USS Willoughby ( AGP - 9 ) The second USS " Willoughby " ( AGP - 9 ) was a motor torpedo boat tender that served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 . Construction and Deployment . " Willoughby " was laid down as an " Barnegat " - class " small seaplane tender designated AVP - 57 on 15 March 1943 at Houghton , Washington , by Lake Washington Shipyards . She was reclassified as a motor torpedo boat tender and redesignated AGP - 9 on 11 May 1943 . Launched on 21 August 1943 , sponsored by Mrs . D . R . Lee , she was commissioned on 18 June 1944 with Lieutenant Commander A . J . Church in command . After fitting out and undergoing sea trials , " Willoughby " conducted her shakedown out of San Diego , California , from 9 July 1944 to 4 August 1944 , exercising in antisubmarine warfare operations and antiaircraft and gunnery drills and running further speed trials . Following a post - shakedown periods in the shipyard at Terminal Island , California , from 5 August 1944 to 11 August 1944 , " Willoughby " shifted to San Francisco , California , where she loaded stores before getting underway on 15 August 1944 , bound for Funafuti in the Ellice Islands . While she was en route , her destination was changed to Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands . " Willoughby " fueled and took on stores at Tulagi in the Solomon Islands on 1 September 1944 before she reached her destination , Seeadler Harbor , Manus , on 6 September 1944 . Her stay there proved brief , however , for she got underway that day , bound for the Padaido Islands . The voyage to Mios Woendi proved eventful , as " Willoughby " picked up a sound contact on sonar at 1335 hours on 7 September 1944 , distance 1 , 000 yards ( 914 m ) . Going to general quarters , the ship commenced a run on what , after the executive officer had reported seeing a torpedo wake pass the ship , she believed to be a submarine . At 1342 hours , " Willoughby " dropped four depth charge s and , although she lost contact with the submarine , continued her search of the area . Regaining a slight sound contact at 1512 hours , " Willoughby " made another run but did not drop depth charges . The ship secured from general quarters at 1632 hours , resumed her voyage , and arrived at Mios Woendi on 8 September 1944 . New Guinea campaign . " Willoughby " tended patrol torpedo boat s ( PT boats ) at Mios Woendi from 9 September 1944 to 12 October 1944 . During that time , the New Guinea campaign was gradually coming to an end ; PT boats operating from Mios Woendi were finding slimmer pickings to choose from in regard to Japan ese barge traffic . All combat patrols from Mios Woendi finally ceased on 16 November 1944 when the Japanese evacuation from New Guinea had been completed . The Philippines campaign . The Leyte campaign begins . " Willoughby " was part of the burgeoning force of PT boats and their tenders that had grown as the World War II in the Southwest Pacific had progressed . So significant had been the role of PT boats in the island - hopping campaigns that they were slated to take part in supporting the initial landings in the Philippine Islands . Moving the motor torpedo boat s from New Guinea to the Philippines , however , presented a problem . Commander Selman S . Bowling , commanding Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron ( MTBRon ) 21 , considered the voyage too long to be made " in one hop , even if escorted by tenders . " The margin of safety for the ships to operate with , once they arrived in the objective area after the long voyage , was deemed unacceptable . Fuel was critical . Ultimately , the decision was made to route the boats via the recently secured Palau Islands , sending them along with their tenders . " Willoughby " made up part of this significant movement — described as " the largest and longest mass movement of PT ' s under their own power during the war " — that began on 13 October 1944 , at Mios Woendi . On that day , " Willoughby " , in company with motor torpedo boat tenders USS " Oyster Bay " ( AGP - 6 ) ( Commander Bowling ' s flagship ) and USS " Wachapreague " ( AGP - 8 ) , seaplane tender USS " Half Moon " ( AVP - 26 ) , two United States Army craft , and 45 PT boats , sailed for the Palaus on the first leg of their monumental voyage of 1 , 200 nautical miles ( 2 , 222 kilometers ) . At Kossol Roads , the PT boats fueled from the tenders , while the tenders in turn fueled from accompanying oiler s . On the second leg of the trip , the PT boats fueled at sea from the tenders , a difficult task but a necessary one if the PT boats were to arrive off Leyte with their fuel tanks full and ready to go . The PT boats arrived at Leyte Gulf on the morning of 20 October 1944 , the first day of the landings on the western beaches of Leyte proper , and commenced patrols that evening . " Willoughby " steamed to San Pedro Bay , off Leyte , arriving there at 1443 hours on 21 October 1944 , and tended the PT boats of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons ( MTBRons ) 7 and 21 over the ensuing weeks . On 23 October 1944 , " Willoughby " took on board a man from USS " PT - 325 " who had been wounded by shrapnel during Japanese air attacks that day . On 24 October 1944 , heavy Japanese air attacks upon the American invasion forces commenced at 0750 hours ; American combat air patrol ( CAP ) fighter s shot down four Japanese twin - engined Mitsubishi G4M " Betty " bombers , one of them attempting a suicide dive into a transport . A few moments later , a formation of " Sally " light bombers came into the area , and a heavy antiaircraft barrage claimed three of them . CAP fighters and antiaircraft fire combined to down most of another mixed group of Japanese planes — - Kawasaki Ki - 45 " Nicks , " Aichi D3A " Vals , " and a Mitsubishi Ki - 46 " Dinah " that attacked subsequently . " Willoughby " gunners claimed two planes downed — this was reduced to one the next day — and one of the planes she damaged crashed into and sank a nearby landing craft infantry ( LCI ) . " Willoughby " brought on board five of the LCI ' s survivors and saw a " kamikaze " crash into the ocean - going tug USS " Sonoma " ( ATO - 12 ) . During the day , " Willoughby " stood at general quarters at one point for a stretch of six and one - half hours . Japanese air attacks enlivened the next day , 25 October 1944 , as well . During that 24 - hour span , " Willoughby " was at general quarters for 11 and one - half hours . She also shot down one Japanese plane . The Battle of Leyte Gulf . Meanwhile , major Japanese naval forces were approaching the Philippines from three directions . The Japanese southern force was heading through the Sulu Sea in the direction of Surigao Strait , their central force was crossing the Sibuyan Sea toward the San Bernardino Strait , and a northern force of Japanese aircraft carrier s was north of Luzon , hoping to lure the American Fast Carrier Task Force away from Leyte Gulf . For the first time since the 1942 fighting off Guadalcanal , the opposing sides arrayed battleship s against one another . Rear Admiral Jesse B . Oldendorf deployed his forces across the northern end of Surigao Strait . Thirty - nine of the 45 PT boats that had come from Mios Woendi and made the long voyage via the Palaus deployed in sections of three boats each , strung out through the straits and along the coasts of Mindanao , Leyte , and Bohol , into the Mindanao Sea , to detect and report on the enemy ' s approach . In the Battle of Surigao Strait that followed , the PT boats played a significant role . " The skill , determination , and courage displayed by the personnel of these small boats is worthy of the highest praise , " reported Admiral Chester W . Nimitz subsequently . " Their contact reports , " he continued , " as well as the firing and illumination they drew from the enemy , gave ample warning to our own main body ; and , while the issue of the later main engagement was never in doubt , the PT ' s action very probably threw the Japanese command off balance and contributed to the completeness of their subsequent defeat . " All boats attached to " Willoughby " participated in that important encounter , while the tender herself remained at San Pedro Bay . The battle was just one part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf of 23 October 1944 – 26 October 1944 , in which the Imperial Japanese Navy suffered a crushing defeat . The Leyte campaign concludes . In ensuing days , " Willoughby " experienced Japanese air attacks at odd intervals during daylight hours . On the morning of 27 October 1944 , one of her boats came under attack by Japanese planes , when a Mitsubishi