.jpg) ARAHeroína (P32) ex-USSReading (PF-66) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Reading |
| Namesake | City ofReading, Pennsylvania |
| Builder | Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company,Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin |
| Laid down | 23 May 1943 |
| Launched | 28 August 1943 |
| Commissioned | 19 August 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 19 December 1945 |
| Stricken | 5 January 1946 |
| Fate | Resold toArgentina, July 1947 |
 Argentina | |
| Name | Heroína |
| Acquired | July 1947 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1966 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Tacoma-classfrigate |
| Displacement | 1,264 long tons (1,284 t) |
| 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 |
|
USSReading (PF-66), aTacoma-classfrigate, originally classified asPG-174, was the only ship of theUnited States Navy to be named forReading, Pennsylvania.
In 1947, she was sold toArgentina, entering service with theArgentine Navy as ARAHeroina (P-32); she was scrapped in 1966.
Reading (PF-66) was laid down by theLeathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company, inSturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on 23 May 1943; launched on 28 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. John C. Butterweck; towed down theMississippi and commissioned atNew Orleans, Louisiana, on 19 August 1944. The broken christening bottle and other artifacts from and relating to the ship are in the collection of theHistorical Society of Berks County, located in Reading, PA.
Followingshakedown offBermuda,Reading reported for fastconvoy escort duty between theUnited States andEuropean andNorth African ports. Her first such duty began in January 1945 when she departedNorfolk, Virginia, forAlgeria. Returning to the United States with another convoy, she made one more round-trip to theMediterranean before the end of the war withGermany.
On 26 MayReading commenced conversion to aweather ship. An intricate array of meteorological equipment was installed, her number three 3-inch (76 mm) gun mount was replaced by a hangar for a weatherblimp, and a supply of cold weather gear was taken on board before theReading was declared ready for sea on 10 June. Her first weather station was offBoston, where she was forced to "lie to" because it was too deep to anchor. In the fall, the weather ship moved northward and took station between theCanadian andIcelandic coasts.Weather observations were transmitted 12 times daily and homing signals were radioed toaircraft periodically. When relieved from her station, the ship put into eitherNS Argentia,Newfoundland orReykjavík,Iceland for refueling and provisioning.
On 16 NovemberReading received orders for decommissioning. She put in atPortsmouth, Virginia, and was decommissioned there on 19 December 1945.
She was struck from theNavy list on 5 January 1946, delivered toUnited Boat Service Corporation,New York City, and then resold toArgentina in July 1947 and renamed ARAHeroína (P-32). In Argentine service the armament was re-worked, shipping 3 Swedish Bofors 10.5cm dual purpose guns with 2 twin and 4 single hand-worked 40mm Bofors guns also purchased from Sweden. The ship was scrapped in 1966.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
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