Yard Patrol craft are used by the United States Navy for training and for research purposes. They are designated as YP in the hull classification symbol system. They were nicknamed "Yippy boats" after the "YP" classification symbol.
Yard Patrol craft are used by the United States Navy for training and for research purposes. They are designated as YP in the hull classification symbol system. They were nicknamed "Yippy boats" after the "YP" classification symbol.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States Navy leased California-based tuna boats for the duration of the war or "until victory". [1] On 16 February 1942, San Diego Port Director Commander W.J. Morcott called a meeting of tuna skippers and crews at the Naval Reserve Armory telling the men "The Navy needs men to man the [clippers] – experienced men, like yourselves. Needless to say, duty in the war zones will be hazardous". Six hundred tuna boat men volunteered to join their boats in the navy. [2] The boats were painted navy grey and had their names replaced with numerical designations. The ships patrolled the coasts of the United States, the Panama Canal and served in several battles of the South Pacific, particularly the Battle of Guadalcanal. [1]
Two boats, YP-617 and YP-618, were built by Harbor Boat Building, Terminal Island, California, as small refrigerated cargo vessels to supply fresh food to small islands in the South Pacific. [3] [4] [5] Over 250 tons of refrigerated cargo could be carried in ten wood and four steel refrigerated wells. Accommodations were provided for three officers and twenty men. These vessels were designed for easy conversion to tuna clippers post war. [4]
The YPs are used to teach familiarization with water craft, Basic Damage Control and underway instruction of Basic to Advanced Seamanship and Navigation. Yard Patrol craft provide realistic, at-sea training in navigation and seamanship for midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and used by the U.S Naval Sea Cadets Corps for Damage Control, and seamanship for familiarization out in the fleet. These craft can cruise for 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) for five days without refueling. [6]
YP 701 is used at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division in Keyport, Washington, to measure mobile underwater target and torpedo radiated noise plus ambient water noise conditions; serve as a platform for deployment of suspended, stationary, in-water acoustic targets during on-range torpedo proof and test operations; deployment of countermeasure emulator during torpedo operations; and deployment of oceanographic measurement instrumentation to determine seawater conductivity and temperature at the depth(s) of interest.
The new Training Patrol Craft (YP) are designated the YP 703 class. The general craft characteristics of the YP 703 class emphasize habitability, training areas, hull structure, integrated bridge, maneuverability, propulsion plant configuration, and, for training purposes only, simulated Underway Replenishment. [6] The main and auxiliary systems and electronics are state-of-the art, Commercial-Off-The-Shelf equipment. Design, construction, and selection of systems, sub-systems, and equipment along with associated software are consistent with reduced Total Ownership Cost and shall facilitate system maintenance and periodic upgrades.
The primary mission of the Training Patrol Craft (YP) is to provide the midshipmen professional training course with practical training afloat on a robust platform to conduct professional development in a safe shipboard environment equipped with systems essential to modern seamanship and navigation. Such training is designed to develop within midshipmen the abilities of an Officer-of the Deck, a proficiency in navigation, and a working knowledge of afloat operations.
The United States Naval Academy is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the second oldest of the five U.S. service academies and it educates midshipmen for service in the officer corps of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The 338-acre (137 ha) campus is located on the former grounds of Fort Severn at the confluence of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County, 33 miles (53 km) east of Washington, D.C., and 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Baltimore. The entire campus, known colloquially as the Yard, is a National Historic Landmark and home to many historic sites, buildings, and monuments. It replaced Philadelphia Naval Asylum in Philadelphia that had served as the first United States Naval Academy from 1838 to 1845 when the Naval Academy formed in Annapolis.
USS Minnesota (BB-22), the fifth of six Connecticut-class pre-dreadnought battleships, was the first ship of the United States Navy in honor of the 32nd state. She was laid down at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia in October 1903, launched in April 1905, and commissioned into the US fleet in March 1907, just four months after the revolutionary British battleship HMS Dreadnought entered service. Minnesota was armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns and a secondary battery of twenty 7 and 8 in guns, unlike Dreadnought, which carried an all-big-gun armament that rendered ships like Minnesota obsolescent.
USS Dolphin (SF-10/SC-3/SS-169), a submarine and one of the "V-boats", was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for that aquatic mammal. She also bore the name V-7 and the classifications SF-10 and SC-3 prior to her commissioning. She was launched on 6 March 1932 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. E.D. Toland, and commissioned on 1 June 1932.
USS Constellation is a sloop-of-war, the last sail-only warship designed and built by the United States Navy. She was built at the Gosport Shipyard between 1853 and 1855 and was named for the earlier frigate of the same name that had been broken up in 1853. The sloop's primary armament was 8-inch (203 mm) shell-firing guns and four 32-pounder long guns, though she carried other guns as well, including two Parrott rifle chase guns. Constellation's career as a front-line unit was relatively short; after entering service in 1855, she served with the Mediterranean Squadron until 1858, and in 1859, she was assigned as the flagship of the Africa Squadron, where she served with the African Slave Trade Patrol. During the American Civil War (1861–1865), the ship returned to the Mediterranean to patrol for Confederate vessels. In late 1864, she returned to the United States to be decommissioned, as most of her crews' enlistments had expired. She spent the rest of the war out of service.