A6M Zero ( or " Zeke " ) dropped a fragmentation bomb off the bow of USS " PT - 152 " . Two men died and eight were wounded ; the boat subsequently pulled next to " Willoughby " and transferred the dead and wounded to the tender . Also while at San Pedro Bay , " Willoughby " experienced a storm of typhoon intensity on 30 October 1944 . During that spell of heavy weather , the storm carried away one of the ship ' s motor launches , but it was later recovered . The ship herself suffered no damage . From 31 October 1944 to 12 November 1944 , " Willoughby " experienced daily air raids . On 5 November 1944 , Japanese planes scored a direct hit on USS " PT - 320 " , moored off the tender ' s starboard bow , demolishing the boat and killing nearly the entire crew ; only one man survived . A week later , on 12 November 1944 , a flight of suicide aircraft attacked ; while " Willoughby " herself was not touched , she witnessed " kamikaze " s crash into landing craft repair ship s USS " Egeria " ( ARL - 8 ) and USS " Achilles " ( ARL - 41 ) . " Willoughby " and her sister ship " Wachapreague " retired from Leyte on 13 November 1944 and arrived at Mios Woendi on 16 November . On 17 and 18 November 1944 , the motor torpedo boat tenders loaded stores and supplies . Later , in company with motor torpedo boat tender USS " Pontus " ( AGP - 20 ) , " Wachapreague " , seven Army crash boat s and 41 PT boats , " Willoughby " departed New Guinea and proceeded vai Kossol Roads back to the Philippines , in a repeat performance of the previous mass movement of PT boats from New Guinea to that strategic archipelago . After servicing the PT boats en route , at Kossol Roads , on 23 November 1944 , Willoughby steamed into Leyte Gulf , arriving late on 27 November 1944 . The tender manned her general quarters stations when a large American task force nearby — - composed of battleships , cruiser s , and destroyer s — underwent a Japanese air attack . Shells from friendly ships fell " perilously near " " Willoughby " , but she emerged unscathed as the force repulsed the Japanese raid . The Luzon campaign . Shifting to Espiritu Santo soon thereafter , " Willoughby " picked up necessary spare parts vital to the continued operation of PT boats in the Philippine Islands on 4 January 1945 and departed for the Treasury Islands on 5 January 1945 , where she picked up more spare parts after her arrival on 8 January 1945 . She continued loading operations at Green Island , Emirau Island , and Manus before returning to the Philippines , anchoring in San Juanico Strait on 18 January 1945 . Over the next three days , " Willoughby " unloaded the vital spares that had been gathered on the recently completed voyage . She then steamed to Mangarin Bay , off Mindoro Island , towing a fuel barge and a small pontoon drydock , and in company with 25 Army tugs escorted by two destroyer escort s , and arrived there on 31 January 1945 . En route , on 27 January 1945 , she spotted a Japanese plane , but it did not attack the convoy . " Willoughby " was at Mindoro only briefly . Underway soon thereafter , she took the " kamikaze " - damaged destroyer USS " Gansevoort " ( DD - 608 ) in tow . Since no other vessels were available to tow the crippled destroyer , " Willoughby " drew that special duty and pulled the ship to San Pedro Bay , arriving on 5 February 1945 . " Willoughby " then resumed tending PT boats at San Pedro Bay on 6 February 1945 . " Willoughby " , carrying the personnel of MTBRons 20 and 30 , departed Leyte on 19 February 1945 in a Mindoro - bound convoy with 25 landing ships tank ( LSTs ) , 15 landing ships medium ( LSMs ) , nine LCIs , seven motor minesweepers ( YMS ) , a patrol craft ( PC ) , a small coastal transport ( APC ) , and three submarine chaser s ( SC ) . On the morning of 21 February 1945 , the Japanese submarine " RO - 43 " torpedoed destroyer USS " Renshaw " ( DD - 499 ) , one of the convoy ' s escorts . The torpedo struck the destroyer ' s forward fire room , leaving her dead in the water . Destroyer USS " Shaw " ( DD - 373 ) stayed behind to protect the crippled " Renshaw " while the convoy proceeded . Ultimately , a tug , dispatched from Leyte , brought the crippled " Renshaw " into port . The Palawan campaign . " Willoughby " meanwhile arrived at Mangarin Bay , Mindoro , on 23 February 1945 to prepare for the