USS YP-73

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YP-73 (former cannery tender).JPG
USS YP-73, 1940-1943
History
Flag of the United States Navy (official).svgUS flag 48 stars.svg United States Navy
NameYP-73
BuilderBellingham Marine Ways, Bellingham, Washington
LaunchedApril 1937
Sponsored byPacific American Fisheries, Bellingham, Washington
Completed1937
Acquiredpurchased by the U.S. Navy, November 1940
CommissionedDecember 1940
Stricken23 February 1945
IdentificationON 236328
Honours and
awards
FateSunk after striking a reef, 15 January 1945
Notes
General characteristics
Tonnage115 gross register tons [1]
Length84.5 ft (25.8 m) o/a [1]
Beam22.0 ft (6.7 m) [1]
Draught9.1 ft (2.8 m) [1]
Installed power300 bhp [1]
Propulsiondiesel engine [1]
Complement16
Armament1 x 3"/23 caliber gun

The USS YP-73 (ex-Corsair) was a converted fishing vessel which served as an auxiliary patrol boat in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

History

She was built in Bellingham, Washington by Bellingham Marine Ways for the benefit of Pacific American Fisheries, of Bellingham. [1] She was launched in April 1937, completed later in 1937, configured as a cannery tender, and christened Corsair. [1] [2] In November 1940, she was purchased by the United States Navy for $47,500 and commissioned in December 1940. [1] She was designated as a Yard patrol boat (YP). [1] Her armament consisted of a single 3"/23 caliber gun. [1] She was assigned along with two other converted fishing vessels ( YP-72 and YP-74 ) to the newly created Alaska Sector of the 13th Naval District under Captain R. C. Parker who was tasked with building up the nearly absent Naval defenses of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. [3] In March 1941, Lieutenant William B. Dell USNR was named commanding officer. [1] Once in Alaska, she and her fellow YPs joined the former Coast Guard cutter Onondaga and the gunboat Charleston to form what was colloquially called the "Alaskan Navy." [3] Commandeer Charles E. ("Squeaky") Anderson, USNR, a "local character of infinite resource, energy, and cunning", was responsible for the YP fleet taking YP-72 as his flagship. [3] In September 1942, Lieutenant Gordon Robert Deits was named commanding officer. [1] By June 30, 1943, she was one of 25 "Yippee" boats assigned to the Alaskan sector. [4] On 15 January 1945, she struck a reef and sunk 1,000 meters west of the Spruce Cape signal station at 57°49′N152°20′W / 57.817°N 152.333°W / 57.817; -152.333 [5] outside the entrance to Kodiak, Kodiak Island. [1] Although six crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard cutter Bittersweet , ten died from exposure due to the extreme cold. [1] She was struck from the Naval List on 23 February 1945. [1]

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USS <i>YP-153</i>

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USS <i>YP-152</i>

USS YP-152 was a converted fishing vessel which served as an auxiliary patrol boat in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

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USS YP-93 was a converted fishing vessel which served as an auxiliary patrol boat in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

USS YP-86 was a converted fishing vessel which served as an auxiliary patrol boat in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

USS YP-399 was a fishing vessel acquired by the U.S. Navy before completion during World War II to serve as a patrol boat.

USS YP-88 was a converted fishing vessel that served as an auxiliary patrol boat in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

YP-251 was a converted fishing vessel which served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1941 to 1945. She operated in the waters of the Territory of Alaska during the war. Before the war, she operated as the commercial fishing vessel MV Foremost from 1924 to 1941. After the war, she again operated as the commercial vessel MV Foremost from 1946 to 1954, then was renamed MV LeRoy.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Priolo, Gary P.; Wright, David L. "Service Ship Photo Archive USS YP-73". NavSource - Naval Source History. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "Aleutian Heroes, the "Yippiees"". Pacific Motor Boat. April 1943. pp. 7–10. Another of the earliest conversions- the "YP-73". a 90 foot Washington diesel powered cannery tender.
  3. 1 2 3 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Volume 5. United States Navy, Naval History Division. 1970. pp. 157–159. ISBN   9780035954363.
  4. ↑ World War II War Diaries, 1941-1945 – via National Archives.
  5. ↑ Good, Captain Warren; Burwell, Michael (7 September 2018). Alaska Shipwrecks 1750-2015. Lulu.com. ISBN   9781387981144.
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