Courage PG-70

Courage

Bravery; unflinching determination in the face of danger or difficulty.

(PG-70: dp. 925; 1. 205'2"; b. 33'; dr. 14'7", s. 16 k.;
cpl. 87; a. 1 4", 1 3"; el. Temptress)

Courage (PG-70) was built in 1939 by Harland and

Wolff, Ltd., Belfast, Ireland, commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Heartsease; acquired by the Navy 18 March 1942; and commissioned 3 April 1942, Lieutenant C. S. Barker, Jr., in command.

Courage sailed from Lough Foyle, Northern Ireland 24 April 1942 on convoy escort duty to Boston, arriving 5 May. Assigned to the Caribbean Sea Frontier, shedeparted Boston 19 May for patrol duty off Guantanamo Bay, and escort duty among Caribbean ports until 21 October.

After overhaul at Charleston, S.C., Courage returned to the Caribbean 25 January 1943. She escorted a convoy to Recife, Brazil from 13 to 28 February. On the return passage, the convoy was attacked by an enemy submarine and Courage rescued 42 survivors from the torpedoed SS Thomas Rufian. She continued to escort convoys from Trinidad to Recife, and on one occasion to Rio de Janeiro, until 9 February 1944 when she returned to Charleston for an overhaul.

Reporting to Boston 1 April 1944, Courage guarded convoys between that port and Argentia, Newfoundland until 10 June when she sailed for temporary duty under Commander, Greenland Patrol. From 21 June to 16 August she escorted convoys between Narsarssuak and Grondal and paid a call to ReykJavik, Iceland, from 29 July to 14 August. She returned to the Argentia Boston run, voyaging once to Greenland, until 11 October when she began an overhaul at Boston. She returned to convoy duty 12 December.

Courage sailed from Argentia 24 January 1945 and reported to Commander, Greenland Patrol at ReykJavik 31 January for weather and plane guard duty until 11 April. After overhaul, she sailed from Boston 1 August for Harwich, England, arriving 15 August. Courage was decommissioned 22 August 1945 and returned to the Royal Navy the next day.