Construction and commissioning Kline was laid down as the
Rudderow-class destroyer escort USS
Kline (DE-687) on 27 May 1944 by the
Bethlehem Steel Company at
Quincy,
Massachusetts, and was
launched on 27 June 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Hazel Kline, the
widow of the ships namesake.
Kline was reclassified as a
Crosley-class high-speed transport and redesignated APD-119 on 17 July 1944. After conversion for her new role, she was
commissioned on 18 October 1944.
U.S. Navy World War II While en route to
shakedown at
Bermuda on 6 November 1944,
Kline rescued nine survivors from the U.S. Navy
K-class blimp K-34, which had been forced down in a storm. Completing her shakedown,
Kline cleared
Norfolk,
Virginia, on 24 December 1944 for
World War II service in the
Pacific. Upon arriving at
Pearl Harbor,
Territory of Hawaii, on 20 January 1945,
Kline trained
underwater demolition teams until departing on 14 February 1945 for
Leyte in the
Philippine Islands. Intensive pre-
invasion exercises were completed in the Philippines before
Kline arrived off
Okinawa on 26 March 1945.
Klines underwater demolition team cleared the approaches to the
island. After the main invasion force landed on Okinawa on 1 April 1945,
Kline remained in the area in support of the
Okinawa campaign as
radar and
antisubmarine warfare picket. Her guns also assisted in shooting down a Japanese
aircraft on 1 April 1945 and helped down another on 6 April 1945.
Kline departed the Okinawa area on 16 April 1945 and for the next six weeks underwent training and repairs. Departing for
Borneo on 2 June 1945,
Kline provided close fire support during the invasion of
Brunei Bay on Borneo on 10 June 1945, and on 24 June 1945 her underwater demolition team gave valuable service during the invasion of
Balikpapan.
Kline departed
Netherlands East Indies waters on 7 July 1945 and, sailing via the
Caroline Islands and
Marshall Islands, arrived at
Oceanside,
California, on 5 August 1945.
Postwar Following the
surrender of Japan and end of World War II on 15 August 1945,
Kline departed California for Japan, arriving at
Sasebo, Japan, on 20 September 1945 to commence underwater
reconnaissance missions. After similar operations at
Nagasaki, Japan, she returned to the United States at
San Diego, California, on 19 October 1945 to prepare for
Operation Magic Carpet—the seaborne postwar repatriation of American serviceman from overseas—service.
Kline made one Magic Carpet cruise to Pearl Harbor and returned 110 Pacific veterans to San Diego on 19 November 1945. On 21 November 1945
Kline departed San Diego for the
United States East Coast, arriving at Norfolk on 5 December 1945. On 28 January 1946,
Kline arrived at
Green Cove Springs,
Florida, for inactivation.
Kline was
decommissioned on 10 March 1947 at Green Cove Springs and joined the
Atlantic Reserve Fleet there. After nearly 19 years of inactivity, she was stricken from the
Naval Vessel Register on 15 January 1966.
Republic of China Navy service On either 22 January 1966 or 22 February 1966,
Kline was sold to the
Republic of China under the
Military Assistance Program. In the
Republic of China Navy she served as
ROCS Shou Shan (PF-37), later redesignated PF-893 and later again redesignated PF-837.
Shou Shan was decommissioned 16 March 1997 and was sunk as a target in an air-strike exercise on 18 October 2000. ==Honors and awards==