USS ''Catclaw'' (AN-60/YN-81) was an which served with the U.S. Navy during World War II. ''Catclaw'' served in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean theatres of the war. Post-war she was decommissioned in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, and transferred 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 ...

Constructed in Maine

''Catclaw'' (YN-81) was launched 22 May 1943 by Snow Shipyards, Inc., Rockland, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. F. R. Draper: commissioned 14 January 1944 and reclassified ''AN-60'' 20 January 1944.

World War II service

Atlantic Ocean operations

''Catclaw'' reported at New London, Connecticut, 10 April 1944 to lay experimental underwater detection and sonar gear until 10 June. At Brooklyn Navy Yard, she was supplied with welding and diving equipment and had radar equipment installed. ''Catclaw'' then sailed on 23 June for a month and a half of duty at Clyde, Scotland. On 20 August she arrived at

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, where she based until 14 September while laying moorings at Morlaix Roads for cargo ships bypassing the harbor at Brest. Through November, she played an essential part in the huge task of clearing the harbor of Le Havre, and after a month of operations at Plymouth, England, sailed for

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, 9 January 1945, aiding in the escort of a group of disabled ships including ''LCT-421'' which she took in tow.

Pacific Ocean operations

After overhaul, ''Catclaw'' sailed from Charleston 15 February 1945 for San Diego, California, to load nets for Pearl Harbor. Here she had duty from 27 March until 25 May, when she cleared for Eniwetok and Guam to deliver nets. After receiving a new propeller at Guam, she sailed to

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 ...

and Okinawa, where from 13 July to 8 September she conducted salvage operations. From 10 September to 14 October, she laid harbor

buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

s and issued dry stores at Sasebo, then returned to Okinawa to load acoustic minesweeping equipment for use in Japanese waters. She operated to support minesweepers off northern

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

through January 1946, then operated at

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

until 14 March.

Post-war decommissioning

''Catclaw'' sailed then to Shanghai, where she was decommissioned 19 April 1946. The next day she was transferred to the U.S. Department of State for sale to the

References

*
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - YN-81 / AN-60 Catclaw
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catclaw Ailanthus-class net laying ships of the United States Navy Ships built in Rockland, Maine 1943 ships World War II net laying ships of the United States