USS ''Pee Dee River'' (LSM(R)-517), an of the United States Navy, was originally designed as an LSM, but redesignated on 9 February 1945 as ''LSM(R)–517''. She was laid down by

Brown Shipbuilding The Brown Shipbuilding Company was founded in Houston, Texas, in 1942 as a subsidiary of Brown and Root (now KBR) by brothers Herman and George R. Brown to build ships for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Brown Shipbuilding Company ranked 68th ...

Corporation, in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, on 28 April 1945 and launched 2 June 1945. She was accepted and commissioned on 21 July 1945.

Service history

''LSM(R)–517'' underwent final fitting out at the

Charleston Navy Yard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. H ...

in Charleston, South Carolina, and then reported for shakedown 25 August 1945 at Little Creek, Virginia. Assigned to the Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, she conducted training operations out of Little Creek. She was used chiefly to assist in fulfilling amphibious and midshipman training commitments until her deactivation in October 1947. Reactivated in September 1954, she called at Fall River, Massachusetts, for repairs and then operated briefly out of Little Creek in the Virginia Capes and Chesapeake Bay Operating Areas. After taking part in LantFlEx 1–55, she departed Little Creek on 1 February 1955 and arrived in Orange, Texas, on 8 February. She decommissioned there on 13 April and was assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group. Named ''Pee Dee River'' on 1 October 1955 while still in reserve status, she remained berthed at Orange, until struck from the

Navy 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 1 February 1960. She was sold on 22 June 1960 to Petrommer Corp., Rockport, Texas, for use as a shallow drilling ship. She was resold in 1989 to Western Sea Inc., of Seattle, Washington, for service as a

fish factory ship A factory ship, also known as a fish processing vessel, is a large ocean-going vessel with extensive on-board facilities for processing and freezing caught fish or whales. Modern factory ships are automated and enlarged versions of the earlier wh ...

and renamed ''Western Sea''. Her final fate is unknown, although she is unlikely to be still in service.

References

External links

* Ships built in Orange, Texas LSM(R)-501-class medium landing ships World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States 1945 ships {{US-mil-ship-stub