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The ''SC-497''-class submarine chasers were a class of 438
submarine chaser
A submarine chaser or subchaser is a type of small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. They encompass designs that are now largely obsolete, but which played an important role in the wars of the first half of th ...
s built primarily for 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 ...
from 1941–1944.
The ''SC-497''s were based on the experimental submarine chaser, USS ''SC-453''. Submarine chasers of this variety were collectively nicknamed "
the splinter fleet" due to their wooden hulls.
History
The ''SC-497''s were off-shore patrol and anti-submarine warfare vessels. Seventy of the ''SC-497''s were converted into patrol control crafts (SCC), 18 were converted into coastal minesweepers (AMC), and 8 were converted into patrol gunboats, motor (PGM).
Sixteen ''SC-497''s were lost and another one was lost after her conversion into a .
Despite the large number of ''SC-497''s, none are credited with destroying an enemy ship. USS ''SC-669'' is sometimes incorrectly credited with sinking the Japanese submarine ''
RO-107'' on 29 May 1943, but that submarine was still active on 6 July 1943.
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 ...
, 142 ''SC-497''-class submarine chasers were lent to allies of the United States as part of the
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft)
* 28 naval vessels:
** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign)
* ...
program. Seventy-eight were sent to the Soviet Union, 50 to France, 8 to Brazil, 3 to Norway, and 3 to Mexico.
The three Norwegian examples served with distinction on the
Shetland bus
The Shetland Bus ( Norwegian Bokmål: ''Shetlandsbussene'', def. pl.) was the nickname of a clandestine special operations group that made a permanent link between Mainland Shetland in Scotland and German-occupied Norway from 1941 until t ...
service, running agents, refugees and weapons past the German blockade between occupied Norway and Britain.
Survivors
(ex-USS ''SC-718'') is preserved at the Royal Norwegian Navy Museum. Some remains of (ex-USS ''SC-683'') and (ex-USS ''SC-1061'') can be seen near the coast of Sweden.
See also
*
*
*
List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy
This is a list of patrol vessels of the United States Navy.
Ship status is indicated as either currently active (including ready reserve), inactive or precommissioning Ships in the inactive category include only ships in the inactive res ...
References
{{SC-497 class submarine chaser