USS PC-1264
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USS ''PC-1264'' was a built for the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. She was one of only two U.S. Navy ships to have a predominantly
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
enlisted complement during the war, the other being the . ''PC-1264'' was in service for less than two years, but the performance of her crew—and of USS ''Mason''s—led the U.S. Navy to reevaluate its perception of African Americans as members of the fleet. Although sold for scrapping, the ship remains at the Donjon Marine Yard in
Rossville, Staten Island Rossville is a neighborhood of Staten Island, New York (state), New York, on the island's South Shore, Staten Island, South Shore. It is located to the north of Woodrow, Staten Island, Woodrow, to the west of Arden Heights, Staten Island, Arden He ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
.


Career

USS ''PC-1264'' was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
at Consolidated Shipbuilding Company in Morris Heights, Bronx, New York, on 7 October 1943 and launched on 28 November 1943.Priolo and Radigan 2005. ''PC-1264'' was a
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. This patrol class of submarine chaser was intended to intercept and destroy German
U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
s stationed off the coast of the United States. Less expensive and faster to build than
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
s or even
destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...
s, and requiring smaller crews, they quickly filled an important need for coastal
convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
protection and
anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...
. ''PC-1264'' was commissioned in April 1944 and decommissioned in February 1946, serving a little less than 22 months as a U.S. Navy fighting ship.


Segregated ships

On 9 December 1941, the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
sent a telegram to
Frank Knox William Franklin Knox (January 1, 1874 – April 28, 1944) was an American politician, soldier, newspaper editor, and publisher. He was the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1936 and Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt d ...
,
U.S. Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
, asking that African Americans be accepted into the navy in other than the
messman A steward's assistant (SA) is an unlicensed, entry-level crewmember in the Steward's department of a merchant ship. This position can also be referred to as steward (the usual term on British ships), galley utilityman, messman, supply, waiter or ...
branch. This request was refused. A 17 December letter from the NAACP to President Roosevelt resulted in the president turning the matter over to Mark Ethridge, chairman of the
Fair Employment Practices Committee A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...
. This committee also received a negative response from the Navy Department. The president then sent a note to Secretary Knox stating:
I think that with all the Navy activities, BUNAV might find something that colored enlistees could do in addition to the rating of messman.Purdon 1972. pp. 17–25.
The navy's
General Board The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, somewhat akin to a naval general staff. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by Secretary of the Navy John ...
, the group charged with the formulation of navy policy, countered with a suggestion that African Americans either be enlisted as messmen, or, "...if this proved not feasible," for general service. The problem was that the navy believed that integrated units would disrupt discipline aboard ships, entirely ignoring the fact that integrated crews had worked successfully aboard U.S. Navy ships during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. The president responded, agreeing that "...to go the whole way in one fell swoop would seriously impair the general average efficiency of the Navy," but still felt that something could be worked out. On 27 March 1942, the Board replied, "The General Board fully recognizes, and appreciates the social and economic problems involved, and has striven to reconcile these requirements with what it feels must be paramount at any consideration, namely the maintenance at the highest level of the fighting efficiency of the Navy...", adding that "...if so ordered.." Negro units could be used "...with least disadvantage..." in shore establishments, local defense vessels, construction units and selected
Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...
cutters.Purdon 1972. pp. 17–25. On 7 April, the president 'so ordered,' and the navy announced that—beginning on 1 June—Negroes could enlist for the general service. As a result, the groundwork was laid for establishing African-American crews on USS ''Mason'' and USS ''PC-1264''.Purdon 1972. pp. 17–25.


