Martinez PC-1244

Martinez

A city in western California on Suisun Bay.

(PC-1244 : dp. 280; 1. 17318" ; b. 23'; dr. 10'10" ; s. 20.2 k cpl. 65, a. 1 3", 1 40mm., 3 20mm., 2 dct., 4 dcp., 2 rkt. el. PC-461)

Martinez was laid down as PC-1244 20 January 1943 by' Nashville Bridge Co., Nashville, Tenn.; launched 8 May 1943; and commissioned 5 October 1943 at New Orleans, Lt. Comdr. W. W. Bowie in command.

After shakedown training directed by the Submarine Chaser Training Center, Miami, Fla., PC-1244 operated out of Key West protecting convoys to Galveston, Tex., and Guantanamo, Cuba. On 9 February 1944 she arrived Staten Island, N.Y., for duty with the eastern sea frontier. Individual escort and convoy duty to Bermuda and Guantanamo absorbed her efforts until 4 July.

Departing the American theater, PC-1244 steamed out of Chesapeake Bay for the Mediterranean. Sailing via Bizerte, Tunisia, she arrived Palermo, Sicily 29 July to begin 10 months of patrol and escort duty with the 8th Fleet, She saw the invasion beaches of southern France in August but primarily operated along the Italian coast. In March 1945, PC-1244 helped to transfer Canadian troops from Legborn, Italy, to Marseilles, France. Destined to become one of the most far ranging of the patrol craft, she returned to Key West 18 June to prepare for duty in the Pacific.

An extensive yard period converted her into an amphibious control vessel, and she was redesignated PCC-1244, 20 August, 12 days after she departed for Pearl Harbor. The end of the war failed to halt her westward voyage as she sailed on to the Caroline Islands.

In the fall she escorted a group of LCIs as they collected Japanese prisoners and carried them to Yap Island. The year ended with the ship moored at Guam where -he remained until heading home 24 April 1946, arriving San Diego 4 June.

In December PCC-1244 operated for brief periods as an air-sea rescue vessel and during the next few years she engaged in periodic exercises off Coronado Roads. PCC-1244 sailed to Pearl Harbor in October 1949, and began inactivation at Bremerton, Wash., 7 November. She decommissioned 15 February 1950 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She was redesignated PC-1244, on 27 October 1955 and named Martinez 15 February 1956. Her name was struck from the Navy list 1 July 1960 and she was .sold at Astoria to Ship & Power Corp., 19 May 1961.

PC-1244 received one battle star for World War 11 service.