Knoxville PF-64

Knoxville

A major city in Tennessee.

(PF-64: dp. 1,430; 1. 303,11"; b. 37'6"; dr. 13'8"; s. 20 k.; cpl. 214 a. 3 3", 4 40-mm., 9 20mm., 9 dcp., 2 dct.; cl. Tacoma; T S2-S2-AQI)

Knoxville (PF-64) -as launched 10 July 1943 by the Sturgeon Bay , Wis., under a Leatham D. Smith Shipyard, Mrs. Cecelia Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Daniel; and commissioned 29 April 1944, Lt. Comdr. G. R. Reynolds, USCG, in command.


After shakedown out of Bermuda, Knoxville arrived Norfolk 16 November, and served briefly as convoy training ship Clearing Norfolk 11 December, she escorted UGS 63 to North Africa, arriving Oran 28 December. On her return voyage the patrol escort searched for enemy U-boats that plagued Allied shipping at the approaches to the Straits of Gibraltar and arrived Boston 20 January 1945.

During the early months of 1945, Knoxville escorted convoys across the submarine-infested Atlantic and occasionally she was dispatched for ASW search operations. Following her final escort cruise to the Azores, the patrol frigate arrived Philadelphia 1 Jane for conversion to a weather ship.

Knoxville cleared Philadelphia 17 June and two weeks later took position on air-sea rescue and weather stations off Newfoundland. For 10 months she operated from her post, flashing news of weather conditions to assist flight
operations and ship movements in the western Atlantic. Upon completion of her four Knoxville returned to Charleston, S.C., where she decommissioned 13 June 19,46 and was sold 22 September 1947 to the Dominican Republic. Knox-
ville at present serves as Capitan General Santana (F -104).