USS New Bedford (PF-71), a Tacoma-class frigate, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for New Bedford, Massachusetts. The New Bedford (PF-71) was built by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and was launched there on 29 December 1943. She was towed down the Mississippi River and ferried to Houston, Texas, for completion and fitting out. She was commissioned 18 November 1944 under the command of Lieutenant Commander J. S. Muzzy, USCG.