USS Tonawanda (AN-89)

Last updated
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameTonawanda
Namesake Tonawanda Creek
Builder Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Laid down12 September 1944
Launched14 November 1944
Sponsored byMrs. Charles N. Barnum
Commissioned9 May 1945
Decommissioned9 August 1946, at Orange Texas
Homeport Melville, Rhode Island and Tiburon, California
Identification
  • YN-115
  • AN-89
Recommissioned18 March 1952, at Orange, Texas
Decommissioned18 December 1959, at Bayonne, New Jersey
FateLeased to Haiti under terms of the Military Assistance Program, 25 May 1960
Notessold outright to Haiti in late 1979
Flag of Haiti.svgHaiti
NameJean-Jacques Dessalines
Namesake Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Acquired
  • 25 May 1960 (lease)
  • 1979 (purchase)
IdentificationMH-101
General characteristics
Class and type Cohoes-class net laying ship
Displacement775 tons
Length168 ft 6 in (51.36 m)
Beam33 ft 10 in (10.31 m)
Draft10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)
Propulsion Diesel direct drive, 2,500 hp (1,900 kW), single propeller
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement46 officers and enlisted
Armament1 x 3"/50 caliber gun

USS Tonawanda (YN-115/AN-89) was a Cohoes-class net laying ship which was assigned to protect U.S. Navy ships and harbors during World War II by deploying and maintaining anti-submarine nets. Her World War II career was short due to the war coming to an end, but, post-war, she was reactivated in 1952 and served the Navy until 1959 when she was put into reserve and eventually transferred to Haiti as Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

Contents

Construction and career

The second ship to be so named by the Navy, Tonawanda (AN-89) was laid down on 12 September 1944, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company; launched on 14 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Charles N. Barnum; and commissioned on 9 May 1945.

The net laying ship departed Sturgeon Bay on 19 May and, after a voyage across the Great Lakes and down the St. Lawrence River, arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, on 4 June. After a short availability, she moved to Melville, Rhode Island, on the 19th for shakedown training and daily net laying drills in Narragansett Bay.

Tonawanda stood out of Boston harbor again on 18 July and shaped a course south to Key West, Florida, and thence to the Panama Canal. She transited the canal on 2 and 3 August and continued her voyage to San Pedro, California, where she arrived on 15 August, the day after hostilities in the Pacific Ocean ceased.

Post-war service

She reported for duty in the 11th Naval District and, for the next 10 weeks, Tonawanda operated in the 11th Naval District at San Pedro, Seal Beach, Long Beach, and Port Hueneme, disposing of nets and salvaging net buoys. On 27 November, the ship stood out of San Pedro Bay and headed back to the Panama Canal which she transited on the 8th. Continuing north, Tonawanda arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, on 19 November and reported for duty with the Service Force, Atlantic Fleet.

On 3 January 1946, she received orders to duty in the 7th Naval District and, on 4 January, stood out of the Chesapeake Bay and turned south. She reached Miami, Florida, on 7 January and began assisting in hydrographic triangulation surveys in the Florida-Cuba-Bahamas area. That duty lasted until 7 April when the net laying ship departed Miami in company with USS Marietta for New Orleans, Louisiana.

Inactivation

Tonwanda remained in New Orleans from 25 April to 11 May, when she shifted to Orange, Texas, to prepare for inactivation. Tonawanda was decommissioned on 9 August 1946 and berthed at Orange.

Recommissioned in 1952

On 18 March 1952, after almost six years in reserve, Tonawanda was recommissioned at Orange, Lt. Clarence A. Tennehill in command.

After trials off Sabine Pass, Texas, she departed the Texas coast on 21 March bound for New England duty in the 1st Naval District. The ship arrived in Boston on 1 April and entered the Bethlehem Simpson Shipyard to complete outfitting.

On 10 June, she moved to the Net Depot at Melville, Rhode Island, where she began seven years of experimental net installation duties in the vicinity of Melville and Boston. Periodically, she departed the New England coast to conduct underway training and mine warfare tactics exercises in the Chesapeake Bay and off the Virginia Capes.

On two occasions, from 28 August to 21 October 1955 and from 2 May to 30 June 1956, temporary duty with the Mine Warfare Evaluation Detachment, Key West, Florida, interrupted her routine along the New England coast. During those two periods, she assisted other ships assigned to the detachment in experiments in mine planting, testing, recovery, and in overall mine warfare tactics development. After each of these tours, she resumed normal operations out of Melville and Boston.

