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Casualty Info
Home Town New York
Last Address New York
Casualty Date Aug 05, 1943
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Burns
Location North Atlantic Ocean
Conflict World War II/European-African-Middle Eastern Theater
Location of Interment Buried at Sea, North Atlantic Ocean
Other Memories Plymouth's keel was laid down in 1931 by the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel, Germany, as Alva. She was given to the United States Navy on 4 November 1941 by her owner, W. K. Vanderbilt II of New York City, and was placed in reduced commission at Jacksonville, Florida, on 29 December 1941
She departed Jacksonville on 31 December for the Navy Yard, Washington, DC, arriving there on 4 January 1942. She sailed on 21 January and the next day entered the Norfolk Navy Yard. On 23 January, she was placed in commission in ordinary for conversion to a patrol gunboat. She was placed in full commission 20 April and assigned to Inshore Patrol Squadron, 5th Naval District, based at Norfolk, Virginia.
Sinking, 5 August 1943
On her last voyage, Plymouth departed New York City on 4 August 1943 as part of the escort for a convoy bound for Key West. At 21.37 hours the following evening she made underwater sound contact about 90 miles east of Elizabeth City, New Jersey. As she swung left, to bear on the target, a violent underwater explosion occurred just abaft the bridge. The force of the explosion rolled Plymouth to starboard. She then took on a heavy list to port with her entire port side forward of amidships in flames. She sank within two minutes.
Rescue operations were hampered by heavy seas and sharks. Only 85 of the crew survived to be taken to Norfolk on 6 August. A Board of Investigation concluded that Plymouth had been sunk by a torpedo fired from an enemy submarine. The submarine was U-566.
