- USS Stagbush (AN-69)
USS "Stagbush" (AN-69/YN-93) was an "Ailanthus"-class
net laying ship which served with theU.S. Navy in the westernPacific Ocean theatre of operations duringWorld War II . Her career was without major incident, and she returned home safely after the war with onebattle star to her credit.Built in Louisiana
"Stagbush" (AN-69) was laid down on
9 February 1943 by Canulette Shipbuilding Company, Inc.,Slidell, Louisiana ; launched on29 January 1944 ; and commissioned on30 August 1944 , Lt. Comdr. Carl C. Dilcer,USNR , in command.World War II service
"Stagbush" sailed for
Melville, Rhode Island , on8 September only to be caught in a storm on the 14th offCape Hatteras ,North Carolina , which required that she be drydocked after her shakedown. She was in the Snow Shipyards,Rockland, Maine , from12 October to6 December 1944 .When she was ready for sea again, "Stagbush" sailed for
Hawaii via thePanama Canal ;San Diego, California ; and Tiburon, Mexico, where she took on a load of nets. She arrived atPearl Harbor on12 February 1945 and sailed the next day viaEniwetok ;Ulithi ; andLeyte ,Philippine Islands , for theRyukyu Islands . "Stagbush" arrived atKerama Retto on26 March and began laying nets to protect the anchorage. She remained there until mid-July when, after removing the nets, she moved toBuckner Bay ,Okinawa . The ship sailed forWakayama , Japan, on8 September , to assist in clearing mines. A few days later, she laid swept channel buoys inKii Suido after minesweepers had cleared the entrance. She then returned to Okinawa for acoustic minesweeping gear to be transported to Japan.End-of-war activity
"Stagbush" remained at Sasebo for a few days and then moved to
Fukuoka in late October to act as tender for auxiliary motor minesweepers. This duty was completed on2 December 1945 and the net layer got underway forSan Francisco, California .Post-war decommissioning
"Stagbush" was decommissioned at
Mare Island, California , on26 March 1946 and struck from theNavy list on21 May . She was sold to Robert A. Martinolich in April1947 and converted for merchant service. She burned atNorfolk, Virginia , on16 October 1954 .Honors and awards
"Stagbush" received one
battle star for World War II service.References
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* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/18/18069.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - YN-93 / AN-69 Stagbush]
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