USS ''Sentry'' (AM-299) was an built for the
United States Navy during
World War II. She served in the
Pacific Ocean and was awarded six
battle stars, a
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944.
History
Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...
, and a
Presidential Unit Citation. She was decommissioned and placed in reserve in 1946. In August 1962, the former ''Sentry'' was transferred to
South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
as RVNS ''Ky Hoa'' (HQ-09) in the
Republic of Vietnam Navy. Her fate after 1962 is unreported in
s.
U.S. Navy career
''Sentry'' was laid down on 16 May 1943 by the
Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding
Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard in Puget Sound that operated from 1903 until 1959 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, United States.
The shipyard was built as an expansion of Hall Bros. Marine Railway & Shipbuilding C ...
Co.,
Seattle, Washington; launched on 15 August 1943 sponsored by Miss Nanette L. Pratt, and commissioned on 30 May 1944. After
shakedown
Shakedown may refer to:
* Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation
* Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational
* Extortion, ...
, ''Sentry'' sailed from
San Francisco, California, on 28 August 1944 and joined the
U.S. 7th Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...
at
Manus on 6 October for the
Leyte invasion. She arrived off the Leyte beaches on 17 October and carried out a three-day pre-invasion sweep. She continued sweeping during and after the initial landings on 20 October until joining the transports on 24 October to provide
antiaircraft support.
''Sentry'' remained in
Leyte Gulf for the next six weeks then participated in most of the subsequent landings in the
Philippines. With her division, Mine Division 34 she carried out pre-invasion sweeps at
Ormoc Bay on 6 December 1944,
Mindoro Island on 14 December
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central. The Agno River and the Balili ...
on 6 January 1945, and
Zambales and
Subic Bay on 29–31 January. For all but the
Ormoc landings, she remained on the scene after the initial troop landings, helping extend the mineswept areas and providing
antisubmarine and antiaircraft protection to the transports. Many mines were encountered, and
kamikaze resistance was intense, and the ships saw much antiaircraft action.
On 13 February, ''Sentry'' and her division began pre-invasion sweeps in
Manila Bay in preparation for the landings at
Mariveles and
Corregidor
Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
. While sweeping off Corregidor on the 14th, the minesweepers came within 5,000 yards of the island and were repeatedly straddled by Japanese fire before supporting ships silenced the enemy's guns. ''Sentry'' continued sweeping in Manila Bay through 19 February, and her division earned a
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944.
History
Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...
for the operation.
During the next two and one-half months, ''Sentry'' carried out various local sweeps in support of mop-up operations in the
Philippines, the most notable being a pre-assault sweep for the landings at
Legaspi,
Luzon on 1 April, and an 8-day sweep in the
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea ( fil, Dagat Sulu; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; Chavacano: ''Mar de Sulu''; Cebuano: ''Dagat sa Sulu''; Hiligaynon: ''Dagat sang Sulu''; Karay-a: ''Dagat kang Sulu''; Cuyonon: ''Dagat i'ang Sulu''; ms, Laut Sulu) is a body o ...
off
Palawan beginning on 22 April. On 9 May, the ship arrived at
Morotai
Morotai Island ( id, Pulau Morotai) is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands.
Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It ha ...
to prepare for operations in the
Netherlands East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
.
Between 7 and 18 June, ''Sentry'' supported the landings at
Brunei Bay
Brunei Bay ( ms, Teluk Brunei) is on the northwestern coast of Borneo island, in Brunei and Malaysia.
Brunei Bay is located 5°00'43.44", 115°17'26.66"; east of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
It is the ocean gateway to the isolated Temburong Dis ...
,
Borneo; and, between 22 June and 15 July, she helped clear the way for the assault at
Balikpapan. During both operations, the minesweepers came under fire from shore batteries; and one ship, , was sunk by a mine on 8 June. ''Sentry's'' task unit received a
Presidential Unit Citation for its service off Borneo between 15 June and 1 July 1945.
After overhaul at
Subic Bay, ''Sentry'' departed the
Philippines on 8 September and arrived at
Sasebo Japan, on 20 October, having accepted the surrender of the Japanese army garrison of
Shan Zaki in the
Ryukyus while en route. In the following weeks, she swept Japanese minefields in the Ryukyus, the
Tsushima Strait, and the
Van Diemen Strait. She sailed from Sasebo on 9 December for the United States. Arriving at
Orange, Texas, on 2 April 1946, she was decommissioned there on 19 June 1946 and placed in reserve. In addition to her six
battle stars for World War II service, ''Sentry'' was also awarded a
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944.
History
Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...
and a
Presidential Unit Citation.
While she remained in reserve, ''Sentry''s classification was changed to MSF-299, effective 7 February 1955. ''Sentry'' was struck from the
Navy list on 1 February 1962 and transferred to
South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
on 31 August 1962.
Republic of Vietnam Navy career
The former ''Sentry'' was transferred to South Vietnam's navy, the
Republic of Vietnam Navy, on 31 August 1962 as RVNS ''Ky Hoa'' (HQ-09). Her fate after that date is unreported in
s.
In late April 30, 1975, Ky Hoa (HQ-09) had to be repaired at South Vietnam Navy Shipyard Factory (Ba Son) in Saigon, then until the collapse of South Vietnam Government, she was left at the Ba Son Shipyard dock and had been captured by the Communist Army when they won the Vietnam War.
References
*
NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Sentry (MSF 299) - ex-AM-299
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sentry (AM-299)
Admirable-class minesweepers
Ships built in Seattle
World War II minesweepers of the United States
Admirable-class minesweepers of the Republic of Vietnam Navy
Vietnam War naval ships of South Vietnam
Ships of the Vietnam People's Navy
1943 ships