The USS Reading (PF-66) was a Tacoma-class frigate built for the United States Navy during World War II, and it holds the distinction of being the only ship named after Reading, Pennsylvania. Laid down on 23 May 1943 by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, she was launched on 28 August 1943, with Mrs. John C. Butterweck serving as the sponsor. The vessel was commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana, on 19 August 1944, after being towed down the Mississippi River. Constructed as a Tacoma-class frigate, the USS Reading's initial role was convoy escort duty. Following a shakedown off Bermuda, she participated in transatlantic convoy operations, starting in January 1945, when she departed Norfolk, Virginia, bound for Algeria. She completed at least two Mediterranean convoy runs before the end of the European theater of World War II. In June 1945, the USS Reading was converted into a weather ship, with extensive modifications including the installation of meteorological equipment, a hangar for a weather blimp replacing her third 3-inch (76 mm) gun mount, and provisions for cold-weather operations. Her first station was off Boston, where she had to "lie to" due to the depth of the anchorage. Later, she operated between Canadian and Icelandic waters, transmitting weather observations 12 times daily and providing homing signals to aircraft. She routinely refueled and resupplied at ports like NS Argentia, Newfoundland, and Reykjavík, Iceland. The USS Reading was decommissioned on 19 December 1945 at Portsmouth, Virginia, and struck from the Navy list in January 1946. She was transferred to the United Boat Service Corporation, then sold to Argentina in July 1947, where she was renamed ARA Heroína (P-32). In Argentine service, her armament was upgraded with Swedish Bofors dual-purpose guns. The vessel was eventually scrapped in 1966, concluding her maritime service.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.