Abingdon (PC-1237)
1956-1959
A town located in the southwestern part of the state of Virginia, about 15 miles northeast of Bristol, and the seat of government for Washington County.
(PC-1237: displacement 280; length 173'8"; beam 23'0"; draft 10'10"; speed 20.2 knot (trial); complement 65; armament 1 3-inch, 2 20 millimeter, 2 depth charge projectors, 2 depth charge tracks; class PC-461)
PC-1237 was laid down on St. Valentine’s Day [14 February] 1943 at Morris Heights, N.Y., by the Consolidated Shipbuilding Corp.; launched on 3 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. David Challinor; and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N.Y., on 26 July 1943, Lt. Joseph F. Weller, Jr., D-V(G), USNR, in command.
Following a World War II and post-war career that involved developmental work as well as employment as a convoy escort, PC-1237 (q.v.) was placed out of commission, in reserve, in October 1949, and was berthed at Norfolk with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. During that time, in February 1956, she was named Abingdon.
Abingdon was stricken from the Navy Register on 1 April 1959, but her subsequent fate is not known.
Raymond A. Mann
Updated, Robert J. Cressman\
27 November 2023
