The USS Racine (PF-100) was a Tacoma-class frigate constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Laid down by the American Ship Building Company in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 14, 1943, she was launched on March 15, 1944, and commissioned on January 22, 1945, in Houston, Texas. The vessel was crewed by the Coast Guard and represented the first naval ship to bear the name Racine, after the city in Wisconsin. Designated as a patrol frigate, the Racine measured approximately 303 feet in length with a beam of about 37 feet, and a draft of roughly 12 feet. She was equipped to undertake various roles, including escort duties, as evidenced by her early service escorting the Italian submarine Atropo between Bermuda and Guantánamo Bay during shakedown operations. Following her initial operations, Racine participated in convoy escort missions along the Atlantic coast, including voyages from Norfolk, Virginia, to Oran, Algeria, with convoy UGS 84, and returning with convoy GUS 86. After conducting training exercises in Casco Bay, Maine, she was converted at New York into a weather patrol ship designed for distant duty. In this capacity, Racine departed Pearl Harbor on September 6, 1945, heading toward the Philippines, arriving at Tacloban, Leyte Gulf, on September 23 to serve as a weather station ship, a role vital for supporting military and shipping operations in the Pacific theater. Her service in the Pacific concluded in April 1946, when she departed Samar, Philippines, returning to the United States, arriving in Seattle on May 12. She was decommissioned at Bremerton, Washington, on June 27, 1946, and struck from the Navy list on July 19, 1946. The vessel was sold for scrapping to Franklin Ship Wrecking Company in Hillside, New Jersey, on December 2, 1947. The USS Racine's service highlights her role in convoy escort and weather patrol duties during the closing months of World War II, contributing to maritime safety and operational support in both Atlantic and Pacific theaters.

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