Fisheries II (a.k.a. "Fisheries Two") was a vessel requisitioned by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during the defense of the Philippines during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The vessel was "in service" and not commissioned.

World War II service

''Fisheries II'' was in service from 8 December 1941 until she was scuttled at

Corregidor Corregidor (, , ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of Cavite City and thus the province of Cavite. It is located west of Manila, the nation's capi ...

on 6 May 1942 to prevent her capture by the Japanese. The vessel was apparently never formally commissioned as a

United States Ship United States Ship (abbreviated as USS or U.S.S.) is a ship prefix used to identify a commissioned ship of the United States Navy and applies to a ship only while it is in commission. Before commissioning, the vessel may be referred to as a " p ...

(U.S.S.) nor given an official designation but is shown in ''U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, Sunk or Damaged Beyond Repair during World War II, 7 December 1941 – 1 October 1945'' under "Converted Patrol Vessels" along with and the converted patrol vessel, ''Perry''. After 13 December 1941 ''Fisheries II'' was assigned to the Base Section of the Inshore Patrol of the

United States Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...

. ''Fisheries II'' was commanded by Chief Boatswain James Charles Oster. After destruction of facilities at

Cavite Navy Yard Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, it is one of the most industri ...

on 10 December 1941 ''Fisheries II'' moved with

Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three (MTBRon 3) was a United States Navy squadron based at Naval Base Cavite, Cavite, Philippines, from September 1941 to December 1941. It was commanded by Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley and made up of six motor torpe ...

to Sisiman Bay"Sisiman Cove" in U.S. Naval references of the time, but now geographically known a
"Sisiman Bay"
just to the east of Mariveles. on the

Bataan Peninsula Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga, Bataan, Balanga while Mariveles, ...

where the commandeered tug ''Trabajador'' served as tender to the squadron. Despite the need to patrol in pairs in the event one PT needed assistance from another the critical shortage of spares and fuel often prevented such pairing so that one of the small converted patrol yachts, ''Maryann'', ''Perry'', or ''Fisheries II'' was used to accompany the PT. On 10 March the last PT boats departed south with General MacArthur with increased Japanese naval activity in the vicinity of the entrances to

Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...

. She was officially credited with one

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star 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 service period. T ...

for her participation in the defense of the Philippines.

Navy Cross awards

Two officers assigned to ''Fisheries II'' were awarded the Navy Cross.http://www.davidbruhn.com/images/YARD_PATROL_VESSEL_HALL_OF_VALOR.pdf Citation for award of the Navy Cross to Ensign George K. Petritz ''The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Ensign George Karl Petritz (NSN: 0-97128), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in combat with the enemy during the periods 7 December 1941 to 7 March 1942, while on board the U.S.S. FISHERIES TWO, in the Philippine Islands. While exposed to frequent horizontal and dive bombing attacks by enemy Japanese air forces, Ensign Petritz directed the fire of his anti-aircraft battery and participated in operations of strategic importance in the Manila Bay area involving hazardous missions such as to reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.'' General Orders: Commandant, 16th Naval District: Dispatch 281200-NCR 7859 (29 April 1942) Action Date: 7 December 1941 – 28 April 1942 Citation for award of the Navy Cross to Ensign Lowell Hall Strand ''The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Ensign Lowell Hall Strand, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty in action against the enemy while serving at FISHERIES TWO in the Philippine Islands, in combat against the enemy, directing and operating anti-aircraft from his vessel while exposed to frequent attacks from the enemy and dive bombers during the period from 7 March 1942 to 19 April 1942. His conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Navy of the United States.'' General Orders: Commander 16th Naval District: Desp. 281200 (29 April 1942) Action Date: 7 March – 19 April 1942

Awards

* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal was a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. Histo ...

Philippine Defense Medal The Philippine Defense Medal is a military award and decoration of the Republic of the Philippines which is awarded to recognize the initial resistance against Japanese invasion between 8 December 1941 and 15 June 1942. The award was first created ...

Footnotes

References

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External links