USS ''YP-290'' (ex-''Picoroto'') was a converted fishing vessel which served as an auxiliary

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

in the

U.S. 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 o ...

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 opposing ...

History

She was laid down in 1937 at the Campbell Machine shipyard in

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 ...

, Washington as a wooden hulled tuna boat and christened the ''Picoroto''. In 1942, soon after the attack on

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 R ...

, the US government requisitioned 52 of the 79 tuna clippers (including the ''Picoroto'') in the California fleet (49 by the U.S. Navy and 3 by the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

). Although slow at 10 knots, the wooden hulls of the tuna boats made them ideal for mine sweeping operations and their refrigerated holds suitable for delivery of perishables. In addition, their crews were already seasoned and with minimal training, ready for service. The ''Picoroto'' was painted grey and fitted with machine guns and depth charges. and was designated as a

yard patrol boat 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-290''). Ships of this class were affectionately known as "Yippies". She was sent to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

where Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was preparing for the defense of

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

. ''YP-290'' along with '' YP-284'', '' YP-345'', and ''YP-350'', were assembled into Task Force (TF) 4 and assigned to protect and patrol the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. On 20 May 1942, they set out from

to posts at the several islets and islands that extended from Hawaii out to Midway Atoll: ''YP-290'' went to Laysan Island while '' YP-284'' to

Lisianski Island Lisianski Island ( Hawaiian: ''Papa‘āpoho'') is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, with a land area of and a maximum elevation of above sea level. It is a low, flat sand and coral island about northwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. The is ...

, '' YP-345'' went to

Gardner Pinnacles The Gardner Pinnacles ( haw, Pūhāhonu) are two barren rock outcrops surrounded by a reef and located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands at . The volcano is northwest of Honolulu and from French Frigate Shoals. The total area of the two ...

, and ''YP-350'' to Necker Island. The converted armed yacht ''

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macro ...

'' took station at Pearl and Hermes Reef while seaplane tenders '' Thornton'' and '' Ballard'', both converted destroyers, were stationed at

French Frigate Shoals The French Frigate Shoals ( Hawaiian: Kānemilohai) is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the sh ...

. The ships were tasked with patrolling their area of control, serving as a lookout for any enemy activity, and the rescuing of downed airman. The YPs also carried aviation gasoline, food, and water if needed at Midway Island. Nimitz had correctly surmised that the Japanese had used the outer Hawaiian Islands to refuel seaplanes to reconnoiter Pearl Harbor. In fact, the Japanese had on two occasions flown Kawanishi H8K "Emily" seaplanes to French Frigate Shoals where they met awaiting submarines to refuel. By denying the Japanese access, the Japanese were forced to cancel "Operation K" which entailed flying four H8Ks from

Jaluit Jaluit Atoll ( Marshallese: , , or , ) is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is , and it encloses a lagoon with an area of . Mo ...

and

Wotje Wotje Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 75 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Geography Wotje's land area of is one of the largest in the Marshall Islands, and en ...

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 Intern ...

to the French Frigate Shoals and refueling them from submarines '' I-121'' and '' I-123'' so they could then fly on to Pearl Harbor and ascertain if the American carriers remained in port. If they had been successful, they would have found out that the American carriers had already departed Pearl Harbor. On 19 December 1945, she was struck from the

Naval 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 ...

. In 1946, she was transferred to the

United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:YP-290 Auxiliary ships of the United States Navy 1937 ships Yard patrol boats of the United States Navy