 Selected for transfer to the Soviet Navy in Project Hula – a secret program for the transfer of U.S. Navy ships to the Soviet Navy at Cold Bay in anticipation of the Soviet Union joining the war against Japan – "Rockford" began training her new Soviet crew at Cold Bay in August 1945.Following the completion of training for her Soviet crew, "Rockford" was decommissioned on 26 August 1945 at Cold Bay and transferred to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease immediately along with her sister ships , , , , and .Commissioned into the Soviet Navy immediately, "Rockford" was designated as a "storozhevoi korabl" ("escort ship") and renamed EK-18 in Soviet service.