imminent invasion of Palawan , in the southern Philippine Islands . On 27 February 1945 , " Willoughby " weighed anchor and set out for Palawan with a convoy of 19 LST ' s and 21 PT boats , escorted by four destroyers . On 28 February 1945 , units of the 8th Army went ashore on Palawan , the westernmost major island in the Philippine archipelago . On 1 March 1945 , " Willoughby " and her charges from MTBRons 20 and 23 arrived off Palawan at Puerto Princessa and began operations . The invading troops of the 8th Army found little opposition awaiting them ashore , and the PT ' s , patrolling the length of the island , found no Japanese forces afloat . Off the southern tip of Palawan , however , the PT boats found a small Japanese garrison on the island of Pandanan . The boats repeatedly strafe d the Japanese positions , encountering a volume of fire that was initially heavy but that later slackened and finally disappeared . Late in April 1945 , a landing party went ashore and found that the Japanese had evacuated . Thus , at the end of April 1945 , the PT boats ceased patrols off Palawan . The Borneo campaign . Relieved by motor torpedo boat tender USS " Mobjack " ( AGP - 7 ) at Puerto Princessa on 30 April 1945 , " Willoughby " weighed anchor and sailed for Samar , arriving at PT Base 17 on 2 May 1945 . She spent the next eight days steaming to various points in Leyte Gulf , taking on stores in preparation for the expected invasion of Brunei Bay in British North Borneo . " Willoughby " returned to Mangarin Bay in company with five merchant ships and two destroyer escorts and then spent the period from 13 May 1945 to 4 June 1945 off Mindoro , tending MTBRons 13 and 16 , preparing for the North Borneo operation to come . The tender got underway on 5 June 1945 and on 6 June 1945 arrived at Puerto Princessa , where the PT boats refueled and underwent minor repairs . " Willoughby " weighed anchor on 7 June 1945 and headed for Brunei Bay , rendezvousing in Balabac Strait on 8 June 1945 with the Brunei assault force , and continued in company with those warships for the remainder of the voyage toward her objective . Meanwhile , on 9 June 1945 , four of her PT boats - - USS " PT - 78 " , USS " PT - 81 " , USS " PT - 82 " , and USS " PT - 84 " — patrolled the invasion area . On 10 June 1945 , the Australian 9th Division moved ashore at Brunei Bay and pushed inland . " Willoughby " arrived at Brunei Bay that day and went to general quarters at 0615 hours in preparation for the assault phase of the strikes on Labuan Island , Muara Island , and Polompong Point . Shortly thereafter , a lone Japanese plane attacked the formation to which " Willoughby " was attached and dropped two bombs which splashed into the water without causing any damage . " Willoughby " tended MTBRons 13 and 16 in Brunei Bay until August 1945 . Early in June , the ship experienced several air raid alerts , and three enemy planes actually entered the area on 14 June 1945 . In the meantime , ashore , the Australians were encountering heavy resistance from the Japanese on Labuan Island . The PT boats supporting the campaign destroyed a 60 - foot ( 18 . 25 m ) sailing vessel and six barges during the first phase of the landings and then ran out of targets afloat . They then machine - gunned and mortar ed Japanese positions , and at times conducted joint strikes with Royal Australian Air Force planes at Jesselton , Miri , and Kudat , three Japanese - held oil centers on North Borneo . During her time at Brunei Bay , " Willoughby " shifted her anchorage on 10 July 1945 , moving to a spot off Muara Island , the site of the newly established PT boat base . She remained there for the rest of the war . She lay at Muara Island on 15 August 1945 when word reached her that the Japanese had decided to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration . Simultaneously , offensive operations by MTBRons 13 and 16 ceased . " Willoughby " earned three battle star s for her World War II service Post - World War II Navy career . On 24 August 1945 , " Willoughby " got underway for Mindanao to take on a cargo of diesel fuel and arrived at Zamboanga on 26 August 1945 . During her passage , she sighted a Japanese horned - type naval mine and destroyed it with gunfire . " Willoughby " returned to Muara Island at the end of August 1945 , encountering