USS Earheart (APD-113)

History
United States
Name: USS Earheart (DE-603)
Namesake: James E. Earheart, Jr.
Builder: Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Massachusetts
Laid down: 20 March 1945
Reclassified: APD-113, while under construction
Launched: 12 May 1945
Sponsored by: Mrs. James Earheart
Commissioned: 26 July 1945
Decommissioned: 29 April 1946
Struck: 12 December 1963
Fate: Transferred to Mexican Navy, 12 December 1963
History
Mexico
Name: ARM Papaloapan (H04)
Namesake: Papaloapan River
Reclassified: B04
Fate: ran aground, 1976
Struck: 1976
General characteristics
Class & type: Rudderow-class destroyer escort, as ordered
Class & type: Crosley-class high speed transport, as completed
Displacement: 2,130 long tons (2,164 t) full
Length: 306 ft (93 m)
Beam: 37 ft (11 m)
Draft: 12 ft 7 in (3.84 m)
Speed: 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Troops: 162
Complement: 204
Armament:

USS Earheart (APD-113), ex-DE-603, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1946.

Construction and commissioning

Earheart was laid down as the Rudderow-class destroyer escort USS Earheart (DE-603) on 20 March 1945 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., at Hingham, Massachusetts. She was reclassified as a Crosley-class high-speed transport and redesignated APD-113 during construction, and was launched on 12 May 1945, sponsored by Mrs. James Earheart, mother of the ship's namesake, Private First Class James E. Earheart, Jr. Earheart was commissioned on 26 July 1945 with Lieutenant Commander N. M. Goodhue in command.

Service history

Earheart conducted shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during which World War II ended with the surrender of Japan on 15 August 1945. She then moved to Providence, Rhode Island, to celebrate Navy Day on 27 October 1945. Earheart then moved on to Green Cove Springs, Florida, for inactivation.

Decommissioning and disposal

Earheart was decommissioned at Green Cove Springs on 29 April 1946 and berthed there with the Florida Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in the St. Johns River. She was stricken from the Navy List on 12 December 1963.

Mexican Navy service

Earheart was transferred to Mexico on 12 December 1963. In Mexican Navy service she was named ARM Papaloapan (H04) after the Papaloapan River. She was later assigned the new pennant number of B04. Papaloapan ran aground in 1976 and was discarded by the Mexican Navy and scrapped that year.

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, January 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.