USS ''Sanderling'' (AMS-35/AMCU-49/MHC-49/YMS-446/PCS-1393) was the lead ship of her subclass of s built for the

United States 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 ...

during

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

History

''Sanderling'' was laid down as ''PCS-1393'' on 22 May 1943 by Robert Jacob Inc. of

City Island, New York City Island is a List of Bronx neighborhoods, neighborhood in the northeastern the Bronx, Bronx in New York City, located on an island of the same name approximately long by wide. City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Islan ...

; launched on 26 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Joseph K. Harvey; and commissioned on 9 June 1944. Initially assigned to the

3rd Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...

, ''YMS-446'' operated in the

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and f ...

area until 23 July 1945 when she got underway for

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. She arrived at Newport Beach, California, on 22 August; and, in September, was routed farther west. From 25 September to 11 October, she conducted exercises out of

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 ...

; then continued on across 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 definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. On 2 November, she arrived at

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center ...

, Japan; and, for the remainder of the year, cleared shipping lanes to that northern Kyūshū manufacturing port. During January and February 1946, she conducted similar minesweeping operations off the northern coast of the

Inland Sea An inland sea (also known as an epeiric sea or an epicontinental sea) is a continental body of water which is very large and is either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean by a river, strait, or "arm of the sea". An inland s ...

to ensure safe passage to and from

Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan ...

. She completed her postwar sweeping duties in mid-February and, on the 28th, departed Japan. ''YMS-446'' then steamed east. After stops in the Marianas, the

Marshalls Marshalls is an American chain of off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico, and 61 stores in Canada. M ...

, and the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost ...

, she arrived at

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

, on 14 April; and, in May, put into Charleston, South Carolina. During July and August, she underwent overhaul; then, because of personnel shortages, she remained immobilized into December. Early in 1947, the YMS departed Charleston for Key West, Florida, but returned in February. On the 17th, she was redesignated ''Sanderling'' (AMS-35)). On the 18th, she got underway for fleet maneuvers off

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

; but, later in the day, collided with a Norwegian merchant ship and was towed to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

, for repairs. In May, she returned to Charleston; and, two months later, she moved south to conduct operations off

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

for the Mine Countermeasure Station,

Panama City, Florida Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee and Pensacola. It is the more populated city of the Panama City–Lynn ...

. In November, she returned to

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

for indefinite berthing at the Minecraft Base at Charleston. In May 1948, ''Sanderling'' resumed operations along the east and

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Missis ...

s, from

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

and in the Caribbean. Based at Norfolk and then at Charleston, she operated primarily from

Hampton Roads, Virginia Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlanti ...

, south for the next nine years; participating in type and fleet exercises and providing services for the Operational Development Force. During that period, she was redesignated twice: to AMCU-49, effective 1 February 1955; and to MHC-49, effective7 February 1955. In mid-September 1957, she arrived at

Green Cove Springs, Florida Green Cove Springs is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,908. The city is named after the porti ...

, and joined the

Reserve Fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; ...

. Two months later, on 14 November, she was decommissioned. ''Sanderling'' remained berthed at Green Cove Springs until struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the 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 autho ...

on 1 November 1959.

Awards and honors

''YMS-446'' earned one

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) 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 se ...

for her post-World War II minesweeping operations.

References

External links

*
HyperWar: US Navy Minecraft, 1940-1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanderling (AMCU-49) PCS-1376-class minesweepers YMS-1-class minesweepers of the United States Navy Ships built in City Island, Bronx 1944 ships World War II minesweepers of the United States Harkness-class minehunters Cold War minehunters of the United States