USS ''Exploit'' (AM-95) was an 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 ...

. Laid down on 11 May 1942 by the Jakobson Shipyard, Inc., Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, launched on 7 September 1942, and commissioned on 5 February 1943. The ship was reclassified as a submarine chaser, PC-1599, 1 June 1944, and reclassified again as a control submarine chaser, ''PCC-1599'', 20 August 1945.

East Coast operations

Between 25 February and 12 May 1943, ''Exploit'' served on patrol, swept mines, and joined in amphibious exercises in

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

, based at Norfolk, Virginia. She performed similar duty in

Casco Bay, Maine Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its so ...

until 13 May 1944, when she returned to Norfolk for conversion to a submarine chaser.

Operating as a submarine chaser

''PC-1599'' sailed from Norfolk on 9 June 1944 on escort duty, bound for the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

. She arrived at

Eniwetok 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 i ...

on 1 October, and for the next five months served on local escort and patrol in the

Marshalls Marshalls is an American chain of off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico, and 61 stores in Canada. M ...

and Marianas, arriving at Iwo Jima on 6 March escorting an LST. Sailing from

Ulithi Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the larges ...

on 25 March to escort a

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

bound for

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, she served as primary control vessel for "Yellow Beach" during the initial landings on 1 April. ''PC-1599'' continued to patrol off Okinawa and screen shipping lying off the island until 1 June. After a brief overhaul, ''PC-1599'' cleared

Kerama Retto The are a subtropical island group southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Geography Four islands are inhabited: Tokashiki Island, Zamami Island, Aka Island, and Geruma Island. The islands are administered as Tokashiki Village and Zamami Vill ...

on 24 June 1945, bound for the west coast. The ship was reclassified as a Control Submarine Chaser, ''PCC-1599'' on 20 August 1945.

Decommissioning

''PC-1599'' was decommissioned on 14 December 1945 at

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

; transferred to the

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 ...

for disposal on 18 March 1949, and sold the same day to the California Co.,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. The ship was resold in 1961 to the Submarex Corp.,

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

, and retained the name ''Exploit''. Fate unknown. ''PC-1599'' received two

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 ...

s for

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 ...

service.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Exploit (Am-95) Adroit-class minesweepers Ships built in Oyster Bay, New York 1942 ships World War II minesweepers of the United States World War II patrol vessels of the United States