USS Luzon (PG-47)

Gunboat of the United States Navy

For other ships with the same name, see USS Luzon.

USS Luzon PG-47/PR-7

History
United States
Name| USS Luzon
Namesake| Luzon
Builder| Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai
Laid down| 20 November 1926
Launched| 12 September 1927
Commissioned| 1 June 1928
Stricken| 8 May 1942
Honors &
awards| 1 battle star
Fate| Scuttled 6 May 1942
Japan
Name| Karatsu
Fate| Torpedoed 3 March 1944; scuttled 5 February 1945
General characteristics [1]
Displacement| 500 long tons (508 t)
Length| 210 ft 9 in (64.24 m)
Beam| 31 ft (9.4 m)
Draft| 6 ft (1.8 m)
Speed| 16 kn (30 km/h)
Complement| 80
Armament|

* 2 × 3 in (76 mm) caliber guns
* 10 × .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine guns

The first USS Luzon (PG-47) was laid down 20 November 1926 by the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai, China; launched 12 September 1927; sponsored by Miss Mary C. Carter, daughter of Commander Andrew F. Carter, USN; and commissioned 1 June 1928.

## Service history

[edit]

One of eight gunboats built for service on the Yangtze River in China, Luzon was redesignated PR-7 on 15 June. From commissioning until December 1938, she served as the flagship of the Yangtze River Patrol, operating out of Hankou, between such ports as Nanjing, Chongqing, and Shanghai. In August 1937, after the Japanese had attacked Shanghai, Luzon evacuated the American Embassy staff to Chongqing.

In December 1938 the river gunboat arrived at Shanghai to relieve Augusta (CA-31) as station ship. Except for infrequent calls at Nanjing, Wuhu and other ports on the Yangtze, she remained off Shanghai until 29 November 1941 when she departed for the Philippines.

The Luzon in 1928 during standardization

Luzon arrived at Manila on 30 December, just 23 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. She then began patrol operations in the waters of the Philippines, assisting in the defense of both Bataan, from 1 February until the surrender of the peninsula to the Japanese 9 April, and Corregidor, from the beginning evacuations of that entrance island to Manila Bay until the enemy landings 5 May.

The next day, with the surrender of the Corregidor and Manila Bay forts to the Japanese, Luzon, along with Oahu (PR-6) and Quail (AM-15), were scuttled in Manila Bay to prevent capture, and subsequently struck from the Navy List on 8 May 1942.

## Service in Japan

[edit]

In late May 1942, the Luzon was salvaged by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and repair begun at the 103rd Repair Facility at Cavite. Her forward 3-inch AA gun was replaced by a built-up superstructure and her bow was adorned with two Imperial crests, one on each side. On 1 August, Luzon was renamed Karatsu (唐津) by the Japanese, after the city of Karatsu and assigned to the Sasebo Naval District. There, she was assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet's Third Southern Expeditionary Fleet, then commanded by Vice Admiral Ibō Takahashi. Although classified by the Japanese as a river gunboat, repair work continued to convert her into a sea-going submarine chaser, including the installation of a sonar system. Refit work was completed on 14 October, and she was reassigned to the Cebu Guard Unit the following day.

For the next two years, she operated mostly in conjunction with Imperial Japanese Army to conduct counter-guerrilla operations, with secondary escort/patrol missions. It was during one of these missions the she helped sink the submarine Cisco (SS-290), assisted by two Nakajima B5Ns from the IJN 954th Air Group (海軍第954航空隊九七艦攻). On 3 March 1944, the Karatsu was torpedoed off the Philippine Islands by the Narwhal (SS-167), and had to be towed back to Cebu with her bow blown back to the bridge. The damage was too extensive for repairs at Cebu, and she was towed to Manila to No. 103 Repair Facility at Cavite. On 22 January 1945, before the repairs could be completed, she was ordered to depart Manila as soon as possible. Unable to complete the work in time, the IJN decided to scuttle her in order to block a channel in Manila Bay on 5 February. On 10 April, Karatsu was struck from the IJN naval list.

## Awards

[edit]

* Yangtze Service Medal
* China Service Medal
* American Defense Service Medal with "FLEET" clasp
* Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with one battle star
* World War II Victory Medal
* Philippine Defense Medal

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Silverstone, Paul H (1966). U.S. Warships of World War II. Doubleday and Company. p. 243.

