USSOahu(PR-6)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSOahu |
| Namesake | The island ofOahuin Hawaii |
| Builder | Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works |
| Launched | 26 November 1927, as PG-46 |
| Commissioned | 22 October 1928, as PY-6 |
| Stricken | 8 May 1942 |
| Honours and awards | 1battle star |
| Fate | Sunk by enemy action, 5 May 1942 |
| General characteristics[1] | |
| Displacement | 450 long tons (460 t) |
| Length | 191 ft (58 m) |
| Beam | 28 ft 1 in (8.56 m) |
| Draft | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) |
| Propulsion | 1,900 hp triple expansion engines |
| Speed | 15knots(17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Complement | 55 |
| Armament |
|
The firstUSSOahu(PR-6),aYangtze Rivergunboat, was laid down byKiangnan Dock and Engineering Works,Shanghai, China,18 December 1926; launched as PG–46 on 26 November 1927; sponsored by Mrs. Bryson Bruce, wife of Comdr. Bruce; and commissioned 22 October 1928.
Service history
[edit]One of six river gunboats built for use on theYangtzeKiang in south centralChina,OahudepartedShanghaion her shakedown cruise 3 November 1928, proceeding upriver toChongqing,1,300 miles (2,100 km) inland, stopping at the open treaty ports en route and returning to Shanghai 2 June 1929. She then operated all along the Yangtze from the river's mouth to Chongqing and in the tributaries in protection of American lives and property into the 1930s. In the course of her service with theYangtze Patrol Force,the gunboat convoyed American and foreign merchantmen up and down the river, supplied armed guards to U.S. and British river craft, landed bluejackets at treaty ports threatened by unrest and evacuated foreign nationals in times of danger.
Beginning in 1934,Oahutook up duty as station ship at various Yangtze ports supplying the increasing river traffic with naval armed guard detachments on a regular basis. Serving station ship duty atYichang,Chongqing,Hankou,Wuhu,andNanjinginto 1937, the gunboat made intermittent patrols down the length of the river on convoy duty and then following the Japanese invasion ofChinain July, served as escort for merchantmen and protected American neutrality in the conflict. Following the sinking of sister gunboatPanayoff Nanjing by Japanese planes 12 December 1937,Oahupicked up the survivors and carried them toShanghai,returning to the scene of the incident to conduct salvage operations.
As the Japanese campaign in China grew, the gunboat operated only on the lower river as far asWuhuand Hankou, in addition serving as station ship and radio relay vessel for American officials at the temporary U.S. embassy at Nanjing. Whenever the warship attempted to cruise the river on regular patrol, she was convoyed by Japanese minesweepers that kept watch on her movements while protecting her from attacks by their planes.Oahuremained as station ship at ports below Hankou, returning to the latter city to refit and give liberty to her crew until late in November 1941 and then, under orders of Commander,Asiatic Fleetdeparted Shanghai for thePhilippinesas signs of approaching war with Japan became clearer.
Following a long and difficult voyage across theSouth China Sea,the gunboat, never designed for open sea operations, arrived atManila Bayin the week before the attack onPearl Harbor.When war began, the warship operated in and aroundManila BayandCavite Navy Yardon inshore patrol and in support of U.S.-Filipino forces onBataanuntil after the fall of that peninsula 8 April 1942, and then continued to operate about the island fortress ofCorregidoruntil sunk by enemy gunfire on 5 May. She was struck from theNavy Listthree days later.
On the night of 5 April, during theBattle of Bataan,theMindanaoandOahuengaged the Japanese 21st Independent Engineer Regiment sailing south off Bataan's east coast, sinking several enemy craft.[2]
Oahu,one of the last "old China hands", never actually voyaged to the U.S. She received onebattle starforWorld War IIservice. She is sunk at the "tadpole's tail end" at Corregidor (in 20 feet of water). The only thing showing is the ship's railing. Everything else is buried in the very small coral gravel. She may have sunk and washed up in the bay at the end of the island, and slowly settled down into the sand and gravel and still lies there.
Awards
[edit]- Yangtze Service Medal
- China Service Medal
- American Defense Service Medalwith "FLEET" clasp
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalwith onebattle star
- World War II Victory Medal
- Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
- Philippine Defense Medalwith star
References
[edit]- ^Silverstone, Paul H (1966).U.S. Warships of World War II.Doubleday and Company. p. 243.
- ^Whitman, John (1990).Bataan: Our Last Ditch.New York: Hippocrene Books. pp. 498–499.ISBN0870528777.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.The entry can be foundhere.
External links
[edit]Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1942 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
