USS ''Improve'' (AM-247) was an
''Admirable''-class minesweeper built for the
U.S. Navy during
World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the North
Atlantic Ocean and then in the
Pacific Ocean. ''Improve'' received two
battle stars for World War II service.
''Improve'' was laid down 1 June 1943 by
Savannah Machine & Foundry Co.,
Savannah, Georgia; launched 26 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. J. E. Poythress and commissioned 29 February 1944.
World War II North Atlantic operations
After
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, ...
, ''Improve'' reported to Mine Warfare School,
Yorktown, Virginia, for duty as
school ship. She was next assigned to
convoy duty, sailed for Africa on 23 July, and arrived
Mers-el-Kebir 10 August 1944. The mine-craft arrived off
southern France
Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...
for duty 25 August.
During this period ''Improve'' swept coastal waters, occasionally exchanging fire with German shore batteries. The enemy still controlled the Italian coastline in this area, and menaced sweeping operations with one-man
torpedoes and other devices. The ship helped sweep a channel into
Mentone 9–10 September and assisted sinking a
one-man torpedo on the 10th. From October until March 1945 ''Improve'' swept mines and performed patrol duties at
Bizerte
Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...
;
Cagliari
Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...
,
Sardinia; and
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
,
Sicily. Her group developed the new technique of using a Navy
blimp to spot floating mines.
Following a brief operation off
Anzio 3 March, ''Improve'' resumed operations off
Sardinia and
Sicily, before departing
Oran
Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
17 April for the United States.
Transfer to the Pacific Fleet
USS Improve arrived
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 ...
, 5 May 1945 and, with the focus of war now shifted to the Pacific, sailed 5 July for duty in that theater. She proceeded via the
Panama Canal to
San Pedro, Los Angeles
San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...
, arriving 26 July, and remained there on training duty until after the end of the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
. The need for minesweeping operations was still great, however, and ''Improve'' sailed 17 September for
Pearl Harbor,
Eniwetok,
Saipan
Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
, and
Okinawa. She arrived off
Sasebo 17 November for additional minesweeping duty and finished the year working off
Formosa
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...
and in the
Pescadores.
Decommissioning
In March 1946 the ship was at
Shanghai, earmarked for transfer to China, but she was subsequently returned to
Seattle, Washington, and decommissioned 6 November 1946. ''Improve'' was eventually turned over to the
Maritime Commission and sold 24 February 1949 to Ricardo Granja and renamed
MV Ecuador. She was sunk in 1953.
Awards
''Improve'' received two
battle stars for World War II service
References
External links
NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive – Improve (AM-247)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Improve (AM-247)
Admirable-class minesweepers
Ships built in Savannah, Georgia
1943 ships
World War II minesweepers of the United States