1944 ARCHIVE OF TWO [2] HANDWRITTEN SHIP'S LOG OF THE USS WORTHINGTON IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC BATTLING JAPAN

On offer are two (2) original authentic World War II ship combat log books from the USS WORTHINGTON (PC-1137). Included are a small number of ephemera pieces; a Fuel and Water Report dated 28 September 1944 indicating the number of gallons of Fuel and Water taken on, a chart indicating the speed of the ship based on the engine(s) RPM's, and Liberty Rosters with the names of the ship's crew and the names of those on duty watch. These are fastened inside one of the logs and some are torn and creased. The logs are dated from 18 May 1944 - 30 September 1944 and 1 October 1944 - 19 November 1944. Both books have seen better days as they have broken bindings, stained cloth covers, a torn back page but all entries are legible. Entries include the ship's location, General Quarters, when the Captain had the Conn, when the ship was zig-zagging, inventories itemizing food re-supply, RADAR contacts, ships escorted, names of anyone that came aboard (including War Correspondents), when rounds were fired, the names of those brought onboard for medical treatment, when waves departed to hit the beaches, all the islands they were near, list by name and the weapons and ammunition they departed the ship with, flares and gun fire seen from the ship, and even a Captain's Mast held on STM 1/C Walter THOMPSON 6374406 who was placed on report and charged with refusal to wash Officer's personal clothes. He was awarded 100 hours of extra duty to be worked out on deck and much much more. Here are some details of the USS WORTHINGTON (PC-1137): was a patrol craft in the United States Navy. PC-1137 was laid down on 29 December 1942 at the Defoe shipbuilding company in Bay City, Michigan launched on 29 March 1943; towed down the Mississippi river to New Orleans for outfitting and acceptance trials; and commissioned there on 23 October 1943, with Lieutenant George D. Lewis, USNR, in command. After shakedown training out of the Submarine Chaser Training Center at Miami, Florida, PC-1137 headed for the southwestern Pacific late in November. She transited the Panama Canal on 5 and 6 December 1943, and arrived at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on 18 February 1944. Assigned to Task Group (TG) 35.6, the ship spent the next five months escorting convoys among various American bases in the southwestern Pacific and conducting anti-submarine patrols from bases throughout the Solomons chain. On 26 July 1944, she concluded that duty and began training to prepare for the invasion of the Western Carolines. Those preparations lasted until 4 September 1944, at which time she departed Guadalcanal in the screen for LST Flotilla 13, bound for the Palaus. During the initial assault on Peleliu between 14 and 16 September 1944, she served as forward control and reference ship for the landings on Orange Beach 3. On the 16th, she completed that assignment and began screening the operational area against Japanese submarine attack. She remained occupied in this task until 15 November 1944 when she received orders assigning her to TG 96.3 at Eniwetok Atoll and signaling a return to convoy escort duty. Between 23 November 1944 and 3 March 1945, PC-1137 traveled the circuit between Eniwetok, Ulithi, Guam and Saipan, screening supply and reinforcement convoys. On 4 March 1945, PC-1137 set a course for Pearl Harbor. She arrived at Oahu on 13 March 1945 and began a seven-week repair period during which she was converted to a combat communications control ship. She completed repairs and conversion near the end of the first week in May 1945 and then spent the following week in amphibious training exercises at Maui. On 21 May 1945 PC-1137 put to sea with LST Flotilla 35 en route to the Mariana Islands. She arrived at Saipan on 10 June 1945 and reported for duty as a convoy escort. For the remainder of the war, she made the convoy run between the Marianas and Okinawa in support of the final campaign of World War II and conducted anti-submarine patrols out of Apra Harbor, Guam. On 20 August 1945, five days after the cessation of hostilities, she was officially reclassified a combat communications control ship, PCC-1137. After a repair period in late August and early September, the ship departed Guam on 20 September 1945 bound for Japan and duty in the occupation forces there. She arrived in Tokyo Bay on 25 September 1945 and joined TG 53.4. The submarine chaser operated in Japanese waters with the occupation forces until the beginning of 1946. After several months service in the Central Pacific notably at Truk, Eniwetok and Guam, she departed Eniwetok to return to the United States. The ship made a six-day stopover at Pearl Harbor and then continued on to the west coast, arriving in Astoria, Oregon on 27 May 1946. She began the inactivation process immediately and was decommissioned on 10 August 1946. Berthed with the Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Group, PCC-1137 lay idle during the remaining 12 years and six months of her Navy career. On 15 February 1956, she received the name Worthington, one she wore for only three years. On 29 May 1959, her name was struck from the Navy list; and later, she was sold for scrapping. Worthington earned one battle star during World War II as PC-1137. Superb account of service for this boat during World War II.