rtrapasso
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ORIGINAL: AW1Steve
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ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
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ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
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ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
Thread Quiz for you sleepyheads:
The ship pictured below was commissioned by the US in 1944, and served (alas) in the Atlantic during the war. Later she was transferred to another country, and arguably saved that country from conquest when it sank ANOTHER former-US ship in an action in the WITP area of operations (though not during WW2.)
What is the ship? Any of the 3 "names" will do?
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Well, now i have found a total of SIX different names that the ship was known by - mostly due to different ways of translating the name into English (another hint).
>1 hour with no guesses, so here is a clue (more to follow):
After her career in the Atlantic, the ship transferred to become a training vessel, and her name was changed.
Still no guesses, so another clue:
This ship was transferred to a foreign navy in 1950 (where she became "famous").
ROKS Baekdusan (PC 701)?
BINGO! WE HAVE A WINNER!!
Although, this is a 7th different name for the vessel!! 
She was PC-823 in the USN, transferred to become a training vessel, and was renamed USS Ensign Whitehead.
In 1950, she was purchased by South Korea as the 1st vessel in the nascent South Korean navy. She then became the flagship (presumably when they got more than one vessel).
She became the sole South Korean vessel in the (naval) Battle of Pusan, and this (edited) from Wikipedia:
"The Battle of Pusan was a small naval battle fought on the first day of the Korean War, June 25, 1950, between the navies of South Korea and North Korea. (This was the first day of the war).
A North Korean steamer was one of the vessels. Formerly an American merchant ship of 1,000 tons, she was armed with machine guns and loaded with 600 soldiers of the 766th Independent Infantry Regiment. It was early morning when the South Korean Navy submarine chaser ROKS Bak Du San spotted the lone enemy steamer eighteen miles from Pusan.
Bak Du San first challenged the steamer with signal lights and received no response. But when the South Koreans turned on their searchlights, the North Koreans opened fire, hitting the Bak Du San's bridge. The helmsman was killed and the officer of the deck seriously wounded. Bak Du San returned fire with her main 3-inch anti-aircraft gun and six .50-caliber machine guns. After the North Koreans began taking hits, the ship attempted to flee the engagement. In a running battle the Bak Du San chased the enemy steamer down and it sank near Tsushima Island with heavy loss of life. The victory, though unintended, was a major strategic gain. Pusan was vital but only lightly defended and if it had fallen the North Koreans would have been one step closer to completely overrunning the country."
Considering Pusan was the port that allowed the UN forces to hold out for several months before Inchon, if it had fallen it probably would have meant South Korea would have fallen entirely - at least temporarily, but maybe permanently.
A small investment in naval forces may have saved South Korea. 
BTW - other names for the ship:
Pak Tu San
Bak Dusun
Bak Du San (as above), as well as the 2 different USN names and the two Steve gave.
< Message edited by rtrapasso -- 11/22/2010 5:21:41 PM >
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RE: THE THREAD!!! - 
I'm tempted by this one... 
Even if they are foreign ones 
And what's up with an animal name ??? 
you guys !! 
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