 USSPC-815, a similarPC-416-class submarine chaser | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSPC-558 |
| Laid down | 31 October 1941 |
| Launched | 13 September 1942 |
| Commissioned | 19 November 1942 |
| Fate | Torpedoed by German U-boat on 9 May 1944 |
| Stricken | 16 May 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | PC-461-classsubmarine chaser |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 173 ft 8 in (52.93 m) |
| Beam | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) |
| Installed power | 5,760 bhp (4,300 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20.2 kn (23.2 mph; 37.4 km/h) |
| Complement | 65 |
| Armament |
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USSPC-558 was aPC-461-classsubmarine chaser built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. She was sunk byU-230 on 9 May 1944 with the loss of about half of her complement; there were 30 survivors.
PC-558 was laid down on 31 October 1941 by the Luders Marine Construction Co. inStamford, Connecticut, and launched on 13 September 1942. She was commissioned on 19 November 1942 and assigned to the Atlantic and Mediterranean theater of operations.
On 9 May 1944,PC-558 was patrolling the region north ofPalermo,Sicily. Her lookout spotted thePlexiglas dome and tail of aGerman one-man submarine — aNeger – 3,000 yd (2,700 m) away from the ship. After firing on the Neger with20 mm and40 mm cannon fire and dropping twodepth charges,PC-558 successfully destroyed the vessel and captured the sole occupant,Oberfähnrich Walter Schulz.PC-558 was later joined byPC-626 and spotted another Neger. After another cannon and depth charge attack, the Neger was destroyed and the occupant was captured alive.PC-558 was later destroyed after being struck by a single torpedo fired by a GermanU-boat,U-230. A nearby ship —PC-1235 — was fired at three times by the U-boat and all three torpedoes missed their target.PC-1235 drove offU-230 and returned to rescue the thirty surviving crewmembers ofPC-558.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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