USS PC-1264 was a built for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. She was one of only two U.S. Navy ships to have a predominately African-American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 enlisted complement during the war, the other being the .

PC-1264 was in service for less than two years, but the performance of her crew—and of the USS Masons—led the U.S. Navy to reevaluate its perception of African-Americans as members of the fleet. Although sold for scrapping, the ship is still extant at the former Donjon Marine Yard in Rossville, Staten Island

Rossville, Staten Island

Rossville is the name of a neighborhood of Staten Island, New York, located to the west of Prince's Bay, on the island's South Shore.-Early History of the Area:...

.

Career

The USS PC-1264 was laid down at Consolidated Shipbuilding Company in Morris Heights, New York, on 7 October 1943 and launched on 28 November 1943. The PC-1264 was a United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 PC-461-class

PC-461 class submarine chaser

The PC-461 class submarine chasers were a class of 343 submarine chasers built mainly for the US Navy built from 1941-1944. The PC-461s were based primarily on two experimental submarine chasers, the PC-451 and PC-452. While PC-461 began the series, the first of the class to enter service was the...

 submarine chaser

Submarine chaser

A submarine chaser is a small and fast naval vessel specially intended for anti-submarine warfare. Although similar vessels were designed and used by many nations, this designation was most famously used by ships built by the United States of America...

. This patrol class of submarine chaser was intended to intercept and destroy German U-boats stationed off the coast of the United States. Less expensive and faster to build than destroyers or even destroyer escorts, and requiring smaller crews, they quickly filled an important need for coastal convoy protection and anti-submarine warfare.

The PC-1264 was commissioned

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

 in April 1944 and decommissioned

Ship decommissioning

To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....

 in February 1946, serving a little less than 22 months as a U.S. Navy fighting ship.

Segregated ships

On 9 December 1941, the NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...

 sent a telegram to Frank Knox

Frank Knox

-External links:...

, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, asking that African Americans be accepted into the Navy in other than the messman

Culinary Specialist (US Navy)

Culinary Specialist is a United States Navy occupational rating. It was formerly the Mess Management Specialist rating until 15 January 2004, and as Steward prior to 1975.-Duties:...

 branch. This request was refused. A 17 December letter from the NAACP to President Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

 resulted in the President turning the matter over to Mark Ethridge, chairman of the Fair Employment Practices Committee

Executive Order 8802

Executive Order 8802 was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 25, 1941, to prohibit racial discrimination in the national defense industry...

. This committee also received a negative response from the Navy Department. The President then sent a note to Secretary Knox stating:

I think that with all the Navy activities, BUNAV

Bureau of Navigation (United States Navy)

The U.S. Navy's Bureau of Navigation was established in 1862 as part of the reorganization of the Navy Department. Principal responsibilities were to provide nautical charts and instruments and to oversee several activities involved navigation research, including the Naval Observatory...

 might find something that colored enlistees could do in addition to the rating of messman.

The Navy's General Board

General Board of the United States Navy

The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, effectively a naval general staff. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by John Davis Long. The order was officially recognized by Congress in 1916...

, the group charged with the formulation of Navy Policy, countered with a suggestion that African Americans either be enlisted as messmen, or, "...if this proved not feasible," for general service. The problem was that the Navy believed that integrated units would disrupt discipline aboard ships, entirely ignoring the fact that integrated crews had worked successfully aboard U.S. Navy ships during the American Civil War

Military history of African Americans

The military history of African Americans spans from the arrival of the first black slaves during the colonial history of the United States to the present day...

. The President responded, agreeing that "...to go the whole way in one fell swoop would seriously impair the general average efficiency of the Navy," but still felt that something could be worked out. On 27 March 1942, the Board replied, "The General Board fully recognizes, and appreciates the social and economic problems involved, and has striven to reconcile these requirements with what it feels must be paramount at any consideration, namely the maintenance at the highest level of the fighting efficiency of the Navy...", adding that "...if so ordered.." Negro units could be used "...with least disadvantage..." in shore establishments, local defense vessels, construction units and selected Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

 cutters.

On 7 April, the President 'so ordered,' and the Navy announced that—beginning on 1 June—Negroes could enlist for the general service. As a result, the groundwork was laid for establishing African-American crews on the USS Morse and the USS PC-1264.

