 Carson City in the Aleutians, circa 1944-1945 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Carson City |
| Namesake |
|
| Reclassified | PF-50, 15 April 1943 |
| Builder | Consolidated Steel Corporation,Wilmington,California |
| Yard number | 535 |
| Laid down | 28 September 1943 |
| Launched | 13 November 1943 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. C. B. Austin |
| Commissioned | 24 March 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 26 August 1945[1] |
| Honors & awards | 2battle stars,World War II |
| Fate | Transferred toSoviet Navy, 26 August 1945[1] |
| Acquired | Returned by Soviet Navy, 31 October 1949 |
| Fate | Transferred toJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 30 April 1953 |
| Acquired | Returned by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 6 August 1971 |
| Fate | Unknown |
 Soviet Union | |
| Name | EK-20[2] |
| Acquired | 26 August 1945[1] |
| Commissioned | 26 August 1945[1] |
| Decommissioned | 31 October 1949 |
| Fate | Returned to United States, 31 October 1949 |
 Japan | |
| Name | Sakura |
| Acquired | 30 April 1953 |
| Renamed | YAC-16, 31 March 1966 |
| Reclassified | Auxiliary stock craft, 31 March 1966 |
| Decommissioned | 31 March 1971 |
| Fate | Returned to United States, 6 August 1971 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Tacoma-class frigate |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 303 ft 11 in (92.63 m) |
| Beam | 37 ft 6 in (11.43 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft 8 in (4.17 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 190 |
| Armament |
|
USSCarson City (PF-50), aTacoma-classfrigate in commission from 1944 to 1945, thus far has been the only ship of theUnited States Navy to be named forCarson City, Nevada. She later served in theSoviet Navy asEK-20 and in theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force asJDSSakura (PF-10),JDSSakura (PF-290) and asYAC-16.
Originally classified as a patrolgunboat,PG-158,Carson City was reclassified as apatrol frigate, PF-50, on 15 April 1943. Constructed under aMaritime Commission contract, she waslaunched on 13 November 1943, byConsolidated Steel Corporation atWilmington,California, sponsored by Mrs. C. B. Austin, andcommissioned on 24 March 1944.
Manned by aUnited States Coast Guard crew,Carson City departedLos Angeles, California, on 19 July 1944, forEspiritu Santo andMilne Bay,New Guinea, where on 13 August 1944, she reported for patrol and escort duty in the New Guinea area with theUnited States Seventh Fleet. She took part in the unopposedlandings onMorotai on 16 September 1944, then took part in guarding ships, men, and supplies being assembled for thelandings onLeyte in thePhilippine Islands. She herself sailed forLeyte Gulf fromHumboldt Bay, New Guinea, on 16 October 1944, supporting the first wave of reinforcements for the Northern Attack Force at Leyte. On 22 October 1944, she accompanied her charges into the landing area, and next day began a voyage escorting the empty ships back to Humboldt Bay.
After reaching Humboldt Bay,Carson City resumed convoy escort duty in the New Guinea area, shuttling toWakde,Biak,Noemfoor,Sansapor, Morotai, andMios Woendi until 26 November 1944, when she departed New Guinea forPearl Harbor,Territory of Hawaii, where she underwent anoverhaul. Upon its completion, she steamed north for duty with theAlaskan Sea Frontier atDutch Harbor,Territory of Alaska, where she reported on 12 January 1945 and began patrol and escort duties in Alaskan waters. Selected for transfer to theSoviet Navy inProject Hula – a secret program for the transfer of US Navy ships to the Soviet Navy atCold Bay, Alaska, in anticipation of theSoviet Union joining thewar against Japan –Carson City proceeded to Cold Bay in August 1945 and began training her new Soviet crew.[3]
Following the completion of training for her Soviet crew,Carson City wasdecommissioned on 26 August 1945,[1] at Cold Bay and transferred to the Soviet Union underLend-Lease immediately[1] along with hersister shipsUSS Bisbee (PF-46),USS Gallup (PF-47),USS Rockford (PF-48),USS Muskogee (PF-49), andUSS Burlington (PF-51). Commissioned into the Soviet Navy immediately,[1]Carson City was designated as astorozhevoi korabl ("escort ship") and renamedEK-20[2] in Soviet service. She soon departed Cold Bay bound forPetropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the Soviet Union, where she served as a patrol vessel in theSoviet 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 NavyJames V. Forrestal informed theUnited States Department of State that theUnited 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-20 among them. Negotiations for the return of the ships were protracted, but on 1 November 1949, the Soviet Union finally returnedEK-20 to the U.S. Navy atYokosuka,Japan.[4]
Reverting to her original name,Carson City lay idle in thePacific Reserve Fleet until the United States transferred her to theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force on 30 April 1953 asJDSSakura (PF-10) (さくら (PF-10); "cherry blossom").[5]Sakura was redesignatedPF-290 on 1 September 1957.[5] She was reclassified as an "auxiliary stock craft" (YAC) and renamedYAC-16 on 31 March 1966.[5] She was decommissioned on 31 March 1971 and returned to U.S. custody for disposal on 6 August 1971. Her final disposition is unknown.[6]
According to some reports, ex-USS Carson City was sold for scrap following her return from Japanese control, and was scrapped by a breaker in Taiwan. The ships bell is currently displayed inside the City Hall of Carson City, Nevada, along with the ship's commissioning pennant.[7]
The US Navy awardedCarson City twobattle stars for her World War II service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.Project Hula ships | |||||||||||||
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