USS ''Bayonne'' (PF-21), a in commission in 1945 and from 1950 to 1953, thus far has been 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 Bayonne, New Jersey. She later served in the Soviet Navy as ''EK-25'' and in the

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

as JDS ''Buna'' (PF-14), JDS ''Buna'' (PF-294) and as ''YAC-11''.

Construction and commissioning

''Bayonne'' 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 1487) on 6 May 1943, at

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, Ohio, by the

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and launched on 11 September 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Hannah Gallagher. She was placed in non-commissioned service on 22 September 1944, for a voyage to

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, Maryland, where she arrived on 2 October 1944, and was placed out of service on 6 October 1944. Upon the completion of her

fitting-out Fitting out, or outfitting, is the process in shipbuilding that follows the float-out/launching of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her o ...

, she was commissioned at Baltimore, on 14 February 1945.

Service history

US Navy, World War II, 1945

''Bayonne'' moved south to Hampton Roads,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, at the end of February 1945 and, on 3 March 1945, put to sea bound for Guantánamo Bay,

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, whence she conducted her shakedown training. On 3 April 1945, she departed the Guantánamo Bay operating area and, after stops at Kingston,

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, and

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, entered the

Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the ci ...

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 ...

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, for post-shakedown repairs. She completed repairs early in May 1945 and on 7 May 1945 headed for New York City. Arriving the following day, ''Bayonne'' remained there for almost two months. Selected for transfer to the Soviet Navy in

Project Hula Project Hula was a program during World War II in which the United States transferred naval vessels to the Soviet Union in anticipation of the Soviets eventually joining the war against Japan, specifically in preparation for planned Soviet inv ...

, a secret program for the transfer of U.S. Navy ships to the Soviet Navy at

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in the

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in anticipation of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

joining the war against Japan, ''Bayonne'' got underway on 3 July 1945 and steamed via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

Bremerton Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremer ...

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, where she entered the

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for a short period of repairs. During the last week of August 1945, she proceeded to Cold Bay and soon began the training of her new Soviet crew.

Soviet Navy, 1945–1949

Following the completion of training for her Soviet crew, ''Bayonne'' was decommissioned on 2 September 1945 at Cold Bay and transferred to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease immediately along with her sister ship . Commissioned into the Soviet Navy immediately, ''Bayonne'' was designated as a ''storozhevoi korabl'' ("escort ship") and renamed ''EK-25'' in Soviet service. She soon departed Cold Bay bound for

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky ( rus, Петропавловск-Камчатский, a=Петропавловск-Камчатский.ogg, p=pʲɪtrɐˈpavləfsk kɐmˈtɕatskʲɪj) is a city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultu ...

in the Soviet Union. Too late for

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

service with the Soviet Navy, ''EK-25'' served as a patrol vessel in the

Soviet Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...

. In February 1946, the United States began negotiations for the return of ships loaned to the Soviet Union for use during World War II. On 8 May 1947,

United States Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

James V. Forrestal informed the

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that the

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wanted 480 of the 585 combatant ships it had transferred to the Soviet Union for World War II use returned, ''EK-25'' among them. Negotiations for the return of the ships were protracted, but on 14 November 1949 the Soviet Union finally returned ''EK-25'' to the U.S. Navy at

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

, Japan.Russell, Richard A., ''Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan'', Washington, D.C.:

Naval Historical Center The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. ...

, 1997, , pp. 37-38, 39.

US Navy, Korean War, 1950–1953

Reverting to her old name, ''Bayonne'' was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet and remained inactive at Yokosuka until recommissioned there on 28 July 1950 for service in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. On 11 September 1950, ''Bayonne'' left Kobe, Japan, in company with Task Group (TG) 90.7, bound for the west coast of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. On 15 September 1950, she screened the amphibious force when

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

forces landed at

Inchon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

. She continued service in Korean waters for the next 16 months, making voyages to Japan intermittently for repairs and liberty. Until the end of August 1951, ''Bayonne'' continued to serve with TG 90.7; after that she operated with TG 92.1 in the waters near

Wonsan Wŏnsan (), previously known as Wŏnsanjin (), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

and

Songjin Kimch'aek (), formerly Sŏngjin (Chosŏn'gŭl: 성진, Hancha: 城津), is a city in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. It was an open port in 1899. It has a population of 207,699. Etymology The city received its current name in 1951 durin ...

on Koreas east coast. ''Bayonne'' was decommissioned at Yokosuka on 31 January 1953.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, 1953–1957

In October 1953, the United States loaned ''Bayonne'' to Japan for service in the

, which named her . The JMSDF reclassified her as ''PF-294'' on 1 September 1957. The U.S. Navy struck her name from the

Navy list A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval autho ...

on 1 December 1961 and transferred her to Japan outright in August 1962. ''Buna'' was reclassified as an "auxiliary stock craft" (YAC) and renamed ''YAC-11'' on 1 February 1965. Decommissioned on 31 March 1965, she was returned to the United States on 27 June 1967 for disposal and sunk as a target on 1 March 1968.

Awards

The U.S. Navy awarded ''Bayonne'' six

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

s for her service in the Korean War.

References

External links

*
hazegray.org: USS ''Bayonne''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bayonne (PF-21) Tacoma-class frigates Ships built in Cleveland 1943 ships World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Tacoma-class frigates of the Soviet Navy World War II frigates of the Soviet Union Cold War frigates of the Soviet Union Cold War frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Korean War frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Tacoma-class frigates of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Ships sunk as targets Maritime incidents in 1968 Ships transferred under Project Hula