 USS St. Augustine
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS St. Augustine |
| Namesake | St. Augustine, Florida |
| Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA |
| Cost | $1,250,000 |
| Acquired | 5 December 1940 |
| Commissioned | 16 January 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk in collision 6 January 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Gunboat |
| Displacement | 1,720 long tons (1,748 t) (full) |
| Length | 272 ft 2 in (82.96 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Draft | 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h) |
| Complement | 185 |
| Armament | 2 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 cal guns |
USS St. Augustine (PG-54) was built in 1929 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. in Newport News, Virginia. She was originally a steel-hulled yacht named Viking and later named Noparo. She was purchased by the US Navy on 5 December 1940 and was sent to Bethlehem Steel Corp. in Boston, Massachusetts where she was converted into a patrol gunboat. She was named St. Augustine on 9 January 1941 and commissioned as USS St. Augustine on 16 January 1941.
St. Augustine was assigned to the 1st Naval District and operated out of Boston as a patrol ship until 1942. She was transferred to the Eastern Sea Frontier where she escorted convoys between New York City and various Caribbean ports. On the night of 6 January 1944, while leading a convoy from New York to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, St. Augustine was accidentally rammed by merchant tanker Camas Meadows off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey. St. Augustine foundered within five minutes, and 115 of the 145 crewmembers on board were killed.
References
- Associated Press, "Barbara Hutton's Yacht Sinks After Collision", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Saturday 8 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 239, page 5.
- ^ Gunboat Photo Archive: St. Augustine (PG 54), retrieved 18 December 2008
- ^ St Augustine PG-54, retrieved 18 December 2008
- ^ USS Saint Augustine (PG-54), 1941-1944, retrieved 18 December 2008
| Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in January 1944 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents | |
1943  1944  1945 December 1943 February 1944 | |
| United States naval ship classes of World War II | |
|---|---|
| Aircraft carriers | |
| Light aircraft carriers | |
| Escort carriers | |
| Battleships | |
| Large cruisers | |
| Heavy cruisers | |
| Light cruisers | |
| Gunboats | |
| Destroyers | |
| Destroyer escorts | |
| Patrol frigates | |
| Patrol boats | |
| Minelayers | |
| Minesweepers | |
| Submarines | |
| Tankers | |
| Cargo ships | |
| Auxiliary ships | |
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