Commanding officers and POs

White officer
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
Eric S. Purdon served as ''PC-1264''s commanding officer from her commissioning on 25 April 1944 until 17 September 1945. He was replaced by his engineering officer,
Lieutenant (jg) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), is ...
Ernest V. Hardman, who served as skipper until 31 October 1945. The third commanding officer was Lieutenant (jg) Jack W. Sutherland who came aboard on 31 October and helped decommission ''PC-1264'' on 7 February 1946.Purdon 1972, p. 251. From that point, until ''PC-1264'' was out of service, she was in the charge of African American
Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...
Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Ensign Gravely had first reported aboard on 2 May 1945, and, at the time of the ship's decommissioning, was serving as her executive officer. ''PC-1264'' was the first sailing assignment of future
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
Gravely, the first African American to attain that rank.Purdon 1972, p. 251. In addition to the all-white officer complement, until the day Ensign Gravely reported aboard, eight white navy
Petty Officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers. Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...
s (PO), one in each specialty required on ''PC-1264'', were also assigned to the ship. Their job was to train the African-American crew until Lt. Purdon considered some of the men expert enough in their specialty to rate promotion to petty officer. Months later, when eight African-American crewmen were promoted in their specialties, the white petty officers were transferred. This made ''PC-1264'' the only U.S. Navy ship with a completely African-American crew, as USS ''Mason'' never replaced its white petty officers with African Americans.


Training incidents

On 30 April 1944, after four days of intensive drills, ''PC-1264'' went up the
Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
to Iona Island to load ammunition for her guns for the first time. After loading, Lt. Purdon expected to moor there for the night, but was not allowed due to the danger from the large amount of ammunition stored there. Looking for a berth for the night, he called the duty office of the nearby
U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the United States Army. The academy was founded ...
at
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
to ask if his ship could tie up at its pier. There was some confusion, as no Navy ship had tied up there in recent history. However, ''PC-1264'', with its mostly African-American crew was made welcome, and numerous visitors walked along the dock inspecting her. In addition, the U.S. Army provided two buses, and many of the enlisted crewmen were taken on a tour of the academy under the guidance of knowledgeable sergeants. Unfortunately for ''PC-1264'', a number of other U.S. Navy bases and towns where the ship moored during its tour of duty did not extend the same hospitality as West Point. Especially in the southern United States, ''PC-1264''s crew experienced various degrees of racial intolerance. For example, although most U.S. Navy seamen from nearby training facilities took their swimming tests off a pier at the municipal public beach at
Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...
, on the day the crew of ''PC-1264'' was supposed to qualify, the city of Miami Beach refused the use of its public beach for the training of Negroes. At the Submarine Chaser Training Center in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, the civilian guards at the gate often took a long time inspecting the crew's ID cards and passes when the men were entering and leaving the base, far longer than the time spent inspecting white seamen. Then one day, this suddenly stopped. It took some time before the officers of ''PC-1264'' were able to discover why. At a local bar, white seamen of another anti-submarine patrol craft had overheard civilians talking about going down to the base to shoot up the "nigger ship." These seamen returned to base, armed themselves with rifles and pistols without authorization and went to the gate to wait. When the nervous civilian guards asked what they were doing, the white seamen explained. After that the officers and crew of ''PC-1264'' noticed that racial harassment at this base decreased significantly.


Shakedown cruise

After loading ammunition at Iona Island and leaving West Point, the ship sailed to
Fort Lafayette Fort Lafayette was an island coastal fortification in The Narrows of New York Harbor (New York Bay), built offshore from nearby Fort Hamilton at the southern tip of what is now the Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Bay Ridge neighborhood in the New York City ...
to load depth charges. Then it reported to the United States Naval Frontier Base at
Tompkinsville, Staten Island Tompkinsville is a List of Staten Island neighborhoods, neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City. Named for Daniel D. Tompkins, sixth Vice President of the United States (1817–1825), the neighborhood sits on the island's ea ...
, New York, which became the ''PC-1264''s home port. This base cared for the escort ships that accompanied convoys to many destinations. Once at Tompkinsville, the ship's crew continued training and calibrating their equipment, especially the ship's
radio direction finder Direction finding (DF), radio direction finding (RDF), or radiogoniometry is the use of radio waves to determine the direction to a radio source. The source may be a cooperating radio transmitter or may be an inadvertent source, a natural ...
. Besides checking the structural strength of the hull and target practice on the range at
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...
, the ship went through many other tests before going to sea for the first time. Finally, ''PC-1264'' was ready for its shakedown cruise to the Submarine Chaser Training Center in Miami, Florida.Purdon 1972, pp. 67–74 Upon arrival at Miami, the shakedown inspectors gave the ship and crew a rough going over for several days. However, the crew was jubilant when the ship received a glowing report. Leaving soon after on its first independent cruise, at about 10:35 am the ship encountered engine trouble and was stopped dead in the water far from land. After some delay, a naval tug returned the ship to post after midnight. On 2 July 1944, the ship's shakedown cruise and post-inspection was completed. ''PC-1264'' was then ordered to a three and a half-days' exercise at the Fleet Sound School in
Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...
. However, as far as the Submarine Chaser Training Center was concerned, ''PC-1264'' was ready. Fifteen members of the crew also received the ship's first promotions.


