USS ''Hydrographer'' (AGS-2), briefly classified PY-30 before commissioning, was built in 1928 by the
Spear Engine Works in
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
, and operated as a survey ship along the Atlantic coast and in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
for the
United States Coast and Geodetic Survey
The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey ( USC&GS; known as the Survey of the Coast from 1807 to 1836, and as the United States Coast Survey from 1836 until 1878) was the first scientific agency of the Federal government of the United State ...
. Acquired 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 ...
in April 1942, she was converted for U.S. Navy service by the
Choctaw Boat Works in
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
and commissioned as AGS-2 at
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...
on 20 May 1942.
Immediately after commissioning, ''Hydrographer'' steamed to
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
, where she spent the remainder of 1942 charting the approaches and harbor to the important Allied base at
Argentia
Argentia ( ) is a Canadian commercial seaport and industrial park located in the Town of Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula and defined by ...
. She returned to the
Norfolk Navy Yard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a United States Navy, U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest ...
7 November 1942; and, after alterations to fit her for duty in 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 the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
, sailed 30 December for
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, via the
Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending on each side o ...
. The survey ship got underway 26 February 1943 for
Atka Island
Atka Island (, ) is the largest island in the Andreanof Islands of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The island is east of Adak Island. It is long and wide with a land area of , making it the 22nd largest island in the United States. The nor ...
, in the
Aleutians
The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain of 14 main, larger volcanic island ...
, and arrived 22 March to carry out a survey of
Korovin Bay, in preparation for the spring offensive to come. In April, she moved to
Adak for more survey work.
As combined forces moved on
Attu 11 May, ''Hydrographer'' moved into the assault area. Steaming into
Massacre Bay 12 May, she sent out survey parties to outline transport anchorages and chart shoals. Late in May, she landed parties on tiny
Shemya Island
Shemya or Simiya () is a small island in the Semichi Islands group of the Near Islands chain in the Aleutian Islands archipelago southwest of Alaska, at . It has a land area of , and is about southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. It is wide and long ...
to begin work on a bomber strip, after which she returned to Adak. ''Hydrographer'' also took part in the occupation of
Kiska
Kiska (, ) 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 required to visit it. The island has ...
, sailing 13 August and reaching the island 2 days later, only to find that the
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese had completely evacuated. With the Aleutians secured, the ship continued her survey and sounding work until returning San Diego 22 September 1943.
''Hydrographer'' arrived
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 Reci ...
10 November 1943 to take part in the push across the Pacific to Japan. She arrived
Abemama
Abemama (Apamama) is an atoll, one of the Gilberts group in Kiribati, and is located southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator. Abemama has an area of and a population of 3,299 . The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part of ...
, in the
Gilberts
The Gilbert Islands (;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this name applied o ...
, 24 December and made surveys of the lagoon and anchorages.
Makin Island was also surveyed before she moved on to the
Marshalls
Marshalls, Inc. is an American chain of discount store, off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store (stores operating with HomeGoods combined), ...
, as the survey ship followed closely behind the amphibious groups. She remained at
Kwajalein until May preparing charts; and, after survey work at
Roi, sailed 24 July to
Guam
Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
. Arriving 3 August 1944, ''Hydrographer'' surveyed
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor, also called Port Apra, is a deep-water port on the western side of the United States territory of Guam. It is considered one of the best natural ports in the Pacific Ocean. The harbor is bounded by Cabras Island and the Glass Breakwat ...
and other coves in the vicinity. During these operations the ship's shore parties were often fired upon by Japanese
sniper
A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...
s; but, undaunted, carried out their hydrographic work.
As the fleet continued to press toward Japan in a series of amphibious landings, ''Hydrographer'' sailed from Guam 1 October bound for the
Palau
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...
s. En route she rode out a large typhoon and arriving safely
Kossel Passage, 14 October 1944. In the months that followed, the ship charted and surveyed many islands in the southern Palaus, helped to establish anchorages and seaplane landing areas, and buoyed channels. She was occasionally harassed by night raids from the Japanese-held island, and on the night of 9–10 February 1945 helped destroy two swimmers approaching with an explosive raft.
Her work completed 25 February, she sailed via Guam and Pearl Harbor for
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, where she arrived 22 April. The survey ship trained off the West Coast until the end of the war. Getting underway again 16 August 1945, she made further surveys at
Eniwetok
Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...
,
Wake Island
Wake Island (), also known as Wake Atoll, is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The neare ...
, and Kwajalein before sailing from Pearl Harbor for the United States 3 January 1946. Transiting the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
, she arrived at Norfolk 6 March and decommissioned 1 July 1946. She was simultaneously returned to the Coast and Geodetic Survey for peacetime operations.
''Hydrographer'' received three
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 ...
s for World War II Service.
References
*
External links
Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships-''Hydrographer''"New Ship To Map Oceans Floor", July 1931, Popular Scienceexcellent cutaway drawing of Hydrographer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hydrographer (PY-30)
Individual yachts
World War II auxiliary ships of the United States
Ships built in Norfolk, Virginia
1928 ships
Ships of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey
Survey ships of the United States Navy
Patrol yachts of the United States Navy
Ships of the Aleutian Islands campaign