USS ''Suncook'' (YN-99/AN-80) was a which was assigned to protect

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

ships and harbors 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 ...

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. Her World War II career was short lived; however, after decommissioning, she was reactivated in 1962 for use as a

research ship A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

for the U.S. Bureau of Mines, where she served as ''Grass Valley''.

Construction and career

''Suncook'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

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 ...

on 30 November 1944 by the Commercial Iron Works. The ship was launched on 16 February 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Laura B. Stephenson. ''Suncook'' was commissioned on 5 May 1945.

World War II service

''Suncook'' conducted

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, ...

and training off the

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

coast until 8 July, when she departed for

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 ...

. From there, she was routed on to

Eniwetok Atoll 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 ...

in the central Pacific Ocean. She arrived at the anchorage on 1 August, just two weeks before the cessation of hostilities. There she tended nets for the next seven months, making one round-trip voyage to

Ponape Ponape may refer to: * Pohnpei, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia * ''Ponape'' (barque), a German sailing ship {{disambiguation ...

and back in December 1945.

Post-war service

In March 1946, she sailed to

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

in company with and after two weeks there, continued on to Bikini Atoll in the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

, where she arrived on 30 March. ''Suncook'' remained in the vicinity of Bikini and

Kwajalein Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...

Atolls until September, supporting the atomic bomb tests known as Operation Crossroads. On 2 September, she cleared the area and sailed via Pearl Harbor to the U.S. West Coast. She reached

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, on 30 September and remained there until June of the following year, undergoing radiological clearance.

Post-USN service and disposition

In January 1947, she was placed in reserve, but remained in commission. On 10 June, she departed Seattle, and arrived, two days later, in

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

, where she was placed out of commission. She remained with the "mothball" fleet until August 1961, when custody was transferred to the

U.S. Maritime Administration The United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation. MARAD administers financial programs to develop, promote, and operate the U.S. Maritime Service and the U.S. Merchant Marine. De ...

. In September 1962, she was again transferred, this time to the U.S. Bureau of Mines for use as a

at the Marine Mineral Technology Center at Tiburon, California.

Re-named ''Grass Valley''

Her name was struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...

on 1 September 1962 and she became the research vessel, ''Grass Valley''. She served under that name until returned to the Navy for disposal on 18 June 1968. On 28 July 1971, her hulk was sold to the Waterman Supply Co.,

Wilmington, California Wilmington is a neighborhood in the Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, covering . Featuring a heavy concentration of industry and the third-largest oil field in the continental United States, this neighborhood has a high percentage of Lat ...

References

*
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - YN-99 / AN-80 Suncook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suncook Cohoes-class net laying ships Ships built in Portland, Oregon 1945 ships World War II net laying ships of the United States Research vessels of the United States