USS Castine (IX-211)
Encyclopedia
USS Castine (IX-211) was a ship in the United States Navy
. She was originally named PC-452, a submarine chaser
.
PC-452 was laid down on 14 March 1940 at the DeFoe Boat and Motor Works
in Bay City, Michigan
, as Hull #167, under the Experimental Small Craft program of 17 May 1938. She was launched on 23 August 1941 and towed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard to be fitted out with boilers; and commissioned as USS PC-452 on 1 May 1944.
PC-452 was to be used as a steam turbine
test bed hull, while PC-451, also an experimental ship built at Defoe, used diesel
electric drive. Originally called "X-Boats," they differed in detail and were listed as 165 footers, even though they were 173 feet long.
PC-452 was reclassified as an Unclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary, IX-211, and named Castine on 10 March 1945 for the town
in Maine
. Castine was decommissioned on 3 October 1945; struck from the Naval Register, (date unknown); and transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal in January 1947. Her ultimate fate is unknown.
PC-452's executive officer, Lt.(j.g.) John W. Hazard, wrote an article for The New Yorker
recounting the steam propulsion experiments that became the basis for the 1951 comedy film You're in the Navy Now
.
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...
. She was originally named PC-452, a 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...
.
PC-452 was laid down on 14 March 1940 at the DeFoe Boat and Motor Works
Defoe Shipbuilding Company
The Defoe Shipbuilding Company was a small ship builder established in 1905 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. It ceased to operate in 1976 after failing to renew its contracts with the United States Navy. The site of the former company is now a scrapyard on the bank of the Saginaw River.-Founding:Harry J...
in Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
, as Hull #167, under the Experimental Small Craft program of 17 May 1938. She was launched on 23 August 1941 and towed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard to be fitted out with boilers; and commissioned as USS PC-452 on 1 May 1944.
PC-452 was to be used as a steam turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
test bed hull, while PC-451, also an experimental ship built at Defoe, used diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
electric drive. Originally called "X-Boats," they differed in detail and were listed as 165 footers, even though they were 173 feet long.
PC-452 was reclassified as an Unclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary, IX-211, and named Castine on 10 March 1945 for the town
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. Castine was decommissioned on 3 October 1945; struck from the Naval Register, (date unknown); and transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal in January 1947. Her ultimate fate is unknown.
PC-452's executive officer, Lt.(j.g.) John W. Hazard, wrote an article for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
recounting the steam propulsion experiments that became the basis for the 1951 comedy film You're in the Navy Now
You're in the Navy Now
You're in the Navy Now is a Hollywood film released in 1951 by Twentieth Century Fox about the United States Navy in the first months of World War II. Its initial release was titled USS Teakettle...
.