USS ''YMS-328'' is a decommissioned

US 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 ...

( YMS-135 subclass) Yard Mine Sweeper (YMS), built in

Ballard, Washington Ballard is a neighborhood in the northwestern area of Seattle, Washington, United States. Formerly an independent city, the City of Seattle's official boundaries define it as bounded to the north by Crown Hill (N.W. 85th Street), to the east by ...

at Ballard Marine & Railway in Ballard, Washington (Seattle). She was classified as a Mark II design and her hull is constructed completely out of 3" vertical grain Douglas fir. Sister ships include Jacques Cousteau's . After serving in the Navy in

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 ...

the boat was converted to a private yacht.

US Navy history

''YMS-328'' was delivered on 26 May 1943. She served in the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...

during World War II, sweeping enemy minefields at Attu and US minefields at

Kiska Kiska ( ale, Qisxa, russian: Кыска) is one of the Rat Islands, a group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is about long and varies in width from . It is part of Aleutian Islands Wilderness and as such, special permission is require ...

, and patrolling out of Adak. She was en route to

Dutch Harbor Dutch Harbor is a harbor on Amaknak Island in Unalaska, Alaska. It was the location of the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June 1942, and was one of the few sites in the United States to be subjected to aerial bombardment by a foreign power during ...

to be fitted for the invasion of Paramishiru Island in Japan, when Japan surrendered. ''YMS-328'' returned to

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremer ...

. She was stricken from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

in 1946.

Private ownership

''YMS-328'' was sold privately in 1948 to Vancouver Tug & Barge owner Harold Jones. He named her ''La Beverie''. Upon Jones's death in 1956, millionaire Max Wyman purchased the yacht and renamed her the ''Wild Goose II''. Wyman traveled the world on the yacht including

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

Bora Bora Bora Bora (French: ''Bora-Bora''; Tahitian: ''Pora Pora'') is an island group in the Leeward Islands. The Leeward Islands comprise the western part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, which is an overseas collectivity of the French R ...

, and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. In 1962, she was bought by John Wayne and went through a major renovation. Wayne changed her name to ''Wild Goose''. He kept the ship for the last 17 years of his life. He entertained a who's who of the time including

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and Ronald Reagan. ''Wild Goose'' was featured in the 1968 film ''Skidoo'' where she was the yacht, named ''Mother'', of a reclusive mob boss named "God" played by Groucho Marx. The yacht was used extensively with scenes shot from the exterior and in the wheel house, cabins, engine room, upper and lower decks. This ship was also featured in the 1967 film ''

The President's Analyst ''The President's Analyst'' is a 1967 American satirical black comedy film written and directed by Ted Flicker and starring James Coburn. The film has elements of political satire and science fiction, including themes concerning modern ethics ...

'', doubling as a Canadian spy ship. The travels of the ship were well documented during Wayne's ownership in the 1993 book '' On Board with the Duke'' authored by his former captain Bert Minshall. Minshall was on ''Wild Goose'' for 16 years with Wayne.

Recent history

The vessel is still in operation for dinner cruises in Newport Beach, California by

Hornblower Cruises Hornblower Cruises & Events NOW City Experiences is a San Francisco-based charter yacht, dining cruise and ferry service company. History The company began in 1974 in Berkeley, California with two ships. In 1980 the original owner, Ward Proe ...

. It was listed on the US

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on 19 July 2011.

References

* * (92 pages, with figures and photos) {{DEFAULTSORT:YMS-328 1942 ships John Wayne National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, California Ships built in Seattle Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in California World War II minesweepers of the United States World War II on the National Register of Historic Places in California YMS-1-class minesweepers of the United States Navy