Fisheries II

Last updated
History
NameFisheries II
Acquired8 December 1941
Out of service6 May 1942
Honours and
awards		one battle star
FateScuttled to prevent capture.
General characteristics

Fisheries II (a.k.a. "Fisheries Two") was a vessel requisitioned by the United States Navy during the defense of the Philippines during World War II. [1] The vessel was "in service" and not commissioned.

Contents

World War II service

Fisheries II was in service from 8 December 1941 until she was scuttled at Corregidor on 6 May 1942 to prevent her capture by the Japanese. The vessel was apparently never formally commissioned as a United States Ship (U.S.S.) nor given an official designation but is shown in U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, Sunk or Damaged Beyond Repair during World War II, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945 under "Converted Patrol Vessels" along with Maryann and the converted patrol vessel, Perry. [1] After 13 December 1941 Fisheries II was assigned to the Base Section of the Inshore Patrol of the United States Asiatic Fleet. Fisheries II was commanded by Chief Boatswain James Charles Oster. [2]

After destruction of facilities at Cavite Navy Yard on 10 December 1941 Fisheries II moved with Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three to Sisiman Bay [note 1] on the Bataan Peninsula where the commandeered tug Trabajador served as tender to the squadron. [3] [4] [5] Despite the need to patrol in pairs in the event one PT needed assistance from another the critical shortage of spares and fuel often prevented such pairing so that one of the small converted patrol yachts, Maryann, Perry, or Fisheries II was used to accompany the PT. [3] On 10 March the last PT boats departed south with General MacArthur with increased Japanese naval activity in the vicinity of the entrances to Manila Bay. [3]

She was officially credited with one battle star for her participation in the defense of the Philippines. [6]

Two officers assigned to Fisheries II were awarded the Navy Cross. [7]

Citation for award of the Navy Cross to Ensign George K. Petritz

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Ensign George Karl Petritz (NSN: 0-97128), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in combat with the enemy during the periods 7 December 1941 to 7 March 1942, while on board the U.S.S. FISHERIES TWO, in the Philippine Islands. While exposed to frequent horizontal and dive bombing attacks by enemy Japanese air forces, Ensign Petritz directed the fire of his anti-aircraft battery and participated in operations of strategic importance in the Manila Bay area involving hazardous missions such as to reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service. General Orders: Commandant, 16th Naval District: Dispatch 281200-NCR 7859 (April 29, 1942) Action Date: December 7, 1941 - April 28, 1942

Citation for award of the Navy Cross to Ensign Lowell Hall Strand

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Ensign Lowell Hall Strand, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty in action against the enemy while serving at FISHERIES TWO in the Philippine Islands, in combat against the enemy, directing and operating anti-aircraft from his vessel while exposed to frequent attacks from the enemy and dive bombers during the period from 7 March 1942 to 19 April 1942. His conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Navy of the United States. General Orders: Commander 16th Naval District: Desp. 281200 (April 29, 1942) Action Date: March 7 - April 19, 1942

Awards

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Sisiman Cove" in U.S. Naval references of the time, but now geographically known as "Sisiman Bay" just to the east of Mariveles. 14°25′32″N120°31′37″E / 14.425485°N 120.526927°E

See also

Related Research Articles

The Offshore Patrol (OSP) also known as the Mosquito Fleet was a small naval branch of the United States Army, intended for inshore defense of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. It was active from February 9, 1939 to June 30, 1946. The OSP became part of the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) on July 26, 1941, with General Douglas MacArthur as Commander. During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, the Patrol engaged in limited naval operations along the coastlines of Bataan and Corregidor, against the tight enemy blockade, to bring much-needed provisions to the beleaguered Filipino and American troops during the battle. Undaunted by enemy superiority, the ubiquitous patrol boats fought with zeal, courage and heroism, hitting Japanese warships with torpedoes when given the opportunity. The unit relied on speed and surprise to attack larger vessels at close range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Asiatic Fleet</span> Military unit

The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by February 1942, after which it was dissolved, and the remnants incorporated into the naval component of the South West Pacific Area command, which eventually became the Seventh Fleet.

USS <i>Northampton</i> (CA-26) Northampton-class heavy cruiser

USS Northampton (CL/CA-26) was the lead ship in Northampton-class cruiser, in service with the United States Navy. She was commissioned in 1930, originally classified a light cruiser because of her thin armor but later reclassified a heavy cruiser because of her 8-inch guns. During World War II she served in the Pacific and was sunk by Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Tassafaronga on 30 November 1942. She was named after the city of Northampton, Massachusetts, the home of former President Calvin Coolidge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three</span> Military unit

Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three was a United States Navy squadron based at Cavite, Philippines, from September 1941 to mid-April 1942. It was commanded by Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley and made up of six motor torpedo boats: PT-31, PT-32, PT-33, PT-34, PT-35, and PT-41, the last as the squadron flagship. The other six boats of the squadron remained at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and were there when war broke out, eventually being shipped to the Solomons.

