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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSNatchez |
| Namesake | Natchez, Mississippi |
| Builder | Canadian Vickers Ltd.,Montreal |
| Laid down | 16 March 1942 as HMSAnnan |
| Launched | 12 September 1942 |
| Acquired | 20 July 1942 |
| Commissioned | 16 December 1942 |
| Identification |
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| Decommissioned | 11 October 1945 |
| Fate | Sold into civilian service, 29 July 1947; subsequently sold toDominican Navy, 19 March 1948 |
 Dominican Republic | |
| Name | Juan Pablo Duarte |
| Namesake | Juan Pablo Duarte |
| Acquired | 19 March 1948 |
| Identification | F102 |
| Fate | ran aground, 1949; sold for use as personal yacht, c. 1957; scrapped, 1959 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | River-classfrigate |
| Displacement | 2,360 tons |
| Length | 301 ft 6 in (91.90 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 6 in (11.13 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft 8 in (4.17 m) |
| Propulsion | two 225 psi 3-drum expressboilers, two 5,500 shp (4,100 kW) Canadian Vickers vertical triple expansionsteam engines, twoshaft. |
| Speed | 20.3 knots (37.6 km/h; 23.4 mph) |
| Complement | 194 |
| Armament |
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USSNatchez (PG-102/PF-2) was aRiver-classfrigate (known as anAsheville-classpatrol frigate in U.S. service) acquired by theU.S. Navy duringWorld War II. She was originally ordered and laid down asHMSAnnan for theRoyal Navy, and renamed asHMCSAnnan for theRoyal Canadian Navy before transfer to the U.S. Navy before launch. She was used for anti-submarine patrol work during the war.
Post-war, she wasdecommissioned and ended up in the hands of theDominican Navy asJuan Pablo Duarte in 1947, but ran aground and taken out of service in 1949. In 1950 she was sold toPuerto Rican engineerFélix Benítez as a private yacht. The ship wasbroken up in 1959.
Natchez waslaid down on 16 March 1942 byCanadian Vickers Ltd.,Montreal,Quebec, Canada as HMSAnnan, later designated as HMCSAnnan.Due to a lack of American patrol vessels she was transferred to the U.S. Navy on 20 July 1942.Launched on 12 September 1942, she was named USSNatchez (PG-102) on 8 October 1942 andcommissioned atOttawa,Ontario on 16 December 1942.
Natchez sailed under escort toBoston, Massachusetts, arriving at theBoston Navy Yard 16 January 1943 for fitting out. On 1 March she reported for duty to CommanderEastern Sea Frontier and was assigned escort duty for merchant convoys between Cuba andNew York City.Natchez was redesignated as PF-2 on 15 April 1943.
On 4 December, Cuban freighterSS Libertad was reported missing from her convoy off the southern Atlantic coast.Natchez with several other patrol vessels, was dispatched to the scene, guided by homing signals from Navyblimps.Natchez found only three survivors who reported that their ship had beentorpedoed and had sunk before they could notify the convoy commander.
Through 1944Natchez escorted convoys and performedanti-submarine patrol duties. While on convoy duty 29 April 1945, she simultaneously received asonar contact and sighted the snorkel ofGerman submarine U-879, 98 mi (158 km) east ofCape Henry, Virginia. Launching an immediate attack, she was quickly joined by threedestroyer escorts:Coffman,Bostwick andThomas.Hedgehogs anddepth charges were used as the four vessels sought to trap the enemysubmarine. Finally contact was lost and a large quantity of oil was seen to rise to the surface, indicating destruction of the U-boat.
At the end of the warNatchez was still patrolling in the Atlantic. She returned toCharleston, South Carolina on 29 June 1945 for inactivation and disposal.
She was delivered to theMaritime Commission, 19 November 1945 for disposal. She was sold, 29 July 1947 to Louis Moore ofMiami, Florida then resold on 19 March 1948 to the Dominican Republic asJuan Pablo Duarte (F102). She ran aground atPuerto Plata, Dominican Republic in November 1949 and taken out of service due to damage. She was then sold toFélix Benítez, a Puerto Rican engineer, who repaired her and converted her to his personalyachtMoineau. She wasbroken up in 1959.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in September 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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