History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name |
|
Owner |
|
Ordered | 1929 |
Builder | George Lawley & Son, Neponset, Massachusetts |
Launched | 1929 |
Homeport |
|
Identification |
|
Fate | Acquired by the Navy, 1 November 1940 |
United States | |
Name | Sapphire |
Namesake | Sapphire |
Acquired | 1 November 1940 |
Commissioned | 6 June 1941 |
Decommissioned | 29 October 1945 |
Stricken | 13 November 1945 |
Identification |
|
Fate | Transferred to the Maritime Commission for sale, 3 September 1946. Foundered, 1957 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Yacht Patrol boat |
Displacement | 500 long tons (508 t) |
Length | 165 ft 4 in (50.39 m) |
Beam | 25 ft 2 in (7.67 m) |
Draft | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
Installed power |
|
Propulsion | 2 × screws |
Speed | 13.5 kn (15.5 mph; 25.0 km/h) |
Complement |
|
Armament |
|
The second USS Sapphire (PYc-2) was a patrol boat in the United States Navy.
Originally a private yacht and later a navy training vessel, Sapphire was built in 1929, and named Margo by George Lawley & Son, Neponset, Massachusetts. [1] It was acquired by the US Navy from a later owner, Mr. Leon Mandel, Quonset, Rhode Island, on 1 November 1940. The navy renamed the boat Sapphire, designated it PYc—2, and converted it for Navy use. It was officially commissioned at Boston, on 6 June 1941.
In August 1941, Sapphire was sent to Norfolk, Virginia, to outfit her for sea duty. In September 1941, Sapphire left Norfolk with orders to patrol and perform anti-mine operations in the area of the Panama Canal. While on her southbound voyage she was abruptly ordered to reverse course and proceeded north to her home port, New London, Connecticut. There, throughout World War II, the ship supported various Submarine School programs, but was primarily engaged in training prospective commanding officers in attack procedures and in testing sound equipment. Sapphire also engaged in anti-submarine patrols and some fought actions with German U-boats. As Storekeeper First Class Ed Hickey, a crewmen on Sapphire, commented, "We knew we were a sitting duck for any U-boat that we found since a converted yacht is no match even though we had some depth charges and a few other armaments."[ citation needed ]
On 8 April 1942, an aircraft identified by the crew of the submarine USS Mackerel (SS-204) as a United States Army Air Forces P-38 Lightning fighter mistook Mackerel for a German U-boat and dropped four bombs which straddled Mackerel′s track while Mackerel was conducting exercises with Sapphire3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) south of the Watch Hill buoy off Watch Hill, Rhode Island. The bombs ricocheted 100 feet (30 m) off the water and did not explode. Neither Mackerel or Sapphire, which was 1,000 yards (910 m) off Mackerel′s starboard quarter at the time, suffered damage or casualties. [2]
On 21 May 1942 a German U-boat attacked the American 3,282-gross register ton cargo ship Plow City in the Atlantic Ocean about 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) off Bermuda, sinking her with two torpedoes. One crewman was killed and the remainder of the crew abandoned ship in Plow City′s lifeboats. Sapphire was ordered to search for and rescue the surviving crew, and on 26 May 1942 she located 30 survivors in lifeboats.
On 13 March 1943, Sapphire was conducting torpedo exercises with the U.S. Navy submarine USS R-6 (SS-83) off the coast of Rhode Island when four U.S. Navy TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bombers mistook R-6 for a German U-boat and dropped depth charges on R-6 in Block Island Sound 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) off the southwest corner of Block Island. R-6 suffered no damage or casualties. [3]
With the end of World War II in August 1945, Sapphire was designated for inactivation. On 19 September 1945, she departed New London and proceeded to Charleston, South Carolina, where she was decommissioned on 29 October 1945. Struck from the Navy List on 13 November 1945, she was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission for disposal through sale on 3 September 1946.
USS R-14 (SS-91) was an R-class coastal and harbor defense submarine of the United States Navy.
USS Gato (SS-212) was the lead ship of her class of submarine in the United States Navy. She was the first Navy ship named for the common name used for a number of species of catshark. She was commissioned only days after the declaration of war and made thirteen combat patrols during World War II. She survived the war and spent the post-war period as a training ship before being sold for scrapping in 1960.
USS Mackerel (SS-204), the lead ship of her class of submarines, was the first ship of the United States Navy named for the mackerel. Mackerel and her near-sister Marlin were prototype small submarines which the Navy was exploring to replace the aging S-class submarines.
USS Permit (SS-178), a Porpoise-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the permit.
USS Flier (SS-250) was a Gato-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the flier.
USS Searaven (SS-196), a Sargo-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sea raven, a sculpin of the northern Atlantic coast of America.
USS Gar (SS-206) was the first of the Gar subclass of the Tambor-class submarines to be commissioned for the United States Navy just prior to the country's 7 December 1941 entry into World War II. These submarines were a slightly improved version of preceding submarines of the Tambor class. While Gar survived the war, all of her sister ships — USS Grampus (SS-207), 'USS Grayback (SS-208), USS Grayling (SS-209), USS Grenadier (SS-210), and USS Gudgeon (SS-211) — were lost. She is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the gar, a fish of the family Lepisosteidae.
USS Billfish (SS-286), a Balao-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to bear the generic name for any fish, such as gar or marlin, with bill-shaped jaws. During World War II, Billfish made eight war patrols between 12 August 1943 and 27 August 1945. During these patrols she sank three Japanese cargo ships totaling 4,074 gross register tons and five smaller craft. She spent part of her seventh and eighth war patrols on lifeguard duty off Japan during Allied airstrikes.
USS Greenling (SS-213), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the greenling.
USS Mingo (SS-261) — a Gato-class submarine — was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the mingo snapper.
USS Crevalle (SS/AGSS-291), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the crevalle, the yellow mackerel, a food fish, found on both coasts of tropical America, and in the Atlantic as far north as Cape Cod.
USS Baya (SS/AGSS-318), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the baya. During World War II, she completed five war patrols in the South China Sea, Gulf of Siam, Java Sea, and Philippine Sea between 23 August 1944 and 25 July 1945. She sank four Japanese vessels totaling 8855 gross register tons, and shared credit with the submarine USS Hawkbill (SS-366) for sinking a Japanese 8,407-gross register ton passenger-cargo ship. After World War II, she saw service as a research submarine during the Cold War and operated off Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
The first USS Spadefish (SS/AGSS-411), a Balao-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the spadefish. Although she was commissioned late in the war and spent only one year in the Pacific war zone, she was able to run up a record of 88,091 tons in 21 ships and numerous trawlers sunk.
USS Hawkbill (SS-366), a Balao-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the hawksbill, a large sea turtle.
USS Segundo (SS-398) was a Balao-class submarine, of the United States Navy named for the segundo, a cavalla fish of Caribbean waters.
USS R-6 (SS-83) was an R-class coastal and harbor defense submarine of the United States Navy.
George Lawley & Son was a shipbuilding firm operating in Massachusetts from 1866 to 1945. It began in Scituate, then moved to Boston. After founder George Lawley (1823–1915) retired in 1890, his son, grandson and great-grandson upheld the business, which continued until 1945. Of the hundreds of ships built by the Lawleys, highlights include the yachts Puritan and Mayflower, respective winners of the 1885 and 1886 America's Cup.
USS Tourmaline (PY-20) was a converted yacht that patrolled with the United States Navy in World War II.
USCGC Legare (WSC-144) was cutter that served in the United States Coast Guard for almost forty-one years.