USS Woonsocket (PF-32)

USS Woonsocket (PF-32)

USS Woonsocket (PF-32), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

The first Woonsocket (PF-32), originally classified as PG-140 and re-designated PF-32 on 25 June 1943, was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1443) on 12 August 1943 at the Walter Butler Shipbuilding Company in Superior, Wisconsin; launched on 27 September 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Ernest E. Dupre, wife of the mayor of Woonsocket; ferried to the Boston Navy Yard for completion; accepted by the Navy on 27 July 1944; and commissioned with a Coast Guard crew on 1 September 1944, with Commander William J. Conley, USCG, in command.