The USS Bayonne (PF-21) was a Tacoma-class frigate constructed by the American Ship Building Company in Cleveland, Ohio. Laid down on May 6, 1943, under Maritime Commission contract MC hull 1487, she was launched on September 11, 1943, with Mrs. Hannah Gallagher as her sponsor. Initially placed in non-commissioned service on September 22, 1944, she was briefly out of service after arriving in Baltimore and subsequently commissioned at Baltimore on February 14, 1945. Designed as a patrol frigate, USS Bayonne measured approximately 327 feet in length with a beam of about 37 feet and a draft of around 12 feet, typical of Tacoma-class vessels. She was equipped for escort duties and patrol operations during World War II, but her active service commenced late in the war. Her service history includes shakedown training at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and brief post-shakedown repairs at Philadelphia. In July 1945, she was selected for transfer to the Soviet Navy under Project Hula, a secret program facilitating the transfer of U.S. ships to the Soviets in anticipation of their involvement against Japan. She transferred to the Soviet Union in September 1945, where she was renamed EK-25 and served as a patrol vessel in the Soviet Far East, primarily in the Pacific. Following negotiations between the U.S. and Soviet Union, EK-25 was returned to the U.S. Navy in November 1949 and reverted to her original name, USS Bayonne. Recommissioned in July 1950, she participated in the Korean War, notably screening the amphibious landings at Inchon and operating along Korea’s coasts. For her service in Korea, she received six battle stars. After decommissioning in January 1953, Bayonne was loaned to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, where she was designated JDS Buna (PF-14, later PF-294) and later reclassified as YAC-11. She served until her decommissioning in March 1965, after which she was returned to the U.S. and sunk as a target in 1968. The USS Bayonne's maritime significance is marked by her service in two world conflicts and her transfer among three navies, exemplifying Cold War naval cooperation and the role of Tacoma-class frigates in mid-20th-century maritime operations.

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