USS Small YAG's acquired March-October 1942

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USS YAG-12, ex North Haven, on 1 August 1942
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Class:        Small YAG's acquired March-October 1942
Design:        Small acquired
Displacement (tons):        118 to 242 tons
Dimensions (feet):        92' oa x 23' to 175' x 20'
Armament:        Small or none

Construction:

YAG	Name	Acq.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
12	YAG-12	5 Jun 42	South Portland SB	--	1913	17 Jul 42
13	YAG-13	7 Aug 42	Delaware River Iron SB&E	--	1899	14 Dec 42
14	YAG-14	7 Aug 42	George S. Lawley & Sons	--	1906	12 Dec 42
16	YAG-16	30 Jul 42	J. Lange, Bremerhaven	--	1886	23 Sep 42
18	YAG-18	19 Sep 42	Neafie & Levy	--	1891	23 Jan 43
19	YAG-19	1 Sep 42	Mathis Yacht	--	1930	Nov 42
20	YAG-20	11 Sep 42	Mathis Yacht	--	1930	20 Nov 42
21	YAG-21	9 Sep 42	Mathis Yacht	--	1929	31 Dec 42
22	YAG-22	14 Oct 42	Oakland, Calif.	--	1923	15 Jan 43

Disposition:

YAG	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
12	YAG-12	ca Sep 45	13 Nov 45	12 Oct 45	RTO	--
13	YAG-13	6 Jun 44	9 Jun 44	9 Sep 44	Tgt.	--
14	YAG-14	9 Aug 44	22 Aug 44	21 Feb 45	MC/S	21 Feb 45
16	YAG-16	8 Jul 43	28 Jun 44	30 Dec 44	MC/S	30 Dec 44
18	YAG-18	27 May 46	5 Mar 47	13 Jan 47	MC/S	13 Jan 47
19	YAG-19	7 Mar 46	20 Mar 46	3 Sep 46	MC/S	3 Sep 46
20	YAG-20	8 Feb 44	29 Jul 44	5 Feb 45	MC/S	5 Feb 45
21	YAG-21	--	28 Apr 45	2 Mar 45	Lost	--
22	YAG-22	5 Aug 46	29 Oct 46	5 Aug 46	RTO	--

Class Notes:
Funded by BuShips maintenance funds.

YAG-12 was built in 1913 by the South Portland Shipbuilding Co., South Portland, Maine, as a passenger vessel for the Vinalhaven & Rockland Steamboat Co., Rockland, Maine. She was acquired from this firm after her acquisition was directed on 18 May 42 and was converted into a ferry for fleet liberty parties in the Casco Bay, Maine, area by the Snow Shipyards, Inc., Rockland, Maine, under the direction of the Boston Navy Yard. Conversion work began 8 Jun 42 and was completed 24 Jun 42. She was also used as a barracks ship and communication center at the Section Base in Rockland, Maine. She resumed service as the passenger vessel NORTH HAVEN in 1945, was renamed MANHATTAN in 1949 (when her gross tonnage was reduced from 210 to 116 tons), and was scrapped in 1968.
YAG 13-14 were originally acquired on 23 Mar 42 as coastal yachts (PYc) and began conversion at the Marine Basin Co., Brooklyn, N.Y. but were found unsuitable, their conversion work was stopped (TOURIST was 25 percent complete), and they were returned to their owners. The vessels remained at Marine Basin and eventually Commander, Eastern Sea Frontier requested they be acquired for use as training vessels for the Fleet Sound School, Key West. On 1 Aug 42 VCNO directed their acquisition and asked the War Shipping Administration to requisition purchase them. The vessels were acquired on 7 Aug 42, PALACE from William Baletti of Weehawken, N.J. and TOURIST from Edward Baletti at a different address in Weehawken. YAG-14 resumed service as the passenger vessel TOURIST in 1945 and was taken out of documentation in 1951.

YAG-16 was an auxiliary schooner acquired at Miami, Fla., from C. E. Sornsen of Dearborn, Mich. (Ford Motor Co.) and converted to a cargo carrier for local duty. She was placed out of service and laid up in July 1943. Sold in 1944 to J. W. Metzler, Jr., of Houston, Texas, she was not registered for postwar service as an American merchant vessel.

YAG-18 was acquired for use as a cargo carrier in response to a request from the Commander Service Force Atlantic Fleet. On 1 Aug 42 VCNO directed her acquisition and asked the War Shipping Administration to requisition purchase her from her owner, the Pocahontas Coal Co., Salisbury, Md. She was converted to a refrigerated cargo vessel (making maximum use of her present holds but without adding cargo handling equipment) and was expected to operate at about a 400 nautical mile radius from her base. She was formally assigned on 9 Nov 42 to operate between Guantanamo Bay and Jamaica. On 13 May 43 Guantanamo reported that she was unstable in unloaded condition and recommended that either ballast be added or the 3-inch gun and its heavy platform be removed; the latter solution was adopted. Resold to the Pocahontas Coal Co. in 1947, she was not registered for postwar service as an American merchant vessel.

