USS Absecon ( AVP - 23 ) The second USS " Absecon " ( AVP - 23 ) was a United States Navy " Barnegat " - class seaplane tender in commission from 1943 to 1947 , converted during construction to serve as a catapult training ship . The ship was later used by the United States Coast Guard , South Vietnam s Republic of Vietnam Navy , and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam s Vietnamese People ' s Navy . Construction and commissioning . " Absecon " was laid down on 23 July 1941 at Houghton , Washington , by Lake Washington Shipyard . She was launched on 8 March 1942 , sponsored by Mrs . Robert L . Moon , Jr . , the daughter of Captain G . E . Davis — who was then the chief of staff to the Commandant of the 13th Naval District — and the wife of Commander Robert L . Moon , Jr . . " Absecon " was unique among the " Barnegat " - class ships in that she was the only one fitted with an aircraft catapult and cranes for handling floatplane s . Her redesign from the standard seaplane tender configuration resulted from the U . S . Navy ' s need for pilots to gain experience needed to qualify for catapult operations in battleship - and cruiser - based floatplane aviation units . " Absecon " was converted to this configuration during construction . She commissioned at the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bermerton , Washington , on 28 January 1943 with Commander Robert S . Purvis in command , and completed her fitting out period on 14 February 1943 United States Navy service . " Absecon " was assigned the duty of providing aviator training for catapulting and sled net recovery of floatplanes while underway . She commenced her shakedown voyage on 15 February 1943 , her aircraft complement consisting of one Curtiss SO3C Seamew and a pair of Vought OS2U Kingfisher s . On her way from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean via the Panama Canal , " Absecon " picked up seven survivors from SS " Olancho " , a freighter which had been torpedo ed by a German submarine . Training operations in Florida waters . From March to September 1943 , " Absecon " operated out of the Naval Section Base at Mayport , Florida , coordinating observation - plane pilot training and serving as a target for practice torpedo runs . On 16 April 1943 , she struck a submerged wreck that caused considerable damage to her hull . Following repairs , she resumed her duties . In September 1943 , " Absecon " was shifted to operate from Port Everglades , Florida . She carried out her training activities there into the winter of 1943 – 1944 . One event highlighted her service during this period : On 13 November 1943 , while serving as a target ship for torpedo bomber s , " Absecon " observed a small freighter , SS " Franklin Baker " , flying distress signals . " Absecon " initially attempted to tow " Franklin Baker " to shore . When it became apparent that " Franklin Baker " would not move even under tow and was a navigational hazard , " Absecon " took her crew on board and attempted to sink her . Two depth charge s and eighteen 5 - inch ( 127 - millimeter ) projectiles failed to sink the freighter . The United States Coast Guard assisted in the effort to sink " Franklin Baker " , eventually succeeding by setting demolition charge s on board her . During 1944 , " Absecon " conducted 1 , 394 catapult launchings and a corresponding number of recoveries and qualified 211 pilots , thus averaging approximately 116 launches per month with 18 pilots a month qualifying for the operation of cruiser and battleship - based floatplanes such as the SO3C , the OS2U , the Curtiss SOC Seagull , and the Curtiss SC Seahawk . Her peak month of operations was November 1944 , when she conducted 279 launchings and qualified 58 aviators . In addition to this duty , she continued to serve as a mobile target for torpedo plane s . Shallow - running exercise torpedoes struck " Absecon " four times during 1944 : on 30 January 1944 , on 24 June 1944 , on 19 August 1944 , and on 31 October 1944 . The first hit flooded two compartments , the third caused flooding in the forward engine room , and the last caused a small rupture in the shell plating . Between 17 October 1944 and 20 October 1944 , " Absecon " was caught in a hurricane while moored in Mayport . After sending her aircraft inland , she rode out the storm , experiencing winds of up to 100 knots ( 115 miles per hour or 190 kilometers per hour ) . " Absecon " assisted the fishing boat " Chip " on 6 February 1945 . She was again hit by an exercise torpedo on 19 February 1945 and was forced to enter dry dock at the Charleston Navy Yard in Charleston , South Carolina , to repair her starboard propeller . On five occasions during 1945 , aircraft capsized during recovery operations . All resulted in the salvage of the aircraft involved except the last , on 4 August 1945 . On that occasion she sank the plane , apparently damaged beyond repair , with gunfire . " Absecon " was based at Port Everglades until mid - July 1945 , when she shifted to Pensacola , Florida , for duty involving training and logistical support of the observation aircraft operations there . " Absecon " carried out this training through the end of World War II on 15 August 1945 and into September 1945 . During those nine months , she conducted 1 , 839 catapult launchings , an average of 204 per month , and qualified 274 pilots . Her peak production of pilots occurred in March 1945 when she qualified 45 , and her peak number of launchings occurred during August 1945 , when she conducted 340 . Post - World War II service . As the helicopter began to supplant cruiser - and battleship - based seaplane s , the need for qualifying pilots of floatplanes diminished accordingly . After a period as a training ship based at Pensacola , " Absecon " was decommissioned on 19 March 1947 and placed in reserve , laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in Orange , Texas . United States Coast Guard service . Loaned to the United States Coast Guard on 5 January 1949 , " Absecon " became the Coast Guard cutter USCGC " Absecon " ( WAVP - 374 ) and operated as such until 1972 . Operating primarily in the Atlantic out of Norfolk , Virginia , she served as a weather ship on ocean stations , and also conducted search and rescue and law enforcement operations in addition to United States Coast Guard Academy cadet training cruises . In 1966 she was reclassified as a high endurance cutter and redesignated WHEC - 374 , and was transferred permanently to the Coast Guard . Foreign service . Republic of Vietnam Navy service . Decommissioned by the Coast Guard on 9 May 1972 , " Absecon " was transferred to South Vietnam on 15 July 1972 and was simultaneously commissioned into the Republic of Vietnam Navy as patrol vessel RVNS " Pham Ngu Lao " ( HQ - 15 ) . Vietnamese Peoples Navy service . The government of South Vietnam collapsed at the end of the Vietnam War in late April 1975 . North Vietnam seized " Pham Ngu Lao " in May 1975 . She was commissioned into the Vietnamese People ' s Navy of the now - unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam as patrol vessel PRVSN " Pham Ngu Lao " ( HQ - 01 ) . " Pham Ngu Lao " s status in that secretive navy is murky , but she was thought to be in active service into the 1990s and perhaps as recently as 2000 . Her status is unclear ; she now apparently is inactive and may have been decommissioned .