USS ''Fairview'' (EPCE(R)-850) was a United States Navy ''PCE(R)-848''-class Patrol Craft Escort (Rescue), in commission from April 1944 to May 1968. It was named after
Fairview, New Jersey
Fairview is a borough located in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough had a total population of 13,835,surrender of Japan in
Tokyo Bay
is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous ...
at the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Role
The ''PCER-848'' class was an armed rescue ship built on the hull of the PCE (Patrol Craft Escort) by the
Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company
The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...
in Chicago, Illinois. The ships were to serve three missions: damage control / firefighting; casualty treatment / evacuation; and patrol / guardship. Each ship's hospital contained 65 beds, with a surgical suite, and X-ray facilities. The medical department consisted of a staff of 11 doctors and hospital corpsmen.
Three ships of the class—''PCER-848'', ''-849'' and ''-850''—were refitted and their hospital spaces converted into communications centers to support the US Army's activities in the Pacific Theater.
Service history
The ship was laid down on 6 October 1943 by the
Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company
The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...
of Chicago, and launched on 8 February 1944. Commissioned as USS ''PCE(R)-850'' on 17 April 1944, the ship was converted to a communications ship at
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, Australia, in September 1944.
The ship was engaged in testing anti-submarine devices during the period of 1948–1950, based out of
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...
. It was named USS ''Fairview'' on 15 February 1956, and was reclassified as EPCE(R)-850, an Experimental Patrol Craft Escort (Rescue), in 1959.
The ship was decommissioned on 1 May 1968, and later sold.