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Gunboat Photo Archive

USS Prudent (PG 96)



Prudent call sign:
Nan - Dog - Peter - William

ex-HMS Privet (K 291)


Prudent served the Navies of the United States and Italy.
British Flower Class Corvette/Action Class Patrol Gunboat:

  • Laid down 14 August 1942 as Canadian hull CN-314 by the Morton Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Ltd., Quebec, Canada
  • Named HMS Privet (K 291)
  • Launched, 4 December 1942
  • Acquired by the U.S. Navy 14 August 1943
  • Commissioned USS Prudent (PG-96), 16 August 1943 at Quebec
  • Decommissioned 11 October 1945 at Charleston, SC
  • Struck from the Navy Register 1 November 1945
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 22 September 1947 for disposal
  • Sold to the Italian Cameli group in 1949 and renamed Elbano
  • Resold by the Cameli group to the Italian Navy
  • Converted by the Italian Navy in 1951 to a hydrographic survey vessel and renamed Staffetta (A 5307)
  • Discarded in 1970.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 1,375 t.
  • Length 205'
  • Beam 33'
  • Draft 14' 7"
  • Speed 16.5k
  • Complement 90
  • Armament: Two 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts
  • Propulsion: Two 3-drum express boilers, 2,750shp Vertical triple expansion reciprocating engine, one shaft.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    USS Prudent (PG 96)
    Prudent 353k Original photo: 6 April 1943
    Replacement photo: Photo from U.S. Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman    		 Replacement photo: Robert Hurst
    Staffetta (A 5307)
    Prudent 62k c. 1955
    Photo by Lieut. Aldo Fraccaroli from the 1956/1957 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships    		 Robert Hurst
    Prudent 48k c. 1958
    Italian Navy photo from the 1958/1959 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships
    Prudent 34k c. 1968
    Prudent 123k c. 1969
    Valletta, Malta
    Photo courtesy A. & J. Pavia
    View the Prudent (PG-96)
    DANFS History entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Website
    Commanding Officers
    01LT Augustus F. Pittman, USCG16 August 1943
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Back To The Main Photo Index Back To the Patrol Craft/Gunboat/Submarine Chaser Index Back to the Patrol Gunboat (PG) Photo Index
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    This page created by Gary P. Priolo and maintained by Tom Bateman
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