Escort duty

After completing Fleet Sound School, ''PC-1264'' returned to New York and reported for duty on 10 July 1944. She was assigned to Task Unit 02.9, a surface escort group based at the Naval Frontier Base, Staten Island. In the months ahead, ''PC-1264'' would escort convoys from New York to
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
or Key West and back again, or from Charleston, South Carolina to New York. She escorted the from New York to Key West so that U.S. air and sea anti-submarine forces would not confuse ''Argo'' with a German submarine. ''PC-1264'' would also serve in the role of an "enemy destroyer" to provide submarines with anti-escort training, which also gave additional anti-submarine training to ''PC-1264''s crew. Its first convoy duty was Convoy NG-448, from New York to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On 21 July sonar indicated a large unidentified object nearby and, acting on standard anti-submarine procedures, ''PC-1264'' engaged the contact for three hours before leaving to rejoin the convoy, which was now safely out of range. Afterwards, she regularly escorted convoys from New York to Key West and back again. In September 1944, the engineering section discovered a series of cracks between the engine mounts and bedplates (girders supporting the engines) that were welded to the ship's hull. These bedplates distributed the engine's weight along the hull. Base engineering confirmed that poor welding during construction was responsible for the cracks. The base engineer also stated that a heavy sea could shift the engines off their supports and sink the ship. As a result, ''PC-1264'' was relieved from duty and towed to the Navy Yard Annex, at Bayonne, New Jersey. This may have saved the lives of the crew, as the convoy they were preparing to escort later encountered a hurricane with heavy seas. In all probability, ''PC-1264'' would have been lost. After the ship was repaired and passed sea trials, ''PC-1264'' reported again to its Tompkinsville base. It was there, during the first week of November, that the eight white Petty Officers received orders detaching them from ''PC-1264'', and their places were taken by eight, newly promoted, black Petty Officers.


