On 10 March 1943, Eberle encountered the German blockade runnerKarin, which was flying the Dutchflag. The task group commander, Rear AdmiralO. M. Read, ordered Eberle to ignore Karin's Allied flag and board her. Pattison was one of the 14 men chosen from Eberle's complement to board Karin before Karin's crew could scuttle her. In spite of rising flames and explosions, Pattison performed his salvage duties, primarily by maintaining contact with Eberle while his colleagues searched for demolition charges. While executing his duty, Pattison was killed by the explosion of one of the German demolition charges. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
William J. Pattison remained at San Diego only two days before putting to sea on 24 May 1945 in company with high-speed transports USS Begor (APD-127) and USS Cavallaro (APD-128). After a six-day voyage filled with gunnery drills and tactical exercises, the three high-speed transports arrived in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, on 30 May 1945. William J, Pattison spent the next two weeks in amphibious and underwater demolition team training in Hawaiian waters, mostly at Maui.
On 13 June 1945, William J. Pattison embarked 10 officers and 50 enlisted men and got underway for the Marshall Islands, in company with Cavallaro and SS Cape Meares. The three ships entered the lagoon at Eniwetok on 21 June 1945, but on 23 June 1945 got underway again with a convoy bound for Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands. William J. Pattison remained at Ulithi from 26 June 1945 to 1 July 1945, when she began the two-day voyage to Leyte in the Philippine Islands. After eight days at Leyte, she headed back to Ulithi Atoll on 12 July 1945.
In late July and early August 1945, William J. Pattison made two voyages from Ulithi Atoll to Okinawa. Though both visits were somewhat enlivened by air raid alerts, she saw no action. The surrender of Japan which ended World War II on 15 August 1945 found the ship on her way from Okinawa to the Mariana Islands.
Postwar
William J. Pattison arrived at Guam in the Marianas on 17 August 1945 and embarked Underwater Demolition Team 18. On 20 August 1945, she departed Guam in company with Begor and a group of tank landing ships (LSTs) to join the United States Third Fleet off Japan. William J. Pattison and Begor soon parted company with the slower LSTs and made the rendezvous with the Third Fleet on the night of 24–25 August 1945.
William J. Pattison arrived in Tokyo Bay late in the afternoon of 27 August 1945 to begin her part in the postwar occupation of Japan. On 30 August 1945, she supported the United States Marines who occupied Yokosuka Naval Base, and her underwater demolition team unit carried out an inspection of the base's harbor facilities. Later, she participated in the demilitarization of captured Japanese warships. For the next month, William J. Pattison steamed among various Japanese bases located throughout the Japanese Home Islands, reconnoitering to prepare for their occupation by United States Marine Corps, United States Army, or U.S. Navy men. She also helped with further demilitarization projects.
On 30 September, the ship got underway on the first leg of her journey back to the United States. After stops at Guam, Eniwetok, and Pearl Harbor, she arrived back in San Diego on 22 October 1945.
William J. Pattison was decommissioned at Green Cove Springs sometime in March 1946. She remained in reserve there with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until 1 June 1960, when her name was stricken from the Navy List.
^The Dictionary of Naval Fighting Ships provides identical birth dates and locations and identical enlistment dates and locations for both William J. Pattison (at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w8/william_j_pattison.htm) and Merton B. Myers (at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/m16/myers.htm), both of whom died at the same time in the Karin boarding attempt. This almost impossible coincidence in both date and place of birth, of enlistment, and of death in action suggests that the Dictionary of Naval Fighting Ships is in error concerning some or all of this information for one or both men. Other sources merely repeat the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entries and are of no assistance in clearing up the matter.
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