From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. IV p 145


Louden

A city in Kentucky.


(PC--1213: dp. 450 ; 1. 173'8" ; b. 23' ; dr. 10'10" ; s. 20.2k. ; cpl. 65; a. 1 3"; cl. P0--461)

Louden (PC--1213) was laid down as PC--1213 by Luders Marine Construction Co., Stamford, Conn., 7 November 1942 ; launched 22 May 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. Samuel Strob, wife of the Mayor of Jamestown, N.Y., whose citizens paid for the patrol crafts construction with their war bonds ; and commissioned at New York 6 October 1943, Lt. (jg.) J. H. Robertson, USNR, in command.

Assigned to the Caribbean Sea frontier for patrol duty, PC--1213 departed New York 24 October 1943 for the Submarine Chaser Training Center, Miami, Fla., arriving 28 October. Following a month of training and repairs, she sailed for San Juan, P.R., via Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, arriving 18 December. Departing San Juan on the 19th, the patrol craft steamed first to Guantanamo and then to Coco Solo, Canal Zone, arriving 1 January 1944. There the ship met a convoy and sailed on the 8th, escorting it to Aruba and Curacao, Netherlands West Indies. Arriving Willemstad, Curacao, 9 January, PC--1213 suffered a major engineering casualty and had to be towed by Squantum (AT--174) to San Juan 6 to 9 February for repairs.

PC--1213 resumed operations 30 April, convoying merchantmen and naval vessels among ports in the British and Netherlands West Indies, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, and to Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C. through the end of May 1945 then sailed out of San Juan and in the British West Indies in varied 4th Fleet operations through May 1946.

PC--1213 departed San Juan 3 June for Norfolk and NewYork arriving the 13th. On 22 June she sailed for the St. Lawrence, the Great Lakes, and Chicago, arriving 5 July.On 19 July she arrived at Green Bay, Wis., to decommission there 20 July 1946 and be placed in service in Naval Reserve training.

She remained at Green Bay until assigned to similar duty at Norfolk in October 1949. Renamed Louden 1 February 1956, the ship continued in reserve status at Norfolk until struck from the Navy list and sold to Walsh Construction Co., New York, N.Y., 14 December 1959. She was towed away for scrapping on 23 December.