Wreck of USS PC-1261

 Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, United States Navy

USS PC-1261 was laid down at the Leatham D. Smith Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, WI in November 1942 as a member of the PC-461 Class of Submarine Chasers and commissioned into US Navy service in May 1943. After conducting training and crew familiarization in the Great Lakes, the PC-1261 and her crew operated along the US & Canadian Coast escorting merchant ship convoys until the early part of 1944.

After crossing the Atlantic escorting troop and supply convoys to England in preparation for the upcoming 'Operation Overlord', the PC-1261 began training off the English coast for her designated role in the landings at Normandy; Beach Control Vessel. Assigned to lead the swarms of landing craft through mine-swept channels to their designated beaches, the PC-1261 was eventually assigned to the "Red" sector of Utah Beach and spent over a month working closely with US Navy APA's to hone their communications and operations in preparation for the assault.

Departing from England on June 5th as part of the massive Allied naval armada heading for the French Coast, the PC-1261 arrived with her assigned transports and troopships off the Normandy before dawn on June 6th, 1944. Screening the landing craft as they were loaded and observing the pre-invasion bombardment being carried out by US, British, Canadian and Free French ships, the PC-1261 received the order to proceed to shore, initiating her part in the Invasion of Normandy. Closing on the heavily defended coastline at a near-crawl in order to keep pace with the heavily laden landing craft, the PC-1261 was passing the Îles Saint-Marcouf when German shore batteries straddled the ship with several rounds, with two shells landing only 30 yards off her bow. Keenly aware that his ship was ranged by the Germans and would likely be hit by the next salvo, PC-1261's Captain did not diverge from his course as the landing craft Astern of him were relying on his lead. Moments later, a second round of artillery shells began raining down on the PC-1261, with one large caliber shell slamming into the SubChaser's Starboard midship, killing one of her gunners and wounded several other men.

Damage control teams which raced to assess the damage to PC-1261's hull were greeted by an enormous hole in her plating which was allowing heavy flooding to enter her engine rooms. Before anything could be done to check the flooding, the PC-1261 began to heel over to Starboard, allowing more water to enter her hull and threatening to sink the ship. Her Captain ordered all ahead full to move his stricken ship out of the swept lane so the landing craft could get through, and after proceeding as far as possible before the PC-1261's screws were out of the water passed the order to abandon ship. As her crew took to the 54 degree water, the PC-1261 rolled onto her beam ends and sank at this location at 0532hrs on June 6th, 1944, making her the first US Navy ship lost in the operation.

USS PC-1261 received her first and final Battle Star for her role in the D-Day Invasion.

www.navsource.org/archives/12/011261.htm