USS ''YP-16'' was a wooden-hulled patrol vessel in commission in the fleet of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

as ''CG-267'' from 1925 to 1934, and in the fleet of the

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 ...

as ''YP-16'' from 1934 until 1941. She was sunk by Japanese aircraft during the Japanese attack on Guam.

History

She was laid down at the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

shipyard of the Lake Union Dry Dock and Machine Works,

, one of 203 "

Six-Bitter The United States Coast Guard wooden-hulled 75-foot patrol boats (also called "Six-Bitters") were built during Prohibition to help interdict alcohol smugglers ("rum runners"). Their nickname was derived from the slang term "six bits" meaning 75 U ...

s" ordered by the

. She was designed for long-range picket and patrol duty during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

for postings 20 to 30 miles from shore. The date of her launching and completion is uncertain although the class design was finalized in April 1924 and all of the Six-Bitters were commissioned by 1925. She was commissioned in 1925 as ''CG-267''. In January 1934, she was transferred to the

and designated as a

Yard Patrol Craft Yard Patrol craft are used by the United States Navy for training and for research purposes. They are designated as YP in the hull classification symbol system. They were nicknamed "Yippy boats" after the "YP" classification symbol. World War I ...

(YP). She was assigned to the 13th Naval District where she trained reservists. On 22 October 1940, she along with her sister ship , were delivered 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 ...

aboard the

replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...

for duty as a patrol boat and island defense. On 10 December 1941, she was attacked and severely damaged by Japanese aircraft; her crew burned the hulk to avoid capture during the Japanese attack on Guam. She was struck from the Naval List on 24 July 1942. Her crew was captured and sent to Japanese internment camps. She was awarded one

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:YP-16 1925 ships Ships built in Seattle Ships sunk by Japanese aircraft Maritime incidents in December 1941 Ships of the United States Navy Ships of the United States Coast Guard Yard patrol boats of the United States Navy Ships built by the Lake Union Dry Dock Company