USS ''Uniontown'' (PF-65), a , was the only ship of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

to be named for

Uniontown, Pennsylvania Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Greater Pittsburgh Region. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census, down from 12,422 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and ...

Construction

The ship was laid down under a

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) 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, 195 ...

contract (MC hull 1489) as ''Chattanooga'' on 21 April 1943, at

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 Census. The city is well-known regionally for being the largest city of the Door Peninsula, after which the county is n ...

, by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company. Launched on 7 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Cecilia Daniel, and brought to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, for completion on 4 April 1944. She was renamed ''Uniontown'' on 16 August 1944, to free the name ''Chattanooga'' for the light cruiser , and commissioned on 6 October 1944.

Service history

World War II

Following shakedown in the Caribbean and a brief visit to Charleston, South Carolina, ''Uniontown'' joined

Task Force 61 Task Force 61 (CTF-61) is a task force of the United States Navy that today denotes what used to be designated the Mediterranean Amphibious ready group (MARG) of the United States Sixth Fleet. It is composed of approximately three Amphibious assa ...

at Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 27 December 1944 for duty as a

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 ...

escort. Two days later, the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a 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 customs and security duties to ...

-manned escort vessel got underway for the first of three round-trip voyages across the Atlantic, escorting convoys to Oran, Algeria, and back. Her first round trip lasted from 29 December 1944 to 11 February 1945; the second round trip commenced on 15 March and ended with the ship's return to New York on 9 April. On 28 April, ''Uniontown'' got underway for North Africa and her last wartime convoy escort run. While en route to

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, ''Uniontown'' received word that German forces had surrendered at

Rheims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

on 7 May, ending the long European war. Arriving at Oran on the 13th, ''Uniontown'' soon got underway for the United States and reached

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, on 8 June for conversion to a

weather ship A weather ship, or ocean station vessel, was a ship stationed in the ocean for surface and upper air meteorological observations for use in weather forecasting. They were primarily located in the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans, reportin ...

. On 3 July, outfitted for weather patrol duties, she set out for Newfoundland, and arrived at NS Argentia two days later. On 13 July, ''Uniontown'' commenced operations at Weather Station No. 3 and remained on station until 2 August. The ship returned to Grønnedal, Greenland, from 3 to 20 August in between deployments on weather patrol. The frigate served on Weather Station No. 1 from 22 August to 11 September, and subsequently at Weather Station No. 3 from 2 to 20 October before she returned to the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

. A month later, ''Uniontown'' headed for Hampton Roads and arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, on 30 November 1945.

Postwar

On 20 December 1945, the warship was decommissioned at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia, and was struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

on 8 January 1946. After being turned over to the State Department Liquidation Commission, she was then sold to the Argentine government in July 1947, in whose service she was renamed ARA ''Sarandi'' (P-33). She served until 1968. Fate unknown.

References

External links

*
hazegray.org: USS ''Uniontown''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uniontown (PF-65) Tacoma-class frigates Ships built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin 1943 ships World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Weather ships Uniontown, Pennsylvania Tacoma-class frigates of the Argentine Navy