Independent anti-submarine duty

In early January 1945, as ''PC-1264'' and other escort ships were sailing with a convoy to Key West, the command vessel received a radio message from Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters detaching three of the ships, including ''PC-1264'', and ordering their return to New York. While ''PC-1264'' would escort one more convoy during the war, her primary mission now was anti-submarine duty. The capture of
German spies German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ger ...
landed by during November 1944, and the statement by one of the spies that the Germans were preparing to launch V-1 and
V-2 rocket The V2 (), with the technical name ''Aggregat (rocket family), Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range missile guidance, guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the S ...
s by submarines against major U.S. ports, forced the U.S. Navy to respond by increasing its active anti-submarine forces. ''PC-1264'' was part of that increase and began patrolling areas from
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
south to Cape Charles, the entrance to the
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
. On 17 January, ''PC-1264'' unloaded her ammunition, then proceeded to the Luders Marine Construction Company in
Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...
, to have her bottom cleaned and receive a new coat of paint on her underwater hull. She arrived on 18 January and was in drydock for three days. For the next three months, ''PC-1264'' patrolled a line running north by east for from Buoy "Able," the farthest seaward buoy marking the mine-swept channel into New York, away. Despite the monotony and the winter weather, the duty was pleasant, as ''PC-1264'' spent seven days at sea and then five days in port. On 28 February, while engaged in a practice "anti-submarine' run against Buoy Able, ''PC-1264'' may have flushed a German submarine that was using Buoy Able as cover against sonar from patrolling vessels. As the ship neared the end of the practice run against the buoy, the sonar operator reported "Target bearing left rapidly." Lt. Purdon quickly realized what had probably happened and ''PC-1264'' actively engaged the target with Mark 22 Antisubmarine Projectiles. This continued for several hours, and, at one point, two crewmen claimed to have seen a submarine
conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armoured, from which an officer in charge can conn (nautical), conn (conduct or control) the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for t ...
rise briefly then sink back into the turbulence. Eventually the signal disappeared. While
Eastern Sea Frontier The Eastern Sea Frontier (EASTSEAFRON) was a United States Navy operational command during World War II, that was responsible for the Sea Frontier along coastal waters from Canada to Jacksonville, Florida, extending out for a nominal distance of ...
headquarters believed that the ship had engaged a false signal, the crew always believed that they had flushed ''U-866'', a damaged submarine sunk two weeks later off Sable Island, east of Nova Scotia. On 23 April, ''PC-1264'' left Tompkinsville on her last patrol. On 25 April, while at sea, the ship received new orders. ''PC-1264'' was ordered to proceed to Charleston, South Carolina and assume command of the escort ships for Convoy KN-382. Although ''PC-1264'' had participated in escorting many convoys, this was the first time she was to be in command of the escort group. This was an indication of the confidence Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters now had in ''PC-1264''. On 27 April, ''PC-1264'', accompanied by ''PC-1149'' and ''PC-1547'', led 30 merchant ships out of Charleston harbor. The convoy was to sail eastward to rendezvous with a smaller convoy heading north from Key West. The next morning, the 30-ship convoy met the northbound convoy of nine merchantmen escorted by three frigates and three subchasers. was in command of this convoy and ''PC-1264'' reported in, turned over command of the 30 merchantmen, and assumed position on the starboard beam of the joining convoys. With the arrival of the three subchasers from Charleston, two of the smaller subchasers were detached for other duties. The next afternoon, two of the frigates also left. On 29 April, the convoy encountered ''U-879'', which was attacked by USS ''Natchez''. The convoy and the other escorts, including ''PC-1264'', continued on course with USS ''Natchez'' to deal with ''U-879''. Later that night the convoy encountered Task Group 02.10, a Hunter-Killer Group, which passed down the port side of the convoy on its way assist USS ''Natchez''. Two of the destroyer escorts in this group participated in the sinking of ''U-879'', one of the last anti-submarine actions of the war in the Atlantic.