Commanding officers and POs

White officer Lieutenant Eric S. Purdon served as PC-1264s commanding officer from her commissioning on 25 April 1944 until 17 September 1945. He was replaced by his engineering officer, Lieutenant (jg) Ernest V. Hardman, who served as skipper until 31 October 1945. The third commanding officer was Lieutenant (jg) Jack W. Sutherland who came aboard on 31 October and helped decommission PC-1264 on 7 February 1946.
From that point, until PC-1264 was out of service, she was in the charge of African American Ensign

Ensign (rank)

Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....

 Samuel L. Gravely, Jr.

Samuel Gravely

Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr. was an African-American Navy pioneer — the first African American in the U.S...

 Ensign Gravely had first reported aboard on 2 May 1945, and, at the time of the ship's decommissioning, was serving as her executive officer. PC-1264 was the first sailing assignment of future Admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

 Gravely, the first African American to attain that rank

Military rank

Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...

.

In addition to the all-white officer complement, until the day Ensign Gravely reported aboard, eight white Navy Petty Officers (PO), one in each specialty required on the PC-1264, were also assigned to the ship. Their job was to train the African-American crew until Lt. Purdon considered some of the men expert enough in their specialty to rate promotion to PO. Months later, when eight African-American crewmen were promoted to POs in their specialties, the white POs were transferred to other duty stations. This made the PC-1264 the only U.S. Navy ship with a completely African-American crew, as the USS Mason never replaced its white Petty Officers with African Americans.

Training incidents

On 30 April 1944, after four days of intensive drills, PC-1264 went up the Hudson River

Hudson River

The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

 to Iona Island to load ammunition for her guns for the first time. After loading, Lt. Purdon expected to moor there for the night, but was not allowed due to the danger from the large amount of ammunition stored there. Looking for a berth for the night, he called the duty office of the nearby U.S. Military Academy

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

 at West Point

West Point, New York

West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...

 to ask if his ship could tie up at its pier. There was some confusion, as no Navy ship had tied up there in recent history. However, PC-1264, with its mostly African-American crew was made welcome, and numerous visitors walked along the dock inspecting her. In addition, the U.S. Army provided two buses, and many of the enlisted crewmen were taken on a tour of the Academy under the guidance of knowledgeable Army sergeants.

Unfortunately for PC-1264, a number of other U.S. Navy bases and towns where the ship moored during its tour of duty did not expend the same hospitality as West Point. Especially in the southern United States, PC-1264s crew experienced various degrees of racial intolerance. For example, although most U.S. Navy seamen from nearby training facilities took their swimming tests off a pier at the municipal public beach at Miami Beach, on the day the crew of PC-1264 was supposed to qualify, the city of Miami Beach refused the use of its public beach for the training of Negroes.

At the Submarine Chaser Training Center in Miami, the civilian guards at the gate often took a long time inspecting the crew's ID cards and passes when the men were entering and leaving the base, far longer than the time spent inspecting white seamen. Then one day, this suddenly stopped. It took some time before the officers of PC-1264 were able to discover why. At a local bar, white seamen of another anti-submarine patrol craft had overhead civilians talking about going down to the base to shoot up the "nigger ship." These seamen returned to base, armed themselves with rifles and pistols without authorization and went to the gate to wait. When the nervous civilian guards asked what they were doing, the white seamen explained. After that the officers and crew of PC-1264 noticed that racial harassment at this base decreased significantly.

Shakedown cruise

After loading ammunition at Iona Island and leaving West Point, the ship sailed to Fort Lafayette

Fort Lafayette

Fort Lafayette was an island coastal fortification in the Narrows of New York Harbor, built offshore from Fort Hamilton at the southern tip of what is now Bay Ridge in the New York City borough of Brooklyn...

 to load depth charges. Then it reported to the United States Naval Frontier Base at Tompkinsville

Tompkinsville, Staten Island

Tompkinsville is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. Though the neighborhood sits on the island's eastern shore, along the waterfront facing Upper New York Bay — between St...

, Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

, New York, which became the PC-1264s home port. This base cared for the escort ships that accompanied convoys to many destinations. Once at Tompkinsville, the ship's crew continued training and calibrating their equipment, especially the ship's radio direction finder

Radio direction finder

A radio direction finder is a device for finding the direction to a radio source. Due to low frequency propagation characteristic to travel very long distances and "over the horizon", it makes a particularly good navigation system for ships, small boats, and aircraft that might be some distance...

. Besides checking the structural strength of the hull and target practice on the range at Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook is a barrier spit along the Atlantic coast of New JerseySandy Hook may also refer to:-Places:United States* Sandy Hook , a village in the town of Newtown, Connecticut* Sandy Hook, Kentucky, a city in Elliott County...

, the ship went through many other tests before going to sea for the first time. Finally, the PC-1264 was ready for its shakedown cruise to the Submarine Chaser Training Center in Miami, Florida.Purdon 1972, pp. 67–74

Upon arrival at Miami, the shakedown inspectors gave the ship and crew a rough going over for several days. However, the crew was jubilant when the ship received a glowing report. Leaving soon after on its first independent cruise, at about 10:35 am the ship encountered engine trouble and was stopped dead in the water far from land. After some delay, a naval tug returned the ship to post after midnight.
On 2 July 1944, the ship's shakedown cruise and post-inspection was completed. PC-1264 was then ordered to a three and a half-days' exercise at the Fleet Sound School in Key West

Key West

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....

. However, as far as the Submarine Chaser Training Center was concerned, the PC-1264 was ready. Fifteen members of the crew also received the ship's first promotions.

Escort duty

After completing Fleet Sound School, the PC-1264 returned to New York and reported for duty on 10 July 1944. She was assigned to Task Unit 02.9, a surface escort group based at the Naval Frontier Base, Staten Island. In the months ahead, the PC-1264 would escort convoys from New York to Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 or Key West and back again, or from Charleston, South Carolina to New York. She escorted the French submarine Argo from New York to Key West so that U.S. air and sea anti-submarine forces would not confuse the Argo with a German submarine. The PC-1264 would also serve in the role of an "enemy destroyer" to provide submarines with anti-escort training, which also gave additional anti-submarine training to the PC-1264s crew.

Its first convoy duty was Convoy NG-448, from New York to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On 21 July sonar indicated a large unidentified object nearby and, acting on standard anti-submarine procedures, PC-1264 engaged the contact for three hours before leaving to rejoin the convoy, which was now safely out of range. Afterwards, she regularly escorted convoys from New York to Key West and back again.

In September 1944, the engineering section discovered a series of cracks between the engine mounts and bedplates (girders supporting the engines) that were welded to the ship's hull. These bedplates distributed the engine's weight along the 1/2 in hull. Base engineering confirmed that poor welding during construction was responsible for the cracks. The base engineer also stated that a heavy sea could shift the engines off their supports and sink the ship. As a result, the PC-1264 was relieved from duty and towed to the Navy Yard Annex, at Bayonne, New Jersey. This may have saved the lives of the crew, as the convoy they were preparing to escort, later encountered a hurricane with heavy seas. In all probability, the PC-1264 would have been lost.

After the ship was repaired and passed sea trails, the PC-1264 reported again to its Tompkinsville base. It was there, during the first week of November, that the eight white Petty Officers received orders detaching them from the PC-1264, and their places were taken by eight, newly promoted, black Petty Officers.

Independent anti-submarine duty

In early January 1945, as PC-1264 and other escort ships were sailing with a convoy to Key West, the command vessel received a radio message from Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters detaching three of the ships, including PC-1264, and ordering their return to New York. While PC-1264 would escort one more convoy during the war, her primary mission now was anti-submarine duty. The capture of German spies landed by U-1230 during November 1944, and the statement by one of the spies that the Germans were preparing to launch V-1 and V-2 rocket

V-2 rocket

The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...

s by submarines against major U.S. ports, forced the U.S. Navy to respond by increasing its active anti-submarine forces. The PC-1264 was part of that increase and began patrolling areas from Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

 south to Cape Charles

Cape Charles (headland)

Cape Charles is a headland, or cape, in Northampton County, Virginia. Located at the southern tip of Northampton County, it forms the northern side of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay....

, the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...

.