en route on 28 August 1945 and sinking another stray Japanese naval mine . From 30 August 1945 to 8 September 1945 , " Willoughby " tended PT boats off Muara Island before she embarked 38 officer s and 318 enlisted men of the Australian 9th Division and loaded 50 tons of supplies on 9 September 1945 , at nearby Labuan Island . She got underway on 10 September 1945 , bound for Tanjong Po , off the mouth of the Sarawak River . En route , she rendezvoused with six PT boats , which she accompanied for the rest of the passage . Making arrival on 11 September 1945 , 180 troops disembarked from " Willoughby " and went on board five of the PT boats . The sixth PT boat embarked Captain W . C . Jennings , Commander J . P . Engle , USNR , and Lieutenant Commander A . W . Fargo , USNR , three American naval officers who had been invited to attend the surrender of Japanese forces in North Borneo . Soon , the six PT boats and the Australian corvette HMAS " Kapunda " headed upriver . Although the surrender ceremonies had been set for 1400 hours on board " Kapunda " , the Japanese commander , general Yamamura , reported that he was indisposed to attend . Ordered to show up , however , Yamamura arrived at 1500 hours . The surrender was signed , and the Japanese left " Kapunda " , at 1600 hours . The six PT boats then proceeded on to Kuching on the Sarawak River and put ashore the first Australian occupation troops . The next morning , 12 September 1945 , " Willoughby " disembarked the remaining Australian troops to the PT boats and unloaded the 50 tons of stores into two Landing craft tank ( LCTs ) brought to Tanjong Po for that purpose . On 13 September 1945 , 210 former Allied prisoners of war and internee s kept at Kuching embarked in " Willoughby " . Among the men transferred were two enlisted men who had been captured by the Japanese after their ship , the heavy cruiser USS " Houston " ( CA - 30 , had been sunk in Sunda Strait on 1 March 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait . Several stretcher cases went on board the Australian hospital ship " Manunda " , anchored off Tanjong Po . Underway on the afternoon of 13 September 1945 , " Willoughby " and her PT boats headed for Labuan Island and , upon her arrival there on the evening of 14 September 1945 , discharged all evacuees . " Willoughby " subsequently made two additional voyages to Kuching , each time transporting Australian troops and relief supplies on the inbound passage and taking out former prisoners of war and internees on the return trip . She made her last visit to Tanjong Po on 23 September 1945 , returning to Brunei Bay and anchoring at her usual berth off Muara Island late on 24 September 1945 . " Willoughby " subsequently returned via the Philippine Islands to the United States West Coast , arriving at the Mare Island Navy Yard , Vallejo , California , in early December 1945 for temporary duty there in connection with the repair of vessels at the yard . She continued that duty into 1946 . In the meantime , the United States Coast Guard inspected " Willoughby " for suitability as a weather ship . After " Willoughby " was classified as " not essential to the defense of the U . S . , " she was decommissioned on 26 June 1946 and was simultaneously turned over to the Coast Guard at Government Island , Oakland , California . Her name was struck from the Navy List on 19 July 1946 . United States Coast Guard career . Renamed USCGC " Gresham " and redesignated WAVP - 387 , the ship served with the Coast Guard until 1973 . Late reclassified as a high endurance cutter and redesignated WHEC - 387 ) , her primary duty was to patrol ocean stations , reporting weather data and engaging in search - and - rescue and law - enforcement operations . In 1967 , with the formation of Coast Guard Squadron 3 , " Gresham " operated in conjunction with U . S . Navy forces in Operation Market Time , the interdiction of communist coastal arms and munitions traffic along the coastline of Vietnam during the Vietnam War . Later reclassified as a meteorological cutter and redesignated WAGW - 387 , " Gresham " was decommissioned on 25 April 1973 and turned over to the Maritime Administration on 21 May 1973 for layup in the James River in Virginia . She was sold for scrapping on 25 October 1973 to B . V . Intershitra of Rotterdam , the Netherlands .