USS Rockford

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USS Rockford (PF-48) painted in dazzle camouflage Measure 32, Design 16d, at Adak, Territory of Alaska, on 30 January 1945.
History
United States
NameRockford
NamesakeCity of Rockford, Illinois
ReclassifiedPF-48, 15 April 1943
Builder
Wilmington, California
Yard number533
Laid down28 August 1943
Launched27 September 1943
Sponsored byMrs. Harry L. Crotzer
Commissioned6 March 1944
Decommissioned26 August 1945[1]
Honors and
awards		2
battle stars, World War II
FateTransferred to the Soviet Navy, 26 August 1945[2]
AcquiredReturned by Soviet Navy, 1 November 1949
FateTransferred to Republic of Korea Navy, 23 October 1950
AcquiredReturned by Republic of Korea Navy, 3 September 1952
Stricken26 May 1953
FateSunk as target, 30 September 1953
Soviet Union
NameEK-18[4]
Acquired26 August 1945[2]
Commissioned26 August 1945[3]
FateReturned to United States, 1 November 1949
South Korea
NameROKS Apnok (62)
Acquired23 October 1950
Fate
  • Irreparable damage in collision, 21 May 1952
  • Returned to United States, 3 September 1952
General characteristics
Class and typeTacoma-class frigate
Displacement
  • 1,430 long tons (1,453 t) light
  • 2,415 long tons (2,454 t) full
Length303 ft 11 in (92.63 m)
Beam37 ft 6 in (11.43 m)
Draft13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × 5,500 shp (4,101 kW) turbines
  • 3 boilers
  • 2 shafts
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement190
Armament

USS Rockford (PF-48), a Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1944 to 1945, thus far has been the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Rockford, Illinois. She later served in the Soviet Navy as EK-18 and in the Republic of Korea Navy as ROKS Apnokkang (62).

Construction and commissioning

Originally classified as a patrol

launched on 27 September 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Harry L. Crotzer, and commissioned
on 6 March 1944.

Service history

U.S. Navy, World War II, 1944–1945

Following

Cairns, Queensland
, on 23 July 1944.

On 2 August 1944, Rockford moored in Milne Bay, New Guinea, and then operated on convoy escort duty and antisubmarine patrol off the New Guinea coast until 23 September 1944, when she made a brief run to Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands.

Rockford then returned to New Guinea, remaining there until 15 October 1944, when she began a voyage to the

machine-gunned
her 70 survivors, killing 10.

On 17 November 1944, Rockford arrived on the U.S. West Coast for scheduled repairs. After their completion, she reported for duty on 4 January 1945 to Commander,

Dutch Harbor, Cold Bay, and Adak as pilot vessel for the USS Disdain (AM-222)
group.

Selected for transfer to the Soviet Navy in Project Hula – a secret program for the transfer of U.S. Navy ships to the Soviet Navy at Cold Bay in anticipation of the Soviet Union joining the war against Japan – Rockford began training her new Soviet crew at Cold Bay in August 1945.[5]

Soviet Navy, 1945–1949

Following the completion of training for her Soviet crew, Rockford was

Soviet Far East.[5]

In February 1946, the United States began negotiations for the return of ships loaned to the Soviet Union for use during World War II. On 8 May 1947,

James V. Forrestal informed the United States Department of State that the United States Department of the Navy wanted 480 of the 585 combatant ships it had transferred to the Soviet Union for World War II use returned, EK-18 among them. Negotiations for the return of the ships were protracted, but on 1 November 1949 the Soviet Union finally returned EK-18 to the U.S. Navy at Yokosuka, Japan.[6]

Republic of Korea Navy, 1950–1952

battle stations on a 3-inch (76.2 mm) gun mounted on the forecastle
of the ship.

Reverting to her original name, Rockford lay idle in the

Republic of Korea on 23 October 1950 for Korean War service in enforcing the United Nations blockade against North Korea and harassing enemy forces. She served the Republic of Korea Navy as ROKS Apnok (62). On 21 May 1952, she was escorting the U.S. Navy ammunition ship USS Mount Baker (AE-4) when Mount Baker struck her amidships, killing 25 and injuring 21 of Apnok's crew. The collision damaged Apnok beyond economical repair.[7][8] South Korea
returned her to the U.S. Navy on 3 September 1952 for disposal.

Disposal

Reverting to her original name and assigned a status of "inactive out of commission in reserve" by the U.S. Navy, Rockford was struck from the

Navy list on 26 May 1953 and sunk as a torpedo target
on 30 September 1953.

Awards

The U.S. Navy awarded Rockford two

battle stars
for her World War II service.

References
  1. ^
    large infantry landing craft (LCI(L)s) and information on p. 27 about the transfer of USS Coronado (PF-38)
    , which Russell says typified the transfer process. As sources, Russell cites Department of the Navy, Ships Data: U.S. Naval Vessels Volume II, 1 January 1949, (NAVSHIPS 250-012), Washington, DC: Bureau of Ships, 1949; and Berezhnoi, S. S., Flot SSSR: Korabli i suda lendliza: Spravochnik ("The Soviet Navy: Lend-Lease Ships and Vessels: A Reference"), St. Petersburg, Russia: Belen, 1994.
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-945274-35-1, p. 39, which includes access to Soviet-era records unavailable during the Cold War
    , reports that the transfer date was 26 August 1945. As sources, Russell cites Department of the Navy, Ships Data: U.S. Naval Vessels Volume II, 1 January 1949, (NAVSHIPS 250-012), Washington, DC: Bureau of Ships, 1949; and Berezhnoi, S. S., Flot SSSR: Korabli i suda lendliza: Spravochnik ("The Soviet Navy: Lend-Lease Ships and Vessels: A Reference"), St. Petersburg, Russia: Belen, 1994.
  3. ^
    large infantry landing craft (LCI(L)s) and information on p. 27 about the transfer of USS Coronado (PF-38)
    , which Russell says typified the transfer process. As sources, Russell cites Department of the Navy, Ships Data: U.S. Naval Vessels Volume II, 1 January 1949, (NAVSHIPS 250-012), Washington, DC: Bureau of Ships, 1949; and Berezhnoi, S. S., Flot SSSR: Korabli i suda lendliza: Spravochnik ("The Soviet Navy: Lend-Lease Ships and Vessels: A Reference"), St. Petersburg, Russia: Belen, 1994.
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-945274-35-1, p. 39, which includes access to Soviet-era records unavailable during the Cold War
    , reports that the ship's Soviet name was EK-18. As sources, Russell cites Department of the Navy, Ships Data: U.S. Naval Vessels Volume II, 1 January 1949, (NAVSHIPS 250-012), Washington, DC: Bureau of Ships, 1949; and Berezhnoi, S. S., Flot SSSR: Korabli i suda lendliza: Spravochnik ("The Soviet Navy: Lend-Lease Ships and Vessels: A Reference"), St. Petersburg, Russia: Belen, 1994.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-945274-35-1
    , p. 39.
  6. ISBN 0-945274-35-1
    , pp. 37–38, 39.
  7. ^ NavSource Online: Patrol Frigate Photo Archive: Rockford (PF-48) ex-PG-156
  8. ^ United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command Korean War: Chronology of U.S. Pacific Fleet Operations, May 1952

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Rockford (PF-48).
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