The USS Niagara (CMc-2/PG-52/AGP-1) was a versatile auxiliary vessel of the United States Navy during World War II, originally constructed as a civilian yacht. Laid down on November 14, 1928, by Bath Iron Works in Maine, she was launched on June 7, 1929, and delivered later that year. The Navy purchased her from Mrs. Hiram Edward Manville of New York City on October 16, 1940, and she was converted into a coastal minelayer at the New York Navy Yard. Initially designated CMc-2, she was renamed Niagara on November 12, 1940, and reclassified as a patrol gunboat (PG-52) on November 15, 1940. She was commissioned in New York on January 20, 1941. Niagara’s early service involved patrolling and tending motor torpedo boats in the Caribbean and Florida waters. She then moved to the Pacific, arriving at Pearl Harbor on October 9, 1941, to operate on the Hawaiian Sea Frontier. She was part of the escort convoy for Pensacola bound for the Philippines, and was present during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Afterward, she returned to Pearl Harbor and served as a tender to motor torpedo boat squadrons. In November 1942, she was overhauled and prepared to serve as a motor torpedo boat training ship. Her most notable transformation occurred in January 1943, when she was reclassified as the Navy’s first motor torpedo boat tender, AGP-1, at Nouméa, New Caledonia. She then operated in the Solomon Islands, tending to patrol boats off Guadalcanal. During her service there, she participated in the fierce combat during the Japanese raid on Guadalcanal on April 7, 1943, actively engaging enemy aircraft. On May 22, 1943, while en route to New Guinea, Niagara was severely damaged by a Japanese aerial attack. Bombs struck her, flooding her engine room, damaging her equipment, and causing a critical list. Despite efforts to save her, she was abandoned after an enemy torpedo hit her gasoline tanks, resulting in a catastrophic explosion. She sank quickly, but all 136 crew members survived. For her wartime service, USS Niagara received one battle star. Her operational history exemplifies her significant role as a combat support vessel in the Pacific Theater.

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