USS ''Shellbark'' (AN-67/YN-91) was a which was assigned to protect U.S. Navy ships and harbors during World War II with her anti-

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

nets.

Constructed in Slidell, Louisiana

''Shellbark'' (AN-67) was laid down on 15 September 1943 by the Canulette Shipbuilding Co. Inc., Slidell, Louisiana, as ''YN-91''; launched on 31 October 1943; redesignated as ''AN-67'' on 20 January 1944; and commissioned on 12 April.

World War II service

''Shellbark'' sailed to Newport, Rhode Island, on the 30th to begin her

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, ...

cruise. Upon completion, she was in the Boston Navy Yard from 24 to 31 May. She reported to the

1st Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...

for duty on 1 June. ''Shellbark'' was then assigned to the

U.S. Atlantic Fleet The United States Fleet Forces Command (USFF) is a service component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U.S. forces. The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United Stat ...

for temporary duty with the U.S. 12th Fleet. The net layer arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 20 July and operated in English waters until she departed Plymouth, England, on 6 November. ''Shellbark'' returned to

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 ...

, on 21 November 1944 and operated from there until departing on 20 February 1945 for San Francisco, California, via the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

and San Diego, California. She stood out of San Francisco on 27 April en route to Pearl Harbor, arriving there on 7 May. She sailed from there 20 days later for Eniwetok, Guam,

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. ''Shellbark'' operated in the Okinawa area from 13 July to 20 September. On the 22d, she moved into Japanese home waters around

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...

, operating from

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 ...

and Wakayama, until 1 February 1946. On that date, she sailed for Shanghai. She arrived on 17 March and began preparations for decommissioning.

Post-war inactivation

''Shellbark'' was decommissioned on 19 April and sold to China the next day. She was struck from the Navy List on 1 May 1946.

References

*
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - YN-91 / AN-67 ''Shellbark''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shellbark Ailanthus-class net laying ships of the United States Navy Ships built in Slidell, Louisiana 1943 ships World War II net laying ships of the United States