 USSHutchinson (PF-45) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Hutchinson |
| Namesake | City ofHutchinson, Kansas |
| Reclassified | PF-45, 15 April 1943 |
| Builder | Consolidated Steel Corporation,Wilmington, Los Angeles |
| Yard number | 530 |
| Laid down | 28 July 1943 |
| Launched | 27 August 1943 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. A. T. Cole |
| Commissioned | 3 February 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 23 September 1946 |
| Stricken | 29 October 1946 |
| Honors and awards | 2 ×battle stars,World War II |
| Fate | Transferred toMexican Navy, 24 November 1947 |
 Mexico | |
| Name | California |
| Acquired | 24 November 1947 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1964 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and 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 |
|
USSHutchinson (PF-45), aTacoma-classfrigate, was the only ship of theUnited States Navy to be named forHutchinson, Kansas.
Hutchinson (PF-45), originally designatedPG-153, was launched on 27 August 1943, at theConsolidated Steel Corporation shipyard inLos Angeles, California, underMaritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. A. T. Cole; and commissioned on 3 February 1944, withCommander C. H. Stober,USCG commanding.
The frigate engaged in shakedown training until 13 April 1944, and departedSan Pedro, Los Angeles, on 30 April for thesouthwest Pacific. She arrived viaPearl Harbor at one of the most important bodies of water in the Pacific area at that time,Leyte Gulf, on 10 November. ThereHutchinson took up escort and patrol duties among the many transports supporting the landing. During her stay off Leyte the ship engaged in several battles with attackingJapanese aircraft.Hutchinson sailed forFremantle,Western Australia, viaNew Guinea, on 30 November 1944.
Assigned to thesubmarine base, Fremantle, for training duty with submarines,Hutchinson remained inAustralia until 27 August 1945. Departing for theUnited States, she touched atManus and Pearl before arriving atTerminal Island, California, on 10 January 1946. Here she converted to aweather ship. Following conversion, she proceeded toSeattle,Washington, and got underway on 6 February 1946 for weather station A in the northern Pacific. During the ship's four months on weather patrol in the Bering Straits and off the coast of Alaska it encountered the tsunami generated by the 1 April1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake. The event took place after midnight near Rat Island in the Aleutian Islands chain. The sonar man alerted the bridge as the wave approached. The ship slammed head first into the huge wave which towered over the bridge. Everything tied down on the ship's exterior was swept away including all of the life boats and rafts. There was a hole in the deck where the #1 gun had been torn loose and where sea water poured in. Five seam splits opened in the ship's hull. The ship limped back to San Francisco, met by seagoing tugs about halfway there. The ship was decommissioned at Treasure Island. After performing the demanding and essential task of weather picket for two separate periods,Hutchinson sailed to San Francisco, California, and decommissioned there on 15 April 1946. She was then recommissioned aCoast Guard vessel on loan from the Navy, and sailed westward to take up her weather ship duties once more. After two more such cruises,Hutchinson arrived Seattle in early September and decommissioned on 23 September 1946.
Hutchinson was stricken from theNavy List on 29 October 1946, and was sold toMexico 24 November 1947. She served theMexican Navy asCalifornia until she was scrapped in June 1964.
Hutchinson received twobattle stars for World War II service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
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