 When Hubbard arrived in Portland , the USS PC @-@ 815 was in the last stages of its construction . The ship , a 173 ft ( 53 m ) steel @-@ hulled subchaser of the PC @-@ 461 class , had been laid down on October 10 , 1942 at the Albina shipworks . She was commissioned on April 21 , 1943 with Hubbard in command and Lt ( jg ) Thomas Moulton , an officer with whom he had studied in Florida , as the ship 's executive officer . The ship left Portland on May 18 to travel down the Columbia River to Astoria , Oregon , where she took on ammunition . After participating for a day in an air @-@ sea rescue operation , USS PC @-@ 815 was ordered to sail to San Diego to commence its shakedown cruise . 
