View source for USS Reading

{{short description|Tacoma-class patrol frigate}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= ARA Heroína (P-32).jpg
|Ship caption= ARA ''Heroína'' (P32) ex-USS ''Reading'' (PF-66)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1946}}
|Ship name=''Reading''
|Ship namesake=City of [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]], Pennsylvania
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder= [[Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company]], [[Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin]]
|Ship laid down= 23 May 1943  
|Ship launched= 28 August 1943 
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 19 August 1944 
|Ship decommissioned= 19 December 1945 
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck= 5 January 1946
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honors=  
|Ship fate= Resold to [[Argentina]], July 1947
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header= title
|Ship country=Argentina
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Argentina|naval}}
|Ship name= ''Heroína'' 
|Ship namesake=  
|Ship acquired= July 1947
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=  
|Ship struck=
|Ship renamed=  
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship fate= Scrapped, 1966
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= {{sclass|Tacoma|frigate}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|1264|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship length= {{convert|303|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|37|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|13|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship propulsion=*2 × {{convert|5500|shp|0|abbr=on}} turbines
*3 boilers
*2 shafts
|Ship speed= {{convert|20|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=190
|Ship armament=*3 × [[3"/50 caliber gun|3"/50 dual purpose]] guns (3x1)
*4 x [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40&nbsp;mm gun]]s (2×2)
*9 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm gun]]s (9×1)
*1 × [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] [[anti-submarine mortar]]
*8 × [[Y-gun|Y-gun depth charge]] projectors
*2 × Depth charge tracks
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''USS ''Reading'' (PF-66)''', a {{sclass|Tacoma|frigate}}, originally classified as '''PG-174''', was the only ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for [[Reading, Pennsylvania]].

In 1947, she was sold to [[Argentina]], entering service with the [[Argentine Navy]] as ARA ''Heroina'' (P-32); she was scrapped in 1966.

==Construction==
''Reading'' (PF-66) was laid down by the [[Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company]], in [[Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin]], on 23 May 1943; launched on 28 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. John C. Butterweck; towed down the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] and commissioned at [[New Orleans]], Louisiana, on 19 August 1944.  The broken christening bottle and other artifacts from and relating to the ship are in the collection of the [[Historical Society of Berks County]], located in Reading, PA.

==Service history==

=== World War II ===
Following [[shakedown cruise|shakedown]] off [[Bermuda]], ''Reading'' reported for fast [[convoy]] escort duty between the [[United States]] and [[Europe]]an and [[North Africa]]n ports.  Her first such duty began in January 1945 when she departed [[Norfolk, Virginia]], for [[Algeria]].  Returning to the United States with another convoy, she made one more round-trip to the [[Mediterranean]] before the end of the war with [[Germany]].

On 26 May ''Reading'' commenced conversion to a [[weather ship]].  An intricate array of meteorological equipment was installed, her number three 3-inch (76&nbsp;mm) gun mount was replaced by a hangar for a weather [[blimp]], and a supply of cold weather gear was taken on board before the ''Reading'' was declared ready for sea on 10 June.  Her first weather station was off [[Boston]], where she was forced to "lie to" because it was too deep to anchor.  In the fall, the weather ship moved northward and took station between the [[Canada|Canadian]] and [[Iceland]]ic coasts.  [[Weather]] observations were transmitted 12 times daily and homing signals were radioed to [[aircraft]] periodically.  When relieved from her station, the ship put into either [[Naval Station Argentia|NS Argentia]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] or [[Reykjavík]], [[Iceland]] for refueling and provisioning.

=== Postwar ===
On 16 November ''Reading'' received orders for decommissioning.  She put in at [[Portsmouth, Virginia]], and was decommissioned there on 19 December 1945.

===Argentine service===

{{other ships|ARA Heroína}}

She was struck from the [[Navy list]] on 5 January 1946, delivered to [[United Boat Service Corporation]], [[New York City]], and then resold to [[Argentina]] in July 1947 and renamed ARA ''Heroína'' (P-32).  In Argentine service the armament was re-worked, shipping 3 Swedish Bofors 10.5cm dual purpose guns with 2 twin and 4 single hand-worked 40mm Bofors guns also purchased from Sweden. The ship was scrapped in 1966.

== References ==
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/r3/reading.htm}}

== External links == 
* {{navsource|12/08066|USS Reading}}
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/patrol/pf66.htm hazegray.org: USS ''Reading'']
* {{Cite web|url= http://www.histarmar.com.ar/Armada%20Argentina/Buques1900a1970/FragHeroina.htm  |title= FRAGATA "HEROINA" 1948 |author=Histarmar |language= es |access-date=3 October 2016}}

{{Tacoma class patrol frigate|others}}
{{Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reading (PF-66)}}
[[Category:Tacoma-class frigates]]
[[Category:Ships built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States]]
[[Category:Weather ships]]
[[Category:Tacoma-class frigates of the Argentine Navy]]