From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. III p 635


Kerrville

A city of Kerr county, 55 miles northwest of San Antonio, Tex.


(PC--597: dp. 295 1. 174' ; b. 23' ; dr. 8'; s. 20 k. ; cpl. 65; a. 1 3", 1 40mm., 5 20mm., 2 rkt., 2 dcp., 2 dct, ; cl. PG- 451)

PC--597 was laid down by the Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oreg., 9 May 1942 ; launched 7 September ; sponsored by Miss Doris Lee Riley ; and commissioned 15 February 1943, Lt. L. L. Thurber in command.

After shakedown off the West Coast, PC--597 departed San Francisco 5 April and arrived Pearl Harbor 2 weeks later. For the next 8 months she remained in the Hawaiian Islands on ASW patrol and convoy escort duty. The sub chaser sailed 28 December to perform similar operations in the South Pacific.

Through the early months of 1944, she operated out of New Caledonia and the New Hebrides before assignment in the Solomons during April. From April to December she continued screening and escort duty while the Solomon Islands were being used as staging bases for assault on the Marianas and the Philippines.

For the remainder of World War II, PC--597 played a major role in the South Pacific escorting supply-laden transports to reinforce U.S. forces on the "road to Japan." A rotation policy shifted her base of operations among New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Fiji Islands. and Samoa. After the war, the veteran sub chaser searched out-of-the way islands for overlooked survivors of ship wrecks and plane crashes. The search was concluded 30 October 1945.

Proceeding to Suva, Fiji Islands, 4 November PC--597 was assigned to air-sea rescue work. She continued similar operations off other South Pacific Islands during the early months of 1946 before departing Kwajalein 1 May en route to the United States. Upon arrival at San Diego one month later, she remained off the West Coast until 5he sailed for the Atlantic late in the summer. Arriving Key West, Fla., 9 October, PC--597 was towed to Green Cove Springs and decommissioned there 30 April 1947.

While berthed with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, PC--597 was named Kerrville 15 February 1956. She was struck from the Navy List 5 September 1957 and sold to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, Md.