Battle of the Atlantic ends

Convoy NK-686 started from New York with 28 cargo ships and tankers with ''PC-1264'' as one of the convoy's five escort ships. While the war in Europe had officially ended the day before, the Commander of Eastern Sea Frontier was not taking any chances that individual German submarines might continue the battle. As the convoy headed south toward Key West, 15 ships joined when it passed the Chesapeake Bay, while others left it for the ports of Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville. Then, on 15 May, Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters was convinced the danger was over, and the merchantmen were dispersed to head for their destinations alone. The escort ships, Task Unit 02.9.10, were ordered to Key West for a week's training before returning to New York. On the return trip to Tompkinsville, New York, where Task Unit 02.9.10 arrived on 25 May, the crews' concern was where they were headed next, as there was still a war in the Pacific. As ''PC-1264'' remained in a crowded anchorage filled with numerous other escort vessels, the crew watched as many other submarine chasers had their K-guns, that fired the
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
s, removed and their 20 mm guns replaced by twin-barreled guns of the same caliber. These ships were headed for the Pacific where men-of-war needed heavy anti-aircraft defenses against Japanese suicide planes. Finally the word came down:
From Chief of Naval Operations. To USS PC1264. When in all respects ready for sea, and when directed by Commander Eastern Sea Frontier, you will proceed to Norfolk, Virginia, and report to Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, for training. Upon completion of refresher training, you will proceed via Canal Zone and report to Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet.
''PC-1264'' soon had her K-guns removed from the afterdeck, and on 31 July she left for Norfolk. After an inspection by base personnel, ''PC-1264'' left for Miami and arrived at the Submarine Chaser Training Center on 5 August. ''PC-1264'' was due to remain at the center for ten days training, but an incident cut that time short. One night, at a club that served African Americans, a small fight resulted in the club owner calling the
Shore Patrol Shore patrol (SP) are service members who are provided to aid in security for the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, United States Marine Corps, and the British Royal Navy while on shore.Cutler and Cutler, p 202 They are often tem ...
. When the three white members of the Shore Patrol arrived—a Navy Chief, another enlisted sailor, and an army MP—the chief stayed with the vehicle while the other two entered the club. There, they spotted a black sailor in an officer's uniform. Since impersonating an officer is a Federal offense, the MP went over to that man. The man suspected of "impersonating an officer" was actually Ensign Sam Gravely. When the MP told Ensign Gravely that the chief wanted to see him, Gravely replied, "If the Chief wants to see me, tell him to come here."—following correct naval protocol for an enlisted man to come to an officer. The MP then grabbed Ensign Gravely out of his chair. "Take it easy," Ensign Gravely shouted to the other men in the club who were visibly upset; then added, "This is only a mistake." Then to the MP, he said, "Let's go." However, the word spread quickly that Ensign Gravely was being arrested. Black sailors converged on the MP and the Shore Patrol chief radioed for reinforcements. Two more Shore Patrol vehicles with more men soon arrived, to find Ensign Gravely trying to calm the men and explain the mistake to the Shore Patrol. However, Shore Patrol personnel in the two vehicles quickly emerged and forced a number of ''PC-1264''s crew into the trucks. Ensign Gravely got into the chief's vehicle, and all proceeded to Shore Patrol Headquarters. One of ''PC-1264''s crew ran for the ship to tell the captain what had happened. When Lieutenant Purdon arrived at Shore Patrol headquarters he found the Shore Patrol officer on duty apologizing to Ensign Gravely as the Ensign had explained the MP's mistake. However, the men who had moved against the Shore Patrol, seeking to defend Ensign Gravely, were charged with "Refusal to Obey Orders of Shore Patrol," "Interference with Shore Patrol," two charges of "Drunk and Disorderly," and one charge of "Drunk." The next morning at base headquarters, Lieutenant Purdon was informed that the admiral commanding the naval district wanted Lieutenant Purdon to "institute general count martial proceedings against that ensign for 'conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman'". Lieutenant Purdon, as the commanding officer of ''PC-1264'', refused, citing ''Navy Regulations'' that a commandant of a naval district could not order a ship's captain to bring charges against any officer under that ship captain's command. The base adjutant, hearing and understanding the facts behind the incident, advised Lieutenant Purdon to restrict his men to the ship and, therefore, out of reach of the Shore Patrol and the admiral, which Lieutenant Purdon did. ''PC-1264'' spent four more days in training and left Miami for Key West.