USS <i>Plymouth</i> (PG-57) Gunboat of the United States Navy

USS Plymouth (PG-57), a patrol gunboat, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Plymouth, Massachusetts, a town founded by the Pilgrims in 1620 on Plymouth Bay, about 35 miles southeast of Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas C. Hart</span> US Navy admiral and US senator

Thomas Charles Hart was an admiral in the United States Navy, whose service extended from the Spanish–American War through World War II. Following his retirement from the navy, he served briefly as a United States Senator from Connecticut.

USS <i>Isabel</i> Patrol vessel of the United States Navy

USS Isabel (SP-521), later PY-10, was a yacht in commission in the United States Navy as a destroyer from 1917 to 1920 and as a patrol yacht from 1921 to 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy S. Benson</span> Commander Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet

Roy Stanley Benson, nicknamed "Ensign", was a veteran submarine commander in World War II who later served as the Commander Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) during the Cold War.

USS <i>Pigeon</i> (ASR-6) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

The first USS Pigeon (AM-47/ASR-6) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper of the United States Navy. She was later converted to a submarine rescue ship. She was named for the avian ambassador, the pigeon.

USS <i>Lanikai</i>

Lanikai, was a wooden hulled schooner-rigged diesel powered yacht in service with the United States Navy during both World War I and World War II, before being transferred to the Royal Australian Navy.

USS <i>Donaldson</i>

USS Donaldson (DE-44) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy during World War II. She was sent off into the Pacific Ocean to protect convoys and other ships from Japanese submarines and fighter aircraft. She performed escort and anti-submarine operations in dangerous battle areas and was awarded seven battle stars, a very high number for a ship of her type.

USS <i>Kinzer</i>

USS Kinzer (APD-91), ex-DE-232, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1944 to 1946.

Trabajador was a 111 foot (33.8 m) tug launched in 1931 from the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock for Visayan Stevedore-Transportation Company and registered as a United States vessel in Iloilo, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Wiggin Coe</span> American submarine commander

Commander James Wiggins "Red" Coe (missing), January 8, 1946 was an American submariner. A submarine ace, Coe commanded USS Skipjack and Cisco during operations in the Pacific theatre of World War II. After a number of successful patrols, Coe and the Cisco failed to return from patrol in November 1943, and her captain and crew were presumed dead in 1946.

Maryann, sometimes seen as Maryanne or Mary Anne, was a yacht requisitioned and converted by the United States Navy during the defense of the Philippines in World War II and destroyed 5 May 1942 at Corregidor to prevent capture. The yacht was "in service" and not commissioned.

Patrol torpedo boat <i>Q-111 Luzon</i> Torpedo boat of the United States Navy

Q-111 Luzon was a motor torpedo boat of the United States Army during World War II as part of the Offshore Patrol based at Manila.

Q-112 Abra was a motor torpedo boat of the United States Army during World War II as part of the Offshore Patrol based at Manila.

YP-97 was a converted fishing vessel which served as an auxiliary patrol boat in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Ranger was an ocean-going tugboat commandeered by the United States Navy during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Manila</span> Former Major United States Navy Base

Naval Base Manila, Naval Air Base Manila was a major United States Navy base south of the City of Manila, on Luzon Island in the Philippines. Some of the bases dates back to 1898, the end of the Spanish–American War. Starting in 1938 civilian contractors were used to build new facilities in Manila to prepare for World War II. Work stopped on December 23, 1941, when Manila was declared not defendable against the Empire of Japan southward advance, which took over the city on January 2, 1942, after the US declared it an open city. US Navy construction and repair started in March 1945 with the taking of Manila in the costly Battle of Manila ending on March 2, 1945. Naval Base Manila supported the Pacific War and remained a major US Naval Advance Base until its closure in 1971.

References

  1. 1 2 Naval History and Heritage Command (1 June 2004). "Casualties: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, Sunk or Damaged Beyond Repair during World War II, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "United States Asiatic Fleet".
  3. 1 2 3 Bulkley, Robert J. Jr. (1962). "At Close Quarters—PT Boats in the United States Navy". Naval History Division, Washington.
  4. ↑ White, William L. (1942). They Were Expendable. London: H. Hamilton. p. 91. LCCN   43008243.
  5. ↑ Naval History And Heritage Command. "Trabajador". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual. NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953) pg. 77.
  7. ↑ http://www.davidbruhn.com/images/YARD_PATROL_VESSEL_HALL_OF_VALOR.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.