A net laying ship, also known as a net layer, net tender, gate ship or boom defence vessel was a type of naval auxiliary ship.
USS Snowbell (YN-71/AN-52) was a Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served the U.S. Navy during World War II. She operated in the Pacific Ocean until she was destroyed by Typhoon Louise off Okinawa, 9 October 1945.
USS Hoptree (AN-62/YN-83) was a Ailanthus-class net laying ship that served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Hoptree performed her tour of duty in the Pacific Ocean and, post-war, she was decommissioned and sold.
USS Terebinth (AN-59) – laid down as USS Balm (YN-78) – was a Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy during World War II. Terebinth served in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations and was awarded a battle star for her participation in the Okinawa campaign. Post-war she was decommissioned and sold.
USS Viburnum (AN-57/YN-76) was a Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations. While operating in the Caroline Islands, she was severely damaged when struck by what appeared to be a Japanese torpedo. However, she continued her work as well as she could, and, when she returned to the United States, she was considered too damaged to repair. She was sold in her damaged condition, and was eventually scrapped.
USS Torchwood (AN-55/YN-74) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. She performed her net laying services until war’s end, and then was given to the Republic of China.
USS Spicewood (AN-53/YN-72) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. Her career was without major incident, and she returned home after the war bearing one battle star to her credit.
USS Silverbell (AN-51/YN-70) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. Her career was without major incident, and she returned home after the war bearing one battle star to her credit.
USS Papaya (AN-49/YN-68) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. Her career was without major incident, and she returned home after the war bearing two battle stars to her credit.
USS Lancewood (AN-48/YN-67) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. In service in the Pacific during the war, she earned one battle star. After her February 1946 decommissioning, she was sold to France as Commandant Charcot. Her fate is not reported in secondary sources.
USS Canotia (AN-47/YN-66) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. Her career was without major incident, and she returned home after the war bearing one battle star to her credit.
USS Mastic (AN-46/YN-65) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. Her career was without major incident, and she returned home safely after the war.
USS Cornel (AN-45/YN-64) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. Her career was without major incident, and she returned home safely after the war.
USS Satinleaf (AN-43/YN-62) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the western Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. Her career was without major incident, and she returned home safely after the war with two battle stars to her credit.
USS Cliffrose (AN-42/YN-61) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the western Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. Her career was without major incident, and she returned home safely after the war with two battle stars to her credit.
USS Anaqua (AN-40/YN-59) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the United States Navy in the Western Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. She served the U.S. Pacific Fleet with her protective anti-submarine nets, and returned home safely after the war.
USS Bitterbush (AN-39/YN-58) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the western Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. She served the U.S. Pacific Fleet with her protective anti-submarine nets, and returned home safely after the war with one battle star to her credit.
USS Buckeye (AN-13/YN-8) was an Aloe-class net laying ship in service with the United States Navy from 1942 to 1947. In the late 1970s and 1980s, she was used as a salvage training hulk.
USS Shellbark (AN-67/YN-91) was a Ailanthus-class net laying ship which was assigned to protect U.S. Navy ships and harbors during World War II with her anti-submarine nets.
The Ailanthus class were a group of 35 wooden-hulled net laying ships of the United States Navy built during World War II as part of the huge building programs of late 1941 and early 1942 for small patrol and mine warfare vessels. Five of the class were transferred to the British Royal Navy under Lend-Lease, and another five were converted while at their shipyards into Auxiliary Fleet Tugs, the ATA-214-class.
United States
