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Submarine Chaser Photo Archive

PC-621



Call sign:
Nan - Uncle - Zebra - Mike


PC-621 served the Navies of the United States and France
PC-461 Class Submarine Chaser:

  • Laid down, 4 March 1942 by the Nashville Bridge Co., Nashville, TN
  • Launched, 22 May 1942
  • Commissioned USS PC-621, 4 December 1942
  • Assigned to the European theater and participated in the following operations:
    Sicilian Occupation, 9 - 15 July 1943
    Salerno Landings, 9 - 12 September 1943
    Anzio-Nettuno Advanced Landings, 21 - 26 January and 6 - 22 February 1944 (Claimed destruction of a German E-boat and driving another ashore at Anzio beachhead 23 February 1944), and
    Invasion of Southern France, 15 August - 25 September 1944
  • Damaged in a collision with LST-345 during the Southern Sicily Landings, 10 July 1943
  • Damaged off Anzio 2 April 1944 by German aircraft
  • Decommissioned 31 October 1944, transferred to France and named Fantassin (W 93) at Toulon, France
  • Reclassified P-618
  • Struck from the Naval Register 8 March 1961
  • Fate unknown.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 280 t.(lt), 450 t.(fl)
  • Length 173' 8"
  • Beam 23'
  • Draft 10' 10"
  • Speed 20.2 kts.
  • Complement 65
  • Armament: One 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount, one single 40mm gun mount; three 20mm guns, two rocket launchers, four depth charge projectors, and two depth charge tracks
  • Propulsion: Two General Motors 16-258S diesel engines (Serial No. 7782 and 7783), Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    USS PC-621
    PC-621 138k c. 1943
    New York    		 Daniel C. Hurley, Jr.
    Fantassin (P 618)
    PC-621 285k c. June 1958
    At Mers El Kébir, Algeria    		 Original photos: Robert Hurst
    Replacement photos Jacques Laborie
    PC-621 217k c. 1957/1958
    Oran, Algeria
    French DEs are in the background.
    PC-621 295k c. 1958
    Algiers, Algeria
    PC-621 262k c. 1958
    Beni-Saf, Algeria    		 Jacques Laborie
    PC-621 206k c. June 1958
    Oran, Algeria
    Stern view in dry dock.
    PC-621 226k c. June 1958
    Oran, Algeria
    Bow view in dry dock.
    PC-621 217k c. November 1959
    In dry dock
    PC-621 220k
    PC-621 225k c. February 1960
    Oran, Algeria    		 Original photo: Robert Hurst
    Replacement photo: Jacques Laborie
    PC-621 157k c. April 1960
    In dry dock starboard side view with starboard shaft in foreground    		 Jacques Laborie
    PC-621 249k c. April 1960
    In dry dock port side view
    There is no DANFS history available for PC-621
    Oral History by James Eddy, Gunner’s Mate (and youngest crew member aboard the PC-621):

    “The USS PC-621 sailed for the European Theater on 18 May 1943, arriving in Bizerte, North Africa 22 days later, following a brief layover in Bermuda. While involved in Operation HUSKY—the invasion of Sicily—she was damaged in a ship-ship collision with USS LST-345, causing her to miss Operation AVALANCHE, the invasion of Italy’s mainland at Salerno.

    She returned to duty in time for the Anzio invasion, serving as the reference vessel for the northernmost Allied landing at Peter Beach--consisting primarily of British vessels. PC-621 relieved HMS Ultor
    [P 53]    , a British submarine, which was the initial reference vessel. Prior to H-Hour PC-621 disembarked four British commandos who headed to the beach in rubber dinghies and soon thereafter served as beachmasters for the landing craft.

    During the prolonged invasion and campaign which lasted longer than four months, PC-621 served in anti-submarine, anti-E-boat, smoke screen laying and escort duty between Anzio and Naples, Italy. On 23 January 1944, she rescued seven survivors and one body from the torpedoed HMS Janus [F 53]. The following day PC-621 was credited with the downing of a German Heinkel-111. Over the next few days she retrieved six downed USAAF airmen as well as a number of bodies. The pilot of a P-38 was rescued from a mine field, meriting a reprimand for entering the mine field. During the night of 20-21 February while on picket duty at the northern boundary of the Anzio Invasion fleet, PC-621 detected and engaged five German-Italian E-boats, successfully sinking one vessel, damaging two or three and diverting the last vessel(s). During the attack, PC-621 was subjected to shallow floating mines, enemy gun fire and acoustic torpedoes. Following her participation in Operation ANVIL--the invasion of southern France in August 1944--her duty to the United States Navy ended on 31 October 1944 when the ship was transferred to the government of France.

    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    Patrol Craft Sailors Association
    Back To The Main Photo Index Back to the Patrol Craft/Gunboat/Submarine Chaser Ship Index Back to the Submarine Chaser (PC) Photo Index
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    This page created by Joseph M. Radigan and maintained by Tom Bateman
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