USS Hoquiam, PF-5
A coastal city in Washington.
Builder: Kaiser Cargo, Inc., Richmond, CA
Length: 303' 11"
Beam: 37' 6"
Draft: 12' 8" fl
Displacement: 2,230 tons
Propulsion: 2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers
Range: 9,500 nm at 12 knots
Top speed: 20 knots Complement: 190
Armament: 3 x 3"/50; 4 x 40mm (2x2); 9 x 20mm; 1 x Hedgehog, 8 x depth charge projectors; 2 x depth charge racks.
HISTORY:
The Coast Guard-manned USS Hoquiam (PF-5) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Cargo, Inc., Yard 4, Richmond, California on 10 April 1943 ; launched 31 July 1943 ; sponsored by Miss Helen Philbrick; and commissioned 8 May 1944, LCDR P. E. Trimble, USCG, in command. He was succeeded on 10 October 1944 by LT Joseph G. Bastow, Jr., USCG. LCDR Carlton Skinner, USCGR, succeeded Bastow on 8 March 1945. She departed Mare Island on 15 June 1944 for Kodiak, and Seattle, arriving there on August 27th, for duty with the Alaskan Sea Frontier as part of Escort Division 27. Here she patrolled island waters along the Alaskan coast. She visited Adak on 2 December 1944, and arrived at Attu, Kurile Islands on December 6th, remaining there until 11 January 1945, returning to Adak until 5 June 1945. It was during this time that LCDR Skinner took command and continued an experiment in racial integration he had begun, with the approval of the Commandant, while serving as the commanding officer of the USS Sea Cloud (IX-99). When Skinner reported aboard Hoquiam, he brought with him about thirty African-American enlisted men and two officers who had served with him aboard the Sea Cloud. Skinner later noted: "This vessel. . .remained on convoy duty along the Aleutian Chain until nearly the end of the war, when it was one of a group lend-leased to Russia. Again, it performed all its duty creditably, survived all inspections and had no major problems. There was no segregation by compartments, departments or messes and white and colored performed the duties of their rates. More colored sailors were assigned and represented about forty per cent of the crew at the time of [my] transfer." [Skinner Appearance, p. 6.]** After returning to Seattle for overhaul during June, 1945, she decommissioned at Cold Bay, Alaska, 16 August and transferred to Russia under lend-lease the same day. Returned to the U.S. Navy 1 November 1949 at Yokosuka, Japan, Hoquiam re-commissioned 27 September 1950 in the U.S. Navy. After returning to Yokosuka 9 September, she decommissioned 5 October and was leased to the Republic of Korea. She served in the Korean Navy as Nae Tong (PF-65).
SOURCES:
**The President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, 25- 26 April, 1949. No. 252-55-61. Appearance of Mr. Carlton Skinner, Director of Information, Department of the Interior, Monday, 25 April 1949.
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. III, p. 364.
The Coast Guard at War V: Transports & Escorts: Volume I. Washington, DC: U.S. Coast Guard, pp. 140-141.