 585 combatant ships it had transferred to the Soviet Union for World War II use returned, EK-1 among them. Negotiations for the return of the ships was protracted, but on 17 October 1949 the Soviet Union finally returned EK-1 to the U.S. Navy at Yokosuka, Japan.[4]
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 1953–1972
[edit]Reverting to her former name, Charlottesville was laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Yokosuka, and remained idle until the United States loaned her to Japan on 14 January 1953 for service in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, which renamed her JDS Matsu (PF-6) (まつ (PF-6), "pine tree").[5] Matsu was redesignated PF-286 on 1 September 1957.[5] She was reclassified as an "auxiliary service vessel" and renamed YAS-36 on 31 March 1966.[5] Decommissioned on 31 March 1969, she was returned to U.S. custody on 12 July 1972. Her fate thereafter is unknown.
Awards
[edit]The US Navy awarded Charlottesville two battle stars for service in World War II.
References
[edit]This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- ^ a b c d e The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Charlottesville article states that Charlottesville was transferred on 13 July 1945 and NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive Charlottesville (PF 25) ex-PG-133 and hazegray.org Charlottesville both repeat this, but Russell, Richard A., Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan, Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1997, ISBN 0-945274-35-1, p. 39, which includes access to Soviet-era records unavailable during the Cold War, reports that the transfer date was 12 July 1945. As sources, Russell cites Department of the Navy, Ships Data: U.S. Naval Vessels Volume II, 1 January 1949, (NAVSHIPS 250-012), Washington, DC: Bureau of Ships, 1949; and Berezhnoi, S. S., Flot SSSR: Korabli i suda lendliza: Spravochnik ("The Soviet Navy: Lend-Lease Ships and Vessels: A Reference"), St. Petersburg, Russia: Belen, 1994. According to Russell, Project Hula ships were decommissioned by the U.S. Navy simultaneously with their transfer to the Soviet Navy – see photo captions on p. 24 regarding the transfers of various large infantry landing craft (LCI(L)s) and information on p. 27 about the transfer of USS Coronado (PF-38), which Russell says typified the transfer process – indicating that Charlottesville's U.S. Navy decommissioning, transfer, and Soviet Navy commissioning all occurred simultaneously on 12 July 1945.
- ^ Russell, Richard A., Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan, Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1997, ISBN 0-945274-35-1, p. 25.
- ^ Russell, Richard A., Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan, Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1997, ISBN 0-945274-35-1, pp. 27, 39.
- ^ Russell, Richard A., Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan, Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1997, ISBN 0-945274-35-1, pp. 37-38, 39.
External links
[edit]- Photo gallery of USS Charlottesville at NavSource Naval History
- hazegray.org: USS Charlottesville
- "The Naval Database: JMSDF Kusu class patrol frigate (PF286) Matsu" (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- Tacoma-class frigates
- Ships built in Superior, Wisconsin
- 1943 ships
- World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States
- Tacoma-class frigates of the Soviet Navy
- World War II frigates of the Soviet Union
- Cold War frigates of the Soviet Union
- Tacoma-class frigates of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
- Ships transferred under Project Hula