| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Orlando |
| Namesake | City ofOrlando, Florida |
| Laid down | 2 August 1943 |
| Launched | 1 December 1943 |
| Commissioned | 15 November 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 27 June 1946 |
| Stricken | 19 July 1946 |
| Identification | PF-99 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 10 November 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Tacoma-classfrigate |
| Displacement | 1430 tons |
| Length | 304 ft (93 m) |
| Beam | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Draft | 13.8 ft (4.2 m) |
| Speed | 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 201 officers and men |
| Armament | 2 ×3-inch/50-caliber gun |
USSOrlando (PF-99) was aTacoma-class frigate that served duringWorld War II. She was the only ship of theUnited States Navy to be named forOrlando, Florida.
She was authorized with thehull classification symbol PG-207 but reclassified PF-99 in April 1943. Her keel was laid down 2 August 1943, under a Maritime Commission Contract byAmerican Ship Building Company, inCleveland, Ohio. She waslaunched on 1 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. E. Harold Johnson, andcommissioned on 15 November 1944.
AfterOrlando made a shakedown cruise toBermuda, her first convoy departed fromHampton Roads on 7 February 1945.Orlando rounded up the stragglers from her position in the rear of the 37-ship convoy bound forMers el Kebir,Algeria. The convoy passed through theStrait of Gibraltar on 22 February and arrived at Mers el Kebir two days later.
On 3 March escort duty commenced again as a 43-ship convoy started on its way across theAtlantic Ocean. By 15 March various units of the convoy began to detach themselves from the main body of ships andOrlando departed the convoy to proceed toBoston, Massachusetts.
After training exercisesOrlando commenced her second trans-Atlantic voyage to Mers el Kebir as part of a convoy screen. The ship remained at Mers el Kebir until joining a convoy bound for theUnited States on 2 May. With the crossing completed, the convoy commenced to break up on 14 May andOrlando returned toNew York City with a section of the convoy before proceeding to Boston for voyage repairs.
On 5 JulyOrlando departed for New York to be converted to a weather ship and prepare for distant service. The frigate got underway from New York Harbor 10 August bound for thePanama Canal. On the way the successful conclusion of the war against Japan was announced.
The ship transited the Panama Canal and arrived atPearl Harbor on 5 September 1945. Five days laterOrlando andGulfport stood out of the channel at Pearl Harbor and set course forAdak in theAndreanof Islands to moor inSweepers Cove, Adak on 16 September.
The ship took a weather station in the area around43 degrees North,165 degrees East from 7 October until 25 October. Through the month of November the ship was moored inFinger Bay, Adak. The lonely weather station duty continued asOrlando remained in the area around Adak until arriving atSeattle, Washington, on 12 May 1946.
The naval career of the frigateOrlando ended at Seattle where she was taken out of commission 27 June 1946. She was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 19 July 1946, and was sold for scrapping 10 November 1947 to theZidell Ship Dismantling Company.
In the 1973 filmCinderella Liberty,James Caan portrayed a sailor assigned to USSOrlando and wore the ship's name on his right shoulder rocker. Additionally, a submarine named the USSOrlando played a major role in the 1996 filmDown Periscope. Both ships are unrelated to the actual USSOrlando except in name only.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
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