On 17 January, the PC-1264 unloaded her ammunition, then proceeded to the Luders Marine Construction Company in Stamford

Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...

, Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 to have her bottom cleaned and receive a new coat of paint on her underwater hull. She arrived on 18 January and was in drydock for three days. For the next three months, the PC-1264 patrolled a line running north by east for twenty miles from Buoy "Able," the farthest seaward buoy marking the mine-swept channel into New York, 45 miles away. Despite the monotony and the winter weather, the duty was pleasant, as the PC-1264 spent seven days at sea and then five days in port.
On 28 February, while engaged in a practice "anti-submarine' run against Buoy Able, the PC-1264 may have flushed a German submarine that was using Buoy Able as cover against sonar from patrolling vessels. As the ship neared the end of the practice run against the buoy, the sonar operator reported "Target bearing left rapidly." Lt. Purdon quickly realized what had probably happened and the PC-1264 actively engaged the target with Mark 22 Antisubmarine Projectiles

Mousetrap (weapon)

Mousetrap was an anti-submarine rocket used mainly during the Second World War by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. Its development was begun in 1941 as a replacement for Hedgehog, a British-made projector, which was the first ahead-throwing ASW weapon...

. This continued for several hours, and, at one point, two crewmen claimed to have seen a submarine conning tower

Conning tower

A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....

 rise briefly then sink back into the turbulence. Eventually the signal disappeared. While Eastern Sea Frontier

Eastern Sea Frontier

The Eastern Sea Frontier was a United States Navy operational command during World War II, that was responsible for the coastal waters from Canada to Jacksonville, Florida, extending out for a nominal distance of two hundred miles....

 headquarters believed that the ship had engaged a false signal, the crew always believed that they had flushed U-866, a damaged submarine sunk two weeks later off Sable Island, east of Nova Scotia.

On 23 April, the PC-1264 left Tompkinsville on her last patrol. On 25 April, while at sea, the ship received new orders. PC-1264 was ordered to proceed to Charleston, South Carolina and assume command of the escort ships for Convoy KN-382. Although PC-1264 had participated in escorting many convoys, this was the first time she was to be in command of the escort group. This was an indication of the confidence Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters now had in PC-1264. On 27 April, the PC-1264, accompanied by PC-1149

USS Susanville (PC-1149)

USS Susanville was a patrol boat in the service of the United States Navy during World War II.She was laid down as PC-1149 on 6 November 1943 at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan; launched on 11 January 1944; and commissioned on 22 June 1944.She sailed, via the Mississippi River...

 and PC-1547, led 30 merchant ships out of Charleston harbor. The convoy was to sail eastward to rendezvous with a smaller convoy heading north from Key West. The next morning, the 30-ship convoy met the northbound convoy of nine merchantmen escorted by three frigates and three subchasers. The USS Natchez was in command of this convoy and PC-1264 reported in, turned over command of the 30 merchantmen, and assumed position on the starboard beam of the joining convoys. With the arrival of the three subchasers from Charleston, two of the smaller subchasers were detached for other duties. The next afternoon, two of the frigates also left.

On 29 April, the convoy encountered U-548, which was attacked by the USS Natchez. The convoy and the other escorts, including the PC-1264 continued on course with the USS Natchez remaining to deal with U-548. Later that night the convoy encountered Task Group 02.10, a Hunter-Killer Group, which passed down the port side of the convoy on its way assist the USS Natchez. Two of the destroyer escorts in this group participated in the destruction of U-548, one of the last anti-submarine actions of the war in the Atlantic.

Battle of the Atlantic ends

Convoy NK-686 started from New York with 28 cargo ships and tankers with PC-1264 as one of the convoy's five escort ships. While the war in Europe had officially ended the day before, the Commander of Eastern Sea Frontier was not taking any chances that individual German submarines might continue the battle. As the convoy headed south toward Key West, 15 ships joined when it passed the Chesapeake Bay, while others left it for the ports of Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville. Then, on 15 May, Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters was convinced the danger was over, and the merchantmen were dispersed to head for their destinations alone. The escort ships, Task Unit 02.9.10, were ordered to Key West for a week's training before returning to New York. On the return trip to Tompkinsville, New York, where Task Unit 02.9.10 arrived on 25 May, the crews' concern was where they were headed next, as there was still a war in the Pacific.

