Overview
In WW2, the United Kingdom and her respective Commonwealth used Flower-Class Corvettes for coastal and convoy defense, and one is seen in War Thunder as the HMCS Brantford. Along with this, a handful were given to the United States for the same purpose, and were modified and redesignated as Action-Class Motor Gun-Boats, but still served essentially the same role as a Corvette. Today’s suggestion is an interesting one, seeing her change duties between the Canadians, the British, the Americans, and the Italian Navy, being renamed 4 separate times, PG-96: the USS Prudent.
Basic Information
Designation: PG-96
Name: “Prudent”
Class: Action-Class
Role: Corvette, Motor Gun-Boat
Crew: 87
Shipbuilder: Morton Engine and Dry Dock Company
Laid Down: August 14, 1942
Launched: December 4, 1942
Commissioned: August 16, 1943
Decommissioned: October 11, 1945
Stricken: November 1, 1945
Fate: Purchased by the Italian Navy in 1949, discarded in 1970
Specifications
Dimensions:
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Length: 208 ft (63 m)
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Beam: 33 ft (10 m)
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Draft: 14 ft 7 in (4.4 m)
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Displacement: 925 long tons (940 t)
Sailing Preformance:
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Engine(s): Single-Shaft, 2x water-tube three-drum boilers, 1x double-acting triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, 2,750 hp (2,050 kW)
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Propellors: 1x Screw
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Max Speed: 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph)
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Max Range: 7,300 nmi (13,500 km)
Armament:
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Primary: 2x 3"/50 caliber Mk. 10 guns
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Anti-Air: 4x 20mm Oerlikon Cannons, 3x .30 (7.62 mm) Browning M1919 Machine Guns
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Additional Armament: 4x K-gun depth charge projectors, 2x depth charge tracks, 1 × Hedgehog projector
Usage in Battles
While lacking the Anti-Ship capability of the Flower-Class ingame, it would counteract this with its Anti-Air complement, and an additional gun. It would mainly play point-defence, targeting smaller vessels, and possibly more exposed large-vessels.
Pros:
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Decent Anti-Air guns
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Great Survivability
Cons:
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Poor Speed and manueverability
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Weak Primary Armament
History
The USS Prudent was laid down by the Morton Engine and Dry Dock Company, Ltd., in Montreal, Quebec, on August 14, 1942, originally named the HMCS Privet, and was launched on December 4, 1942, being sponsored by Mrs. Vincent Godfrey. She was delivered to the U.S. Navy on August 14, 1943, being renamed to the USS Prudent and was commissioned two days later on 16 August 16, 1943.
Following her shakedown off Bermuda, Prudent headed to New York to begin escort runs from the east coast to Cuba. Sailing with her first convoy on December 7, 1943, completing 12 total runs, and patrolled the waters along the east coasts of the US and Europe throughout WW2.
Prudent was inactivated at the end of the war, sailing south on June 11, to Charleston, South Carolina, where she was decommissioned on October 11, 1945, and struck from the Navy List on November 1, 1945, being transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal on September 22, 1947.
In 1949 the ship was acquired by the Italian Navy and renamed Elbano, her service at the time seldom known. In 1951 she was converted to a hydrographic survey vessel and renamed for a fourth time, now as the Staffetta. She continued to serve the Italian Navy under that Staffetta until she was discarded in 1970.
Additional Photos
https://www.navsource.org/archives/12/120909603.jpg
https://www.navsource.org/archives/12/120909604.jpg
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