Grand Forks PF-11

Grand Forks

A city in North Dakota.

(PF-11: dp. 1246, 1. 304'; b. 3S'; dr. 12'; s. 20 k.; cpl.
141 a. 3 3" 2 40mm.; cl. Tacoma)

Grand Forks was launched by Kaiser Co., Richmond, Calif.; 27 November 1943, Mrs. T. H. Thoreson sponsor. She commissioned 18 March 1944, Lt. Comdr. Christian W. Peterson, USCG, in command.

After shakedown, 7 August 1944 Grand Forks sailed from San Francisco to take station in the Northern Pacific off the California coast as a plane guard ship, returning to San Francisco 3 September. She continued on this duty until decommissioning, spending an average of 3 weeks at sea and 2 in port. Late in the night 11 October 1944 Grand Forks picked up a distress call from a PB2Y about to make an emergency landing. Sending up flares and star shells to guide the plane through the dark, Grand Forks rescued 15 crewmen and passengers from the sea, as well as 114 sacks of mail.

While in port from guard duty on 31 May 1945, Grand Forks was toured by several members of the American delegation to the San Francisco Peace Conference, including Secretary of State and Mrs. Edward Stettinius, Nelson Rockefeller, and Alger Hiss.

She continued on plane guard duty until 19 March 1946 and then sailed from San Francisco to Charleston, S.C., where she decommissioned 16 May 1946. Grand Forks was stricken from the Navy Register 19 June 1946; sold to J. C. Berkwit & Co. of New York 19 May 1947, and scrapped 1 November 1947.