As PC-1264 remained in a crowded anchorage filled with numerous other escort vessels, the crew watched as many other submarine chasers had their K-guns, that fired the 300-pound depth charges, removed and their 20-mm machine guns replaced by twin-barreled guns of the same caliber. These ships were headed for the Pacific where men-of-war needed heavy antiaircraft defenses against Japanese suicide planes. Finally the word came down:

From Chief of Naval Operations. To USS PC1264. When in all respects ready for sea, and when directed by Commander Eastern Sea Frontier, you will proceed to Norfolk, Virginia, and report to Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, for training. Upon completion of refresher training, you will proceed via Canal Zone and report to Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet.

The PC-1264 soon had her K-guns removed from the afterdeck, and on 31 July she left for Norfolk. After an inspection by base personnel, PC-1264 left for Miami and arrived at the Submarine Chaser Training Center on 5 August. PC-1264 was due to remain at the Center for ten days training, but an incident cut that time short.
One night, at a club that served African Americans, a small fight resulted in the club owner calling the Shore Patrol

Shore patrol

Shore patrol are service members that are provided to aid in security for the U.S. Navy, United States Coast Guard, United States Marine Corps, and the British Royal Navy while on shore...

. When the three white members of the Shore Patrol arrived—a Navy Chief, another enlisted sailor, and an Army MP—the Chief stayed with the vehicle while the other two entered the club. There, they spotted a black sailor in an officer's uniform. Since impersonating an officer is a Federal offense, the MP went over to that man. The man suspected of "impersonating an officer" was actually Ensign Sam Gravely. When the MP told Ensign Gravely that the Chief wanted to see him, Gravely replied, "If the Chief wants to see me, tell him to come here."—following correct Naval protocol for an enlisted man to come to an officer. The MP then grabbed Ensign Gravely out of his chair. "Take it easy," Ensign Gravely shouted to the other men in the club who were visibly upset; then added, "This is only a mistake." Then to the MP, he said, "Let's go." However, the word spread quickly that Ensign Gravely was being arrested. Black sailors converged on the MP and the Shore Patrol Chief radioed for reinforcements. Two more Shore Patrol vehicles with more men soon arrived, to find Ensign Gravely trying to calm the men and explain the mistake to the Shore Patrol. However, Shore Patrol personnel in the two vehicles quickly emerged and forced a number of the PC-1264s crew into the trucks. Ensign Gravely got into the Chief's vehicle, and all proceeded to Shore Patrol Headquarters.

One of the PC-1264s crew ran for the ship to tell the captain what had happened. When Lt. Purdon arrived at Shore Patrol headquarters he found the Shore Patrol officer on duty apologizing to Ensign Gravely as the Ensign had explained the MP's mistake. However, the men who had moved against the Shore Patrol, seeking to defend Ensign Gravely, were charged with "Refusal to Obey Orders of Shore Patrol," "Interference with Shore Patrol," two charges of "Drunk and Disorderly," and one charge of "Drunk." The next morning at base headquarters, Lt. Purdon was informed that the Admiral commanding the Naval District wanted Lt. Purdon to "institute general count martial proceedings against that ensign for 'conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman'". Lt. Purdon, as the commanding officer of PC-1264, refused, citing Navy Regulations that a commandant of a Naval District could not order a ship's captain to bring charges against any officer under that ship captain's command. The base adjutant, hearing and understanding the facts behind the incident, advised Lt. Purdon to restrict his men to the ship and, therefore, out of reach of the Shore Patrol and the Admiral, which Lt. Purdon did. The PC-1264 spent four more days in training and left Miami for Key West.

End of the war

Key West was as far West as PC-1264 ever sailed. The day after her arrival, President Truman

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

 announced that an atomic bomb had been dropped on Japan. With her orders canceled, PC-1264 waited at Key West for three weeks. Eventually, the Bureau of Naval Personnel issued plans for demobilization

Demobilization

Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...