End of the war

Key West was as far west as ''PC-1264'' ever sailed. The day after her arrival,
President Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th Vice president of the United States, vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Frank ...
announced that an atomic bomb had been dropped on Japan. With her orders canceled, ''PC-1264'' waited at Key West for three weeks. Eventually, the
Bureau of Naval Personnel The Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) in the United States Department of the Navy is similar to the human resources department of a corporation. The bureau provides administrative leadership and policy planning for the Office of the Chief of N ...
issued plans for
demobilization Demobilization or demobilisation (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or becaus ...
. Lieutenant Purdon requested to be released from active duty and recommended that Lieutenant (jg) Ernest Hardmann, his executive officer, be given command. On 5 September, orders arrived for ''PC-1264'' to proceed to Norfolk, where Lieutenant Purdon would turn over command to Lt. Hardmann. ''PC-1264'' arrived at Norfolk on 10 September, and the change of command ceremony took place on 17 September. Before this ceremony, members of the crews already were being released from active duty or transferred to other stations. Also, the crew presented Lieutenant Purdon with a desk lamp with the inscription "USS PC 1264 We Will Never Fail." Afterwards, the ship stayed at Norfolk for six more weeks, then moved to the
Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility ...
, just up the Elizabeth River. In early October, ''PC-1264'' was honored by being selected as one of forty-seven representative warships for a review of the fleet by President Truman on
Navy Day Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. By country Argentina The Argentine Navy day is celebrated on May 17, anniversary of the victory achieved in 1814 against the Spanish fleet in the action of 14 ...
, 27 October. On 24 October, she sailed from Norfolk to New York, where the review was to be held. Soon after ''PC-1264'' left Norfolk, her new commanding officer, Lieutenant (jg) Jack Sutherland, arrived—after traveling there from New York. He was sent back to New York and arrived there soon after his new command. However, he would not take command until after Navy Day. ''PC-1264'', as the smallest vessel, was at the tail end of the Fleet review. However, President Truman, on board the destroyer , circled ''PC-1264'' and waved to the crew. Both before and after the fleet review, ''PC-1264'' held "open house" for families and friends of the crew and other interested persons, especially from the African-American community which had great pride in the ship's accomplishments. On 31 October, Lieutenant (jg) Sutherland assumed command. On 4 November, the ship sailed for New London, Connecticut, where it spent all of November and half of December assisting in the training of submarine officers, as a target ship for them to practice submarine runs on. On 15 December, ''PC-1264'' returned to Tompkinsville for Christmas leave. While on leave, Ensign Ben Shanker, the executive officer, received orders to the Pacific and did not return to the ship. When the crew returned, Ensign Sam Gravely was the new executive officer. Soon after, ''PC-1264'' returned to New London for its submarine training duty. However, ''PC-1264'' then received orders to return to New York "for disposal." On 7 February 1946, five officers and twenty-eight enlisted men stood at attention as ''PC-1264'' was officially decommissioned. The war records of the submarine chaser ''PC-1264'' and the destroyer escort USS ''Mason'' considerably contributed to opening up billets for African Americans in the post-war navy. As a final honor for ''PC-1264'', the officer-in-charge of the final inspection party remarked, "This ship has done a better job of decommissioning—is in better shape—than any other ship, at least, here in New York." Because of her condition, ''PC-1264'' became the subchaser used as a showcase for prospective civilian purchasers.


After the war

After ''PC-1264'' was decommissioned, she was transferred to the
United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The co ...
for final disposition. , she was extant—albeit in poor repair—at the former Donjon Marine Yard in New York. Two 1990-era photographs show her heavily rusted, but still afloat amid other hulks. Like many officers, Lieutenant Purdon left the U.S. Navy after the war but remained in the Naval Reserve. He worked as an intelligence analyst for the
Central Intelligence Group The Central Intelligence Group (CIG) was the direct successor to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), and the Strategic Services Unit (SSU), and the direct predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The official duties of CIG as quo ...
until 1948, when he was recalled to active duty. He retired in 1963 with the rank of
commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
. Eric Purdon then held civilian jobs with the
Commerce Department The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econo ...
,
Office of Economic Opportunity The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States president Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda. It was established in 1964 a ...
and the
Job Corps Job Corps is a program administered by the United States Department of Labor that offers free education and vocational training to young people ages 16 to 24.
, and was also an author. He died in 1989.Los Angeles Times 1989.


Citations


References

* ''Los Angeles Times''
Eric S. Purdon; Helped Integrate Navy
10 December 1989. (Commander Purdon's obituary) * Purdon, Eric (1972). ''Black Company: The Story of Subchaser 1264.'' Robert C. Luce, Washington/New York. * Priolo, Gary, and Joe Radigan. (2005)

* U.S. Navy. USS ''PC-1264 (1944–1948)''

* Veigele, William J. (2003). ''PC Patrol Craft of World War II: A History of the Ships and Their Crews.'' Santa Barbara, CA: Astral Publishing Co. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pc-1264 PC-461-class submarine chasers Ships built in Morris Heights, Bronx 1943 ships World War II patrol vessels of the United States Black history in the United States military