* This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

## External links

[edit]

* Photo gallery at NavSource

* v
* t
* e

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1942

Shipwrecks|

* 1 May: Angarstroy, Parnahyba, HMS Punjabi
* 2 May: USS Cythera, HMS Edinburgh, Hermann Schoemann, ORP Jastrząb, USS Mindanao, Mizuho, U-74
* 4 May: USS Pigeon, USS Tanager, Wa-1
* 5 May: Bévéziers, Kikuzuki, USS Genesee, Maryann
* 6 May: Alcoa Puritan, D'Entrecasteaux, Empire Buffalo, USS Luzon, USS Oahu, Tama Maru, USS Quail
* 7 May: Le Héros, Shōhō, USS Sims
* 8 May: USS Lexington, Monge, HMS Olympus
* 9 May: U-352
* 10 May: HMHS Ramb IV
* 11 May: Bedfordshire, Cape of Good Hope, HMS Kipling, HMS Lively, USS Neosho
* 12 May: Empire Dell, HMS Jackal, Okinoshima
* 13 May: Norlantic
* 14 May: Dzerzhinsky, Potrero del Llano
* 15 May: HMS Trinidad
* 17 May: Challenger, I-28, I-64
* 20 May: George Calvert
* 21 May: Faja de Oro, Elizabeth, Presidente Trujillo
* 23 May: Samuel Q. Brown
* 24 May: L-21
* 25 May: Asahi
* 26 May: Carrabulle
* 27 May: Alamar
* 28 May: Sylvan Arrow
* 29 May: Emanuele Pessagno, U-568

Other incidents|

* 1 May: USS Grenadier, HMS King George V, U-573
* 4 May: USS Mackerel
* 6 May: I-8
* 7 May: USS Neosho
* 20 May: Sylvan Arrow
* 30 May: USS R-18
* Unknown date: Chōgei, I-53

1941 1942 1943
April 1942 June 1942

* v
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* e

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1944

Shipwrecks|

* 1 Mar: HMS Gould, Sakito Maru, U-358, U-603, U-709
* 4 Mar: U-472
* 5 Mar: U-366
* 6 Mar: U-744, U-973
* 10 Mar: USS Leopold, William B. Woods, U-343, U-450, U-625, U-845
* 11 Mar: Dupleix, Fresnel, Pascal, U-380, U-410, UIT-22
* 13 Mar: Peleus, Tatsuta, U-575
* 15 Mar: Dupleix, Empire Ace, U-653
* 16 Mar: Shirakumo, U-392
* 17 Mar: U-28, U-801, U-1013
* 19 Mar: U-1059
* 20 Mar: HMS Graph, Seydlitz
* 22 Mar: Cattaro
* 23 Mar: I-42, U-575
* 24 Mar: I-32, Schwabenland, Sinkyo Maru, U-1102
* 25 Mar: U-976
* 26 Mar: USS Tullibee
* 28 Mar: HMS Syrtis, Tulagi
* 29 Mar: U-961
* 30 Mar: Akashi, HMS Laforey, Patrol Boat No. 31, U-223
* Unknown date: Goshū Maru, HMS Stonehenge, HMS Syrtis, U-851

Other incidents|

* 3 Mar: Karatsu, USS Sand Lance
* 10 Mar: I-185
* 18 Mar: I-165
* 29 Mar: USS Gunnel, I-26

1943 1944 1945
February 1944 April 1944

* v
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* e

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1945

Shipwrecks|

* 1 Feb: Ro-115
* 3 Feb: U-1279
* 4 Feb: USS Barbel, U-1014
* 5 Feb: MV Gay Viking, Karatsu
* 6 Feb: Peter Silvester
* 7 Feb: CD-53, Ro-55
* 9 Feb: U-864, U-923
* 10 Feb: Steuben
* 11 Feb: Persier, Ro-112, U-869
* 13 Feb: HMS Denbigh Castle, Ha-76, Ro-113
* 14 Feb: U-989
* 15 Feb: U-1053
* 16 Feb: U-309
* 17 Feb: HMS Bluebell, Impero, U-425, U-1273, U-1278, HMS Lark
* 18 Feb: Sperrbrecher 139, U-2344
* 20 Feb: Nokaze, TA 48, HMS Vervain, U-1276, USS S-37, USS S-38
* 21 Feb: USS Bismarck Sea, Dettifoss
* 22 Feb: HMCS Trentonian, U-300
* 23 Feb: Conte di Cavour, Henry Bacon, La Combattante, Point Pleasant Park
* 24 Feb: I-371, U-713, U-927, U-1208, U-3007
* 26 Feb: Arsterturm, I-368, I-370, Ro-43
* 27 Feb: Corvus, U-327, U-1018, U-1279
* 28 Feb: Lautaro
* Unknown date: U-676, U-683

Other incidents|

* 9 Feb: Kommandøren
* 10 Feb: USS Batfish
* 11 Feb: HMS Pathfinder
* 15 Feb: SS Charles F. Amidon, USS Crevalle
* 17 Feb: Conte di Cavour
* 18 Feb: Empire Duchess, USS Gamble, U-2336

1944 1945 1946
January 1945 March 1945
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