. Lt. Purdon requested to be released from active duty and recommended that Lt.(jg) Ernest Hardmann, his executive officer, be given command. On 5 September, orders arrived for the PC-1264 to proceed to Norfolk, where Lt. Purdon would turn over command to Lt. Hardmann. The PC-1264 arrived at Norfolk on 10 September, and the change of command ceremony took place on 17 September. Before this ceremony, members of the crews already were being released from active duty or transferred to other stations. Also, the crew presented Lt. Purdon with a desk lamp with the inscription "USS PC 1264 We Will Never Fail." Afterwards, the ship stayed at Norfolk for six more weeks, then moved to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Norfolk Naval Shipyard

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...

, just up the Elizabeth River

Elizabeth River (Virginia)

The Elizabeth River is a tidal estuary forming an arm of Hampton Roads harbor at the southern end of Chesapeake Bay in southeast Virginia in the United States. It is located along the southern side of the mouth of the James River, between the cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk...

.

In early October, the PC-1264 was honored by being selected as one of forty-seven representative warships for a review of the fleet by President Truman on Navy Day, 27 October. On 24 October, she sailed from Norfolk to New York, where the review was to be held. Soon after the PC-1264 left Norfolk, her new commanding officer, Lt. (jg) Jack Sutherland, arrived—after traveling there from New York! He was sent back to New York and arrived there soon after his new command. However, he would not take command until after Navy Day. The PC-1264, as the smallest vessel, was at the tail end of the Fleet review. However, President Truman, on board the destroyer USS Renshaw

USS Renshaw (DD-499)

USS Renshaw , a , was the third ship of the United States Navy of that name, in honor of Commander William B. Renshaw.Renshaw was laid down 7 May 1942 by the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company in Kearny, New Jersey; launched on 13 October 1942, sponsored by Miss Dorothy Lillian Renshaw; and...

, circled the PC-1264 and waved to the crew.
Both before and after the Fleet review, the PC-1264 held "open house" for families and friends of the crew and other interested persons, especially from the African-American community which had great pride in the ship's accomplishments. On 31 October, Lt.(jg) Sutherland assumed command. On 4 November, the ship sailed for New London, Connecticut, where it spent all of November and half of December assisting in the training of submarine officers, as a target ship for them to practice submarine runs on. On 15 December, the PC-1264 returned to Tompkinsville for Christmas leave. While on leave, Ensign Ben Shanker, the executive officer, received orders to the Pacific and did not return to the ship. When the crew returned, Ensign Sam Gravely was the new executive officer. Soon after, the PC-1264 returned to New London for its submarine training duty. However, the PC-1264 then received orders to return to New York "for disposal." On 7 February 1946, five officers and twenty-eight enlisted men stood at attention as the PC-1264 was officially decommissioned.

The war records of the submarine chaser PC-1264 and the destroyer escort USS Mason

USS Mason (DE-529)

USS Mason , an Evarts-class destroyer escort, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named Mason, though DE-529 was the only one specifically named for Ensign Newton Henry Mason. The USS Mason was one of two US Navy ships with largely African-American crews in World War II. The other...

 considerably contributed to opening up Navy billets for African Americans in the post-war Navy. As a final honor for the PC-1264, the officer-in-charge of the final inspection party remarked, "This ship has done a better job of decommissioning—is in better shape—than any other ship, at least, here in New York." Because of her condition, the PC-1264 became the subchaser used as a showcase for prospective civilian purchasers.

After the war

After PC-1264 was decommissioned

Ship decommissioning

To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....

, she was transferred to the Maritime Commission for final disposition. , she was still extant—albeit in poor repair—at the former Donjon Marine Yard in New York. Two 1990-era photographs show her heavily rusted, but still afloat amid other hulks.

Like many officers, Lt. Purdon left the U.S. Navy after the war but remained in the Naval Reserve. He worked as an intelligence analyst for the Central Intelligence Group until 1948, when he was recalled to active duty. He retired in 1963 with the rank of Commander

Commander (United States)

In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...

. Eric Purdon then held civilian jobs with the Commerce Department, Office of Economic Opportunity

Office of Economic Opportunity

The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.- History :...

 and the Job Corps

Job Corps

Job Corps is a program administered by the United States Department of Labor that offers free-of-charge education and vocational training to youth ages 16 to 24.-Mission and purpose:...

, and was also an author. He died in 1989.