YAG 19-21 were diesel houseboats whose acquisition was directed on 17 Aug 42. YAG-19 was acquired at Miami, Fla., from C. J. Root of Terre Hatue, Indiana; YAG-20 was acquired from Walter P. Murphy of Jacksonville, Fla. and Lake Forest, Ind.; and YAG-21 was acquired at Daytona Beach, Fla., from Mrs. O. M. Edwards of Pittsburgh, Pa. YAG-20 and YAG-21 were converted to cargo boats by the installation of 10 tons refrigerated storage and 10 tons chill storage plus holds for 25 tons of bale cargo forward and 85 tons aft (90 tons in YAG-21) and capacity for 3,500 gallons of water (3,000 tons in YAG-21). It is likely that all three provided logistic support to the naval base at Key West. YAG-19 was sold in 1946 for $13,600 to W. E. H. Johnson of Miami, Fla., but was not registered for postwar service as an American merchant vessel. YAG-20 was sold on 5 Feb 45 for $15,500 to Edward P. McCarthy of Miami, Fla., and was transferred to Honduran registry soon afterwards.

YAG-22 was acquired in response to a request from the Commandant, 12th Naval District on behalf of the Naval Ammunition Depot at Mare Island. On 28 Sep 42 VCNO directed her acquisition and asked the War Shipping Administration to requisition purchase her from her owner, the Sacramento & San Francisco River Lines, Inc. She was reclassified YF (covered lighter) before completing conversion but is included here for completeness.

Ship Notes:

YAG	Name	Notes
12	YAG-12	Ex merc. NORTH HAVEN. Wooden steam passenger vessel. 210 tons gross, 109' x 23.5' x 9.7', 10 kts. Converted by Snow Shipyards, Inc., Rockland, Maine. Placed in service 17 Jul 42 at Portland, Me. Ordered placed out of service 17 Sep 45, delivered to WSA at Rockland, Maine and returned to owner.
13	YAG-13	Ex merc. PALACE, ex MALAY II, ex IDALIA. Steam steel passenger vessel. 195 tons gross, 175' x 20' x 9'. Initially acquired as PALACE (PYc-33) 23 Mar 42 but found unsuitable and returned 18 May 42. Reclassified YAG-13 from PYc-33 13 Aug 42. Converted by Frank McWilliams, Inc., Staten Is., N.Y. Placed in service 14 Dec 42 and in full commission 12 Apr 43 upon arrival at Key West. Departed Key West 16 May 44 for disposal at Norfolk. Decommissioned 6 Jun 44 and on 15 Jun 44 directed to be used as a radar target vessel. Sunk 9 Sep 44 by USS VICKSBURG (CL-86) in a gunnery firing exercise.
14	YAG-14	Ex merc. TOURIST, ex DIXIE, ex KEHTOH. Steam steel passenger vessel. 185 tons gross, 150' x 26.1' x 10.2'. Initially acquired as TOURIST (PYc-32) 23 Mar 42 but found unsuitable and returned 18 May 42. Reclassified YAG-14 from PYc-32 13 Aug 42. Converted by Frank McWilliams, Inc., Staten Is., N.Y. Placed in service 12 Dec 42 and in full commission 3 Apr 43 upon arrival at Key West. Released from duty there Jun 44, decommissioned at Key West.
16	YAG-16	Ex merc. ICAROS. Auxiliary schooner for island trade. 118 tons gross, 92' oa x 23' x 14', 7 kts. Converted to cargo carrier by Warriner & Des Roches, Inc., Miami, Fla. Placed in service 23 Sep 42. Placed out of service 8 Jul 43 at the Section Base at Port Everglades, Fla. and laid up.
18	YAG-18	Ex merc. RELIEF. Steel motor vessel. 242 tons gross. 145' oa x 23' x 7', 1-3"/23 (removed 1943). Converted by Norfolk SB & DD Co. (begun 23 Sep 42). Placed in service 23 Jan 43, arrived at Guantanamo 11 Apr 43. Directed 10 Apr 46 to depart Guantanamo for disposal at Norfolk. Out of service 27 May 46.
19	YAG-19	Ex merc. ELLENAR, ex LANAKILA. Wood diesel houseboat. 159 tons gross. 103.7' oa, 95.6' pp x 20.0' x 4.5'. Converted by Merrill-Stevens DD. Co., Miami, Fla. Date of placing in service was not recorded, it possibly occurred near the completion of conversion on 2 Nov 42. Out of service at Miami, Fla., 7 Mar 46.
20	YAG-20	Ex merc. IDYL. Wooden diesel houseboat. 165 tons gross, 108' x 20' x 4.9'. Converted by Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, Fla. Reclassified from YHB-15 to YAG-20 28 Sep 42. Placed in service 20 Nov 42 at Jacksonville and sent to Miami, possibly for service at Key West.
21	YAG-21	Ex merc. LELA, ex WEST WIND, ex MEMORY. Diesel houseboat. 157 tons gross, 101.2' oa, 93.5' pp x 20.0' x 4.5'. Builder also recorded as John Trumpy (Mathis Houseboat), Gloucester (Camden, N.J.). Converted by Miami SB Corp., Miami, Fla. Reclassified from YHB-17 to YAG-21 28 Sep 42. Placed in service 31 Dec 42 at Miami, possibly for service at Key West. Grounded 2 Mar 45, total loss.
22	YAG-22	Ex merc. OAKLAND. Small motor freighter. 225 gross tons. 98.7' x 30.4' x 8.4' depth. Reclassified YF-568 (covered lighter) 4 Jan 43. In service 15 Jan 43 at NAD Mare Island. Caught fire 18 May 46 in San Francisco Bay causing her topside and most of her main deck to be burned. Returned to owner via MC.