_docked_in_China%2c_in_the_1930s.jpg) USS Luzon PG-47/PR-7 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSLuzon |
| Namesake | Luzon |
| Builder | Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works,Shanghai |
| Laid down | 20 November 1926 |
| Launched | 12 September 1927 |
| Commissioned | 1 June 1928 |
| Stricken | 8 May 1942 |
| Honors & awards | 1battle star |
| Fate | Scuttled 6 May 1942 |
 Japan | |
| Name | Karatsu |
| Fate | Torpedoed 3 March 1944; scuttled 5 February 1945 |
| General characteristics[1] | |
| Displacement | 500long tons (508 t) |
| Length | 210 ft 9 in (64.24 m) |
| Beam | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Draft | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
| Speed | 16 kn (30 km/h) |
| Complement | 80 |
| Armament |
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The firstUSSLuzon (PG-47) was laid down 20 November 1926 by theKiangnan Dock and Engineering Works,Shanghai, China; launched 12 September 1927; sponsored by Miss Mary C. Carter, daughter of Commander Andrew F. Carter, USN; and commissioned 1 June 1928.
One of eightgunboats built for service on theYangtze River in China,Luzon was redesignated PR-7 on 15 June. From commissioning until December 1938, she served as the flagship of theYangtze River Patrol, operating out ofHankou, between such ports asNanjing,Chongqing, and Shanghai. In August 1937, after the Japanese had attacked Shanghai,Luzon evacuated the American Embassy staff toChongqing.
In December 1938 the river gunboat arrived at Shanghai to relieveAugusta (CA-31) as station ship. Except for infrequent calls at Nanjing,Wuhu and other ports on the Yangtze, she remained off Shanghai until 29 November 1941 when she departed for thePhilippines.
Luzon arrived atManila on 30 December, just 23 days after the Japanese attack onPearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. She then began patrol operations in the waters of the Philippines, assisting in the defense of bothBataan, from 1 February until the surrender of the peninsula to the Japanese 9 April, andCorregidor, from the beginning evacuations of that entrance island toManila Bay until the enemy landings 5 May.
The next day, with the surrender of the Corregidor and Manila Bay forts to the Japanese,Luzon, along withOahu (PR-6) andQuail (AM-15), were scuttled in Manila Bay to prevent capture, and subsequently struck from theNavy List on 8 May 1942.
In late May 1942, theLuzon was salvaged by theImperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and repair begun at the 103rd Repair Facility atCavite. Her forward 3-inch AA gun was replaced by a built-up superstructure and her bow was adorned with twoImperial crests, one on each side. On 1 August,Luzon was renamedKaratsu (唐津) by the Japanese, after the city ofKaratsu and assigned to theSasebo Naval District. There, she was assigned to theSouthwest Area Fleet's Third Southern Expeditionary Fleet, then commanded by Vice AdmiralIbō Takahashi. Although classified by the Japanese as ariver gunboat, repair work continued to convert her into a sea-goingsubmarine chaser, including the installation of a sonar system. Refit work was completed on 14 October, and she was reassigned to the Cebu Guard Unit the following day.
For the next two years, she operated mostly in conjunction with Imperial Japanese Army to conduct counter-guerrilla operations, with secondary escort/patrol missions. It was during one of these missions the she helped sink the submarineCisco (SS-290), assisted by twoNakajima B5Ns from the IJN 954th Air Group (海軍第954航空隊九七艦攻). On 3 March 1944, theKaratsu was torpedoed off the Philippine Islands by theNarwhal (SS-167), and had to be towed back toCebu with her bow blown back to the bridge. The damage was too extensive for repairs at Cebu, and she was towed toManila to No. 103 Repair Facility atCavite. On 22 January 1945, before the repairs could be completed, she was ordered to depart Manila as soon as possible. Unable to complete the work in time, the IJN decided to scuttle her in order to block a channel in Manila Bay on 5 February. On 10 April,Karatsu was struck from the IJN naval list.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1944 | |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1945 | |
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