USS Santee was a wooden-hulled, three-masted sailing frigate of the United States Navy. She was the first U.S. Navy ship to be so named and was one of its last sailing frigates in service. She was acquired by the Union Navy at the start of the American Civil War, outfitted with heavy guns and a crew of 480, and was assigned as a gunboat in the Union blockade of the Confederate States. She later became a training ship then a barracks ship for the U.S. Naval Academy.
USS Bancroft was a United States Navy steel gunboat in commission from 1893 to 1898 and again from 1902 to 1905. She saw service during the Spanish–American War. After her U.S. Navy career, she was in commission in the United States Revenue Cutter Service from 1907 to 1915 as the revenue cutter USRC Itasca, and in the Revenue Cutter Service's successor service, the United States Coast Guard, as the cutter USCGC Itasca from 1915 to 1922. During her Coast Guard career, she saw service during World War I.
USS Mayflower was a screw tugboat acquired by the United States Navy at the end of the American Civil War. She performed a variety of duties, including survey work, along the New England and mid-Atlantic coasts of the United States. On completion of her official duties, she was recommissioned and issued to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, for use as a training ship for midshipmen.
USS Lyndonia (SP-734), later known as USS Vega (SP-734) was a yacht acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I. She was assigned as an armed patrol craft, but, at times, performed other duties along the U.S. East Coast, such as dispatch boat and training ship for the U.S. Naval Academy. Post-war, she was disposed of through sale to the public.
USS Helori (SP-181), later YP-181, was an armed motorboat that served in the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1922.
USS Sanda, later USS YP-3 was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1920 which later served New York City for over 20 years.
USS YP-345 was a converted fishing vessel which served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
The United States Coast Guard wooden-hulled 75-foot patrol boats were built during Prohibition to help interdict alcohol smugglers. Their nickname was derived from the slang term "six bits" meaning 75 U.S. cents.
USS YP-86 was a converted fishing vessel which served as an auxiliary patrol boat in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Harbor Boat Building Company was a shipbuilding company on Terminal Island in San Pedro, California. To support the World War II demand for ships General Engineering built: minesweepers, torpedo boats, submarine chasers, and air-sea rescue boats. In 1919 Romolo Rados founded Harbor Boat Building. After the war he renamed the company Harco Shipyard and built and sold a standard design motor boat. In 1959 he sold the company to LTV. The shipyard was closed and the company was sold again in 1971 to Omega-Alpha, Inc. The last ship built was in 1965 for the US Navy. The shipyard was located at 263 Wharf St, San Pedro.
South Coast Shipyard was a shipbuilding company in Newport, California. To support the World War II demand for ships South Coast Shipyard built: minesweepers, Torpedo Boats, Submarine chasers, & Air-sea rescue boats. South Coast Shipyard was opened in 1938 by Walton Hubbard. After World War II the shipyard continued to build ships for the US Navy till 1955. The shipyard was located at 2300 Newport Boulevard, Newport, California. The shipyard closed in 1963.
Campbell Industries or Campbell Machine Company was a shipbuilding company in San Diego, California, most construction was Fishing boats. To support the World War 2 demand for ships Campbell Industries shipyard switched over to military construction and built: US Navy Minesweepers. Campbell Industries was started in 1906 as the Campbell Machine Company as builder and repair yard for tuna seiners. Campbell Machine Company went public in 1960 and was renamed to Campbell Industries. In 1979 the yard was sold again to Marco. In 1982 Marco sold the yard to San Diego Marine Industries, Inc.. San Diego Marine Industries, Inc. later became Southwest Marine in 1985. The shipyard closed in 1991 and was later sold, part of the land became San Diego Convention Center. The shipyard was located at 1206 Marina Park Way, San Diego, in San Diego Bay near Embarcadero Marina Park South in the Port of San Diego.
Splinter fleet or Splinter navy was a nickname given to the United States wooden boats used in World War II. The boats served in many different roles during the war. These boats were built in small boatyards on the West coast and East coast, Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. They could be built quickly, in just 60 to 120 days. Most of the boats were built by boatyards that already had the tools and knowledge from building yachts, sailboats and motor boats. Many were built by craftsmen in family-owned small businesses. Under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program and War Shipping Administration contracts went out to over fifty boatyards across the country. The boats were built for the US Navy, the United States Army Air Forces, United States Coast Guard, and US Army. Some of the wooden boats went to Allied nations on the Lend-Lease program.
USS YP-51 was a wooden-hulled patrol vessel in commission in the fleet of the United States Coast Guard as CG-261 from 1925 to 1934, and in the fleet of the United States Navy as YP-51 from 1934 until 1945.
USS YP-290 (ex-Picoroto) was a converted fishing vessel which served as an auxiliary patrol boat in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
USS YP-346 was a yard patrol boat in the U.S. Navy during World War II. The vessel began its career as the fishing vessel Prospect in 1938. Seized by the U.S. Navy in 1941 after the Attack on Pearl Harbor, it ferried supplies throughout the Pacific theater and was involved in the Guadalcanal campaign. The ship was destroyed by the Japanese light cruiser Sendai after its convoy was intercepted while returning to Tulagi harbor.
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