USS ''Stagbush'' (AN-69/YN-93) was an which served with the
U.S. Navy in the western Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. Her career was without major incident, and she returned home safely after the war with one
battle star to her credit.
Built in Slidell, Louisiana
''Stagbush'' (AN-69) was laid down on 9 February 1943 by Canulette Shipbuilding Company, Inc.,
Slidell, Louisiana; launched on 29 January 1944; and commissioned on 30 August 1944.
World War II service
''Stagbush'' sailed for
Melville, Rhode Island
Melville is a census-designated place (CDP) in the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. It lies along the shore of Narragansett Bay. The population of the CDP was 1,320 at the 2010 census. The CDP i ...
, on 8 September only to be caught in a storm on the 14th off
Cape Hatteras,
North Carolina, which required that she be drydocked after her
shakedown. She was in the Snow Shipyards,
Rockland, Maine, from 12 October to 6 December 1944.
When she was ready for sea again, ''Stagbush'' sailed for
Hawaii via the
Panama Canal;
San Diego, California; and
Tiburon, Mexico, where she took on a load of nets. She arrived at
Pearl Harbor on 12 February 1945 and sailed the next day via
Eniwetok;
Ulithi; and
Leyte,
Philippine Islands, for the
Ryukyu Islands.
''Stagbush'' arrived at
Kerama Retto on 26 March and began laying nets to protect the anchorage. She remained there until mid-July when, after removing the nets, she moved to
Buckner Bay,
Okinawa. The ship sailed for
Wakayama,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, on 8 September, to assist in clearing mines. A few days later, she laid swept channel buoys in
Kii Suido
The , also called the Kii Strait, is a strait separating the Japanese island of Shikoku from the Kii Peninsula on the main island of Honshū. This strait connects the Inland Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
The name of the strait derives from Kii Pr ...
after minesweepers had cleared the entrance. She then returned to Okinawa for acoustic minesweeping gear to be transported to Japan.
End-of-war activity
''Stagbush'' remained at
Sasebo for a few days and then moved to
Fukuoka in late October to act as
tender
Tender may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* ''Illegal Tender'' (2007), a film directed by Franc. Reyes
* ''Tender'' (2012), a short film by Liz Tomkins
* ''Tender'' (2019), a short film by Darryl Jones and Anthony Lucido
* ''Tender'' (2019), a sh ...
for auxiliary motor
minesweepers. This duty was completed on 2 December 1945 and the net layer got underway for
San Francisco, California.
Post-war decommissioning
''Stagbush'' was decommissioned at
Mare Island, California, on 26 March 1946 and struck from the
Navy List on 21 May. She was sold to Robert A. Martinolich in April 1947 and converted for merchant service. She burned 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 ...
, on 16 October 1954.
Honors and awards
''Stagbush'' received one
battle star for World War II service.
References
*
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - YN-93 / AN-69 Stagbush
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stagbush
Ailanthus-class net laying ships of the United States Navy
Ships built in Slidell, Louisiana
1944 ships
World War II net laying ships of the United States
Tenders of the United States Navy
World War II auxiliary ships of the United States