Final decommissioning

On 16 November 1959, Tonawanda departed Boston and headed for Bayonne, New Jersey, to prepare once more for inactivation. On 18 December 1959, Tonawanda was decommissioned at Bayonne and assigned to the New York Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

She remained there until 25 May 1960 when she was leased to the government of Haiti under the terms of the Military Assistance Program. As of late 1979, she was still serving the Haitian government as Jean-Jacques Dessalines (MH-10) when she was disposed of by sale to Haiti by the United States. Her current fate is unknown.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Thrush</i> (AM-18)

USS Thrush (AM-18) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS <i>Brant</i> (AMS-43)

USS Brant was a YMS-1-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II.

USS <i>Miantonomah</i> (CMc-5)

USS Miantonomah (CM-10/CMc-5) was built as SS Quaker by Pusey & Jones Corporation, Wilmington, Delaware in 1938 as a commercial coastwise ship operating as a fast inland water passenger and freight carrier. Quaker was acquired by the Navy in May 1941 for conversion to a coastal minelayer. Miantonomah operated off the east coast of the United States, Africa and the Mediterranean and took part in the invasion of Europe in 1944. The ship was sunk by a mine 25 September 1944.

USS Cardinal was a YMS-1-class minesweeper of the YMS-135 subclass built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the third ship in the U.S. Navy to be named for the cardinal.

USS <i>Sellstrom</i> (DE-255)

USS Sellstrom (DE-255) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.

USS Intrigue (AM-253) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic during World War II. She was decommissioned in May 1946 and placed in reserve. While she remained in reserve, Intrigue was reclassified as MSF-253 in February 1955 but never reactivated. In October 1962, she was sold to the Mexican Navy and renamed ARM DM-19. In 1994, she was renamed ARM Vicente Suárez (C61), and, later converted to a training ship with pennant number A06. She was stricken in July 2001, but her ultimate fate is not reported in secondary sources.

USS <i>Brambling</i> (AMS-42)

USS Brambling (AMS-42/YMS-109) was a YMS-1-class auxiliary motor minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of removing mines from water that had been placed there to prevent ships from passing.

USS Skimmer (AMCU-41/LCIL-1093) was an LCI(L)-351-class landing craft infantry built for the U.S. Navy for the task of landing troops in combat areas.

USS Whitewood (YN-84/AN-63/AG-129), a wooden-hulled Ailanthus-class net laying ship of the United States Navy was laid down on 24 October 1942 at Rockland, Maine, by the Snow Shipyard, Inc.; named Whitewood on 5 July 1943; re-classified a net laying ship, AN-63, on 1 January 1944; launched on 21 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Eben Kenney; and commissioned on 17 July 1944, Lt. John I. Beam, USNR, in command.

USS Marietta (YN-101/AN-82) was a Cohoes-class net laying ship commissioned at the end of World War II. Post-war she was deactivated, but then recommissioned during the Korean War era. After that service, she was struck from the Navy List and transferred to the Venezuelan Navy in 1962.

USS <i>Hoptree</i> (AN-62)

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 <i>Terebinth</i>

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 <i>Teak</i> (AN-35)

USS Teak (AN-35/YN-30) was an Aloe-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. She was assigned to serve the U.S. Pacific Fleet with her protective anti-submarine nets and earned two battle stars and other commendations for her bravery.

USS <i>Teaberry</i> (AN-34)

USS Teaberry (AN-34/YN-29) was an Aloe-class net laying ship which was assigned to serve the U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II with her protective anti-submarine nets and, at war's end, returned home safety with one battle star to her credit. She was later reactivated for duty during the Korean War era.

USS <i>Nutmeg</i> (AN-33)

USS Nutmeg (AN-33/YN-33) was an Aloe-class net laying ship which was assigned to serve the U.S. Navy during World War II with her protective anti-submarine nets.

The second USS Hazel (AN-29/YN-24) was an Aloe-class net laying ship which was assigned to serve the U.S. Navy during World War II with her protective anti-submarine nets.

USS Mimosa (AN-26/YN-21) was an Aloe-class net laying ship which was assigned to serve the U.S. Navy during World War II with her protective anti-submarine nets.

USS Gum Tree (AN-18/YN-13) was an Aloe-class net laying ship which was assigned to serve the U.S. Navy during World War II with her protective anti-submarine nets.

USS <i>Waxsaw</i> (AN-91)

USS Waxsaw (YN-120/AN-91) was a Cohoes-class net laying ship which was assigned to protect United States Navy ships and harbors during World War II with her anti-submarine nets. Her World War II career was cut short due to the war coming to an end, but, post-war, she was reactivated and served the Navy until she was put into reserve and eventually transferred to Venezuela as Puerto Miranda.

USS <i>Yazoo</i> (AN-92)

USS Yazoo (YN-121/AN-92) was a Cohoes-class net laying ship which was assigned to protect United States Navy ships and harbors during World War II with her anti-submarine nets. Her World War II career was cut short due to the war coming to an end, but, post-war, she was reactivated and served the Navy in a variety of ways until she was decommissioned in 1962.

References