USS ''Buoyant'' (AM-153) was an built for the U.S. Navy during

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 ...

. After service in the Pacific, which netted her crew one

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

, she was decommissioned in May 1946 and sold to the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

. Her name in Republic of China Navy service and her fate are not reported in

secondary source In Scholarly method, scholarship, a secondary sourcePrimary, secondary and tertiary ...

Career

''Buoyant'' was launched 24 November 1942 by Willamette Iron and Steel Works,

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, and commissioned 30 September 1943. ''Buoyant'' arrived at Adak, Alaska, 30 December 1943 and engaged in escort duty along the Aleutian chain, making frequent stops at

Kodiak Kodiak may refer to: Places *Kodiak, Alaska, a city located on Kodiak island * Kodiak, Missouri, an unincorporated community *Kodiak Archipelago, in southern Alaska *Kodiak Island, the largest island of the Kodiak archipelago ** Kodiak Launch Com ...

Dutch Harbor Dutch Harbor is a harbor on Amaknak Island in Unalaska, Alaska. It was the location of the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June 1942, and was one of the few sites in the United States to be subjected to aerial bombardment by a foreign power during Worl ...

Sand Bay Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of ...

Amchitka Amchitka (; ale, Amchixtax̂; russian: Амчитка) is a volcanic, tectonically unstable and uninhabited island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refu ...

, Adak, and Attu until 1 July 1944. In July she sailed to

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, for a three-week availability at

Treasure Island, California Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay and a neighborhood in the City and County of San Francisco. Built in 1936–37 for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, the island's World's Fair site is a California Hist ...

. On 1 August 1944 she escorted a convoy to

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...

via

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

. On 4 September, at

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

, she was assigned to the Forward Area Escort and Patrol Group. The ensuing six months were spent on the sea lanes between Saipan and Eniwetok providing escort protection for submarines, transports, and merchant ships. ''Buoyant'' arrived off Kiese Shima,

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, 31 March 1945 and assisted in the assault and occupation of Okinawa (31 March-31 May). During this period she took part in several sweeping operations. The ship returned to the United States 7 July. On 17 September she sailed for Pearl Harbor, the first leg of a voyage back to the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. ''Buoyant'' arrived at

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan, 15 December 1945 and later moved to

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...

, Japan, where she operated in support of the occupation until 8 March 1946. Arriving 13 March at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, she reported to Commander, Philippine Sea Frontier; was demilitarized; and sailed for Shanghai, China, in April 1946. ''Buoyant'' was decommissioned, 29 May 1946 at Shanghai, China and sold by the Office of

Foreign Liquidation Commission Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...

the same day for transfer to the

. Fate unknown. ''Buoyant'' received one battle star for her World War II service.

References

*
NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Buoyant (AM-153) - ex-AMc-130
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buoyant (AM-153) Admirable-class minesweepers Ships built in Portland, Oregon 1942 ships World War II minesweepers of the United States Admirable-class minesweepers of the Republic of China Navy