USS Sacramento ( PG - 19 ) The second USS " Sacramento " ( PG - 19 ) was a gunboat in the United States Navy . " Sacramento " was launched on 21 February 1914 by the William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ; sponsored by Miss Phebe Briggs ; and commissioned on 26 April 1914 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard under the command of Commander Luke McNamee . Service history . World War I . " Sacramento " s first duty was in Mexican and Caribbean waters , and she arrived off Vera Cruz on 14 May 1914 . " Sacramento " visited Dominican , Mexican , Nicaraguan , and Honduran ports repeatedly into 1916 , protecting U . S . interests and observing uneasy local political conditions . Arriving at New Orleans on 17 March 1917 , " Sacramento " s crew assisted U . S . Customs authorities in taking over the interned German merchant vessels " Breslau " , " Andromeda " , " Anna " , " Louise " , and " Teresa " after the U . S . entered World War I . Departing New Orleans on 15 April , " Sacramento " proceeded to Newport , Rhode Island , to commence patrol and escort duty off the New England coast . She rescued the crew of the burning British motor ship " Sebastian " on 8 May and vainly attempted to tow her to Newport , receiving commendation from the British government for her efforts . In late June , she took part in refloating the grounded cruiser . Assigned to European waters , " Sacramento " departed New York on 22 July in company with a British mercantile convoy bound for Gibraltar , arriving on 6 August . As a unit of the U . S . Patrol Force based at Gibraltar , she performed continuous convoy escort duty to the British Isles with additional service along the North African and Italian coasts into 1918 . Following the Armistice , " Sacramento " was ordered back to the U . S . She departed Gibraltar on 11 December 1918 for New Orleans . Inter - war period . After completing repairs there , the gunboat steamed to New York prior to her next assignmentwith the U . S Naval Forces , Northern Russia . " Sacramento " arrived at Murmansk on 22 May 1919 ; and , through July , served as a dispatch ship , distributed food and clothing , provided medical help , and assisted in the withdrawal of American forces from areas bordering the White Sea . Subsequently sailing southward , " Sacramento " called at Norwegian , British , and French ports before arriving at Gibraltar on 20 September to assist in demobilizing the naval forces there . She returned to Hampton Roads , on 15 February 1920 to join the Atlantic Patrol Force and Special Service Squadron . Designated PG - 19 on 17 July 1920 , Sacramento ' s new assignment took her back to Caribbean waters where she spent considerable time cruising off troubled Honduras . Asiatic Squadron . She was reassigned to the Asiatic Squadron in 1922 , and departed Charleston , South Carolina , on 12 June " en route " for the Philippine Islands . Passing through the Mediterranean and transiting the Suez Canal , " Sacramento " called at Bombay , Colombo , and Singapore while progressing eastward to Manila . Her Asiatic Fleet service was spent largely in Chinese and Japanese ports but included a visit to Vladivostok , Russia from 11 September - 24 November 1922 . She remained on station until 21 December 1928 , when she departed Cavite for Caribbean duty . She sailed first to Mare Island , California , then joined the Special Service Squadron and cruised the Caribbean , calling at Central American and West Indies ports , into 1932 . She departed Balboa , Canal Zone , on 11 January 1932 bound for San Diego and San Francisco , preparatory to crossing the $ 3 for duty with the Asiatic Fleet . She arrived at Shanghai , China , on 1 April 1932 and remained in adjacent waters throughout the gradually worsening crisis , just short of war , during the rest of 1930s . With other U . S . forces , she helped to protect national interests during this period . Ordered home toward the end of the decade , the veteran gunboat departed Cavite on 12 January 1939 for New York , via the Mediterranean . She earned the nickname " the Galloping Ghost of the China Coast " . " Sacramento " served as a training ship for 9th Naval District Reservists , on the Great Lakes , from 20 November 1939 into 1940 . Returning to the Boston Navy Yard for refitting , she subsequently departed the Norfolk Navy Yard " en route " to her next assignment in the Hawaiian Islands . World War II . Entering Pearl Harbor on 15 August 1941 , she was assigned to the Naval Coastal Force of the 14th Naval District , with fellow gunboat and U . S . Coast Guard patrol boat s " Reliance " and " Tiger " . At the time of the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941 , " Sacramento " was berthed in the Navy Yard ' s repair berth B - 6 , with destroyers and nested beside her . " Sacramento " ' s battle stations were manned by 08 : 00 ; two minutes later , her gun crews opened fire on Japanese aircraft attacking " Battleship Row " off Ford Island . Her batteries assisted in destroying one enemy plane which crossed her bow ahead and later helped down another which was pressing home an attack on . Her boat crews participated in rescue and salvage operations throughout the aftermath of the battle . " Sacramento " patrolled the Hawaiian Sea Frontier out of Pearl Harbor until 27 September 1942 , when she commenced service as a tender for Torpedo Boat Unit 6 , Division 2 , of MTBRon 1 , at Palmyra Island , south of Hawaii ; with additional duty as air - sea rescue vessel for the Naval Air Station . She departed Palmyra on 25 November for San Diego and duty with the Western Sea Frontier patrol force . There she trained gun crews from December of that year to March 1945 . Based at San Francisco thereafter , " Sacramento " operated on weather patrol and plane guard station for the remainder of World War II . " Sacramento " was decommissioned on 6 February 1946 at Suisun Bay , California , and simultaneously transferred to the War Shipping Administration for disposal . She was sold on 23 August 1947 for mercantile service , initially operating under Italian registry as Fermina . Awards . " Sacramento " was awarded one battle star for World War II service .