US Navy Small Craft Training Centers (SCTC) were

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

training bases used to train

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

s in the operation of the many small wooden crafts used in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. These crafts were given the nickname '' Splinter Fleet''. There was a shortage of

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

and steel

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

s during World War II, so there was a need for a vast wooden fleet of crafts. The Small Craft Training Centers had classrooms and crafts for training. The bases had

barrack Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

housing and

mess hall The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

s. To get the men and crafts out into the field quickly, at many of the bases men trained on new ships. The new ships were at the center for about 4 weeks as part of the vessel's

sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...

Tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

Minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

Net laying ship A net laying ship, also known as a net layer, net tender, gate ship or boom defence vessel was a type of naval auxiliary ship. A net layer's primary function was to lay and maintain steel anti-torpedo or anti-submarine nets. Nets could be laid ...

s, Crash boats,

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...

s and other crafts built near the center were taken to the Small Craft Training Centers for testing. Crafts built at

Lynch Shipbuilding Lynch Shipbuilding was a wooden shipbuilding company in San Diego, California. To support the World War II demand for ships, Lynch Shipbuilding built US Navy rescue tugs and Coastal trading vessel, coastal cargo ships. Lynch Shipbuilding yard w ...

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

were taken to the Small Craft Training Center at

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long Be ...

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

for their sea trial. Lynch Shipbuilding built

tugboats A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

, and minesweepers. Some of the craft at the Terminal Island school were:

USS Density (AM-218) USS ''Density'' (AM-218) was an ''Admirable''-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Pacific Ocean. She was launched 6 February 1944 by Ta ...

USS Waxsaw (AN-91) USS ''Waxsaw'' (YN-120/AN-91) was a which was assigned to protect United States Navy ships and harbors during World War II with her anti-submarine nets. Her World War II career was cut short due to the war coming to an end, but, post-war, she was ...

, and

USS Climax (AM-161) USS ''Climax'' (AM-161) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Pacific Ocean. She was launched 9 January 1943 by Willamet ...

USS Wateree (ATF-117) USS ''Wateree'' (ATF-117/AT-117) was an ''Abnaki''-class fleet ocean tug acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. ''Wateree'' was sent to the western Pacific Ocean to perform towing services; however, during a typhoon, she was damaged be ...

USS Quest (AM-281) USS ''Quest'' (AM-281) was an built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was decommissioned in 1947 after wartime service and transferred to the Philippine Navy in 1948 where she served as presidential yacht RPS ''Pag-asa'' (APO ...

USS Snowbell (AN-52) USS ''Snowbell'' (YN-71/AN-52) was a which served the U.S. Navy during World War II. She operated in the Pacific Ocean until she was destroyed by Typhoon Louise off Okinawa, 9 October 1945. Career ''Snowbell'' (AN-52) was laid down on 3 May 19 ...

. The US Navy also had Small Craft Training Centers in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and other sites.

US Navy Small Craft Training Centers

World War II Small Craft Training Centers: * Small Craft Training Center at Terminal Island ,

* Small Craft Training Center at

with a

minesweeping Minesweeping is the practice of the removal of explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that ...

School *Small Craft Training Center at

Opa-locka, Florida Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss. Developed based on a ''One Thousand and One Nights'' theme, Op ...

near

* Small Craft Training Center at

Key West, Florida Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...

* Small Craft Training Center at

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

* Small Craft Training Center at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

Submarine Chaser Training Center

Submarine Chaser Training Center (SCTC) was a US Navy School for training seamen in the use and care for

Submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

s (PC & SC), used in World War II to hunt

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

naval submarines,

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

s. Submarine Chaser Training Center was founded in March 1942. The Chaser Training Center was stationed at the old

Port of Miami The Port of Miami, styled as "PortMiami" but formally the Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami, is a major seaport located in Biscayne Bay at the mouth of the Miami River in Miami, Florida. It is the largest passenger port in the world, and one of the ...

at Pier 2, near downtown on

Biscayne Boulevard U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) in Florida runs along the state's east coast from Key West to its crossing of the St. Marys River (Florida/Georgia), St. Marys River into Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia north of Boulogne, Florida, Boulogne and south of ...

. Most sub chasers had a crew of 3 officers and 24 enlisted men. Crews had 60 days of training at the center after completing 90 days of basic training. Swim test and Swim training was done at

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...

. Sub chasers were also used in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

. Due to the small crafts and large task, some gave the Submarine chasers the nickname ''Donald Duck Navy''. The former Submarine Chaser Training Center is located near the current Museum Park. A few of the craft that were used for training and sea trails at the center were: USS PGM-3, USS PC-1137,

USS PC-1264 USS ''PC-1264'' was a built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was one of only two U.S. Navy ships to have a predominantly African-American enlisted complement during the war, the other being the . ''PC-1264'' was in service fo ...

, and USS SC-1470 Engineers' submarine Chaser training school -- lecture LOC 25753520950

Submarine Chaser Training School

Submarine Chaser Training School (SCTS) was a US Navy School at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

City of New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Training was for work on

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

s to hunt U-boats. The destroyer USS Andres was stationed at the Submarine Chaser Training School.

Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School

In June 1969 the Navy opened Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School that currently is headquartered at

John C. Stennis Space Center The John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) is a NASA rocket testing facility in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on the banks of the Pearl River at the Mississippi–Louisiana border. , it is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility. ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. The School has classes in: Patrol Craft Operations, Patrol Craft Propulsion Systems Overhaul, Patrol Craft Hull Maintenance, Outboard Motor Maintenance and Overhaul, Patrol Craft Weapons Maintenance, Instructor Development Course, and Rule of Law and Disciplined Military Operations. Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School website
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External links

Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School wdsu.com

Navy News

References

{{WWII history by nation United States Navy schools and training

US Navy Small Craft Training Centers

Submarine Chaser Training Center

Submarine Chaser Training School

Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School

See also

External links

References