The second USS ''Scoter'' (AM-381) was an acquired by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. ''Scoter'' was named after the word "

Scoter The scoters are stocky seaducks in the genus ''Melanitta''. The drakes are mostly black and have swollen bills, the females are brown. They breed in the far north of Europe, Asia, and North America, and winter farther south in temperate zones o ...

," which is a mercantile name retained during service in the United States Navy.

Construction and US career

''Scoter'' was the second United States Navy vessel to have that name, and was laid down on 4 April 1944 by the

Gulf Shipbuilding Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation is a former shipbuilding corporation in Chickasaw, Alabama a few miles upstream of the Port of Mobile. Following the company's closure, the land became a part of the Chickasaw Shipyard Village Historic District His ...

Corp., Chickasaw, Alabama; launched on 26 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Reuben E. Clarson; and commissioned on 17 March 1945. After

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

, ''Scoter'' sailed from the U.S. East Coast on 22 May for the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

; arrived at

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

on 13 June; and proceeded to

Terminal Island, California Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in t ...

for four additional weeks of training, which began upon arrival on 18 June. The ship underwent repairs in

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

, from 11 July to 12 August and sailed for

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

on 17 August, two days after the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

surrender. After a month in

Buckner Bay is a bay on the southern coast of Okinawa Island on the Pacific Ocean in Japan. The bay covers and ranges between to deep. The bay is surrounded by the municipalities of Uruma, Kitanakagusuku, Nakagusuku, Nishihara, Yonabaru, Nanjō, a ...

, ''Scoter'' sailed on 20 October for

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...

, Japan, arriving two days later. In company with 14 minesweepers and other craft, ''Scoter'' departed Sasebo for a sweeping operation in the East China Sea on 26 October. However, after one day's sweeping, she was withdrawn from the task group and returned to Sasebo to prepare for minesweeping support missions elsewhere in Japan. On 3 November, she proceeded to Iki Shima with , but was unable to enter the harbor there and returned to Sasebo on 9 November. She sailed two days later for Fukuoka, Japan, where she served as logistics ship for sweeping operations. On 28 January 1946, she sailed for

Kure, Japan is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan ...

, to serve as logistics vessel for Minesweeping Craft Three. The minesweeper departed Kure on 24 February and arrived at

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, on 18 April 1946 for overhaul. ''Scoter'' departed

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

on 16 November 1946 with five YMSs, and, for the next five months, supported these vessels as they cleared minefields at

Johnston Island Johnston Atoll is an unincorporated territory of the United States, currently administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Johnston Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine Natio ...

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with i ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

, and Woleai. She then joined five larger minesweepers in sweeps at Truk before returning, via

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

, to Seal Beach, California, on 14 April. ''Scoter'' arrived at San Diego for inactivation the next day, and was decommissioned and placed in reserve there on 16 April 1947. ''Scoter'' was reclassified MSF-381 on 7 February 1955. ''Scoter'' was sold to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

on 19 September 1972.

Awards

''Scoter'' received one

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

for her

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

participation.

Mexican Navy service

On 19 September 1972, the former ''Scoter'' was sold to the

Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy is one of the two independent armed forces of Mexico. The actual naval forces are called the ''Armada de México''. The ''Secretaría de Marina'' (''SEMAR'') (English: Naval Secretariat) includes both the ''Armada'' itself and ...

and renamed ARM ''Gutiérrez Zamora'' (C84). At dates unspecified in secondary sources, her pennant number was changed to G16, and her name was changed to ''Melchor Ocampo''. In 1993, both her name and pennant number were changed again, this time to ''Felipe Xicoténcatl'' (P115), which would remain her name through the end of her Mexican Navy service. ''Felipe Xicoténcatl'' had been retired from active service by 2004.

Notes

References

External links

*
Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 AM-381 USS ''Scoter''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scoter (AM-381) Auk-class minesweepers of the United States Navy Ships built in Chickasaw, Alabama 1944 ships World War II minesweepers of the United States Valle-class patrol vessels