USS ''Buttress'' (PCE-878/ACM-4) was an auxiliary

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine, military aircraft or land vehicle deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for ins ...

(ACM) in 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

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 ...

. This ship and USS ''Monadnock'' (ACM-10) were the only ACMs not previously U.S. Army mineplanters.

Construction

''Buttress'' was laid down as Patrol Craft Escort USS ''PCE-878'' on 11 May 1943 at

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, by the Albina Engine & Machine Works; launched on 26 August 1943; and commissioned on 13 March 1944.

Service history

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

Following commissioning, she entered the

Mare Island Navy Yard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...

for conversion to a drill mine laying and recovery ship. On 15 June 1944, ''PCE-878'' was renamed ''Buttress'' and redesignated ''ACM-4''. The ship was assigned to Service Squadron (ServRon) 6 and saw duty at advanced bases in the central and western Pacific Ocean through the end of the war. She returned to the West Coast at San Francisco late in December 1946.

Decommissioning

''Buttress'' was moved north to

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, Kitsap County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city ...

, where she was decommissioned on 24 February 1947. Her name was struck from the

Navy list A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...

on 5 March 1947, and she was sold to J. W. Rumsey on 30 October 1947 as ''Pacific Reefer''. Her name was later changed to ''Aleutian Fjord'' and then to ''Mr. J''. She was scuttled sometime in the 1990s.

References

External links

''Buttress'' (ACM-4): Photographs
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buttress (ACM-4) Ships built in Portland, Oregon 1943 ships PCE-842-class patrol craft World War II mine warfare vessels of the United States Unique minelayers of the United States Navy