USS Siskin

USS Siskin (AMS-58/YMS-425) was a YMS-1-class minesweeper of the YMS-135 subclass built for the United States Navy during World War II. She is the only U.S. Navy ship to be named for the siskin.

Siskin with U.S. Mine Division 22, circa 1965
History
United States
Ordered	as YMS-425
Laid down	6 June 1944
Launched	9 September 1944
Commissioned	21 December 1944
Decommissioned	19 July 1946
In service	March 1950
Out of service	24 October 1957
Stricken	1 October 1968
Fate	Sold for scrapping
General characteristics
Displacement	320 tons
Length	136 ft (41 m)
Beam	24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Draught	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Speed	13 knots
Complement	33
Armament	one 3 in (76 mm) gun mount, two 20 mm machine guns

History

YMS-425, a motor minesweeper, was laid down on 6 June 1944 by the Astoria Marine Construction Co. at Astoria, Oregon; launched on 9 September 1944; and placed in service on 21 December 1944.^{[citation needed]}

The motor minesweeper conducted training exercises and shakedown along the U.S. West Coast during the spring and early summer of 1945. On 10 August, she departed San Francisco, California, and headed for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.^{[citation needed]}

She spent 10 days in the Hawaiian Islands before getting underway for Okinawa on the 31st. She stopped at Eniwetok from 12 to 14 September, at Saipan from 19 to 22 September, and made Okinawa on the 28th. From Okinawa, she headed to Japan; and, for the next six months, she operated in Japanese coastal waters, sweeping mines for the occupation forces. YMS-425 completed her part in the minesweeping operation and, on 11 March 1946, shaped a course for the United States.^{[citation needed]}

After stops at Saipan, Eniwetok, Johnston Island, and Pearl Harbor, she entered San Francisco Bay on 7 May. From San Francisco, California, she moved via the Panama Canal to Boston, Massachusetts, arriving there on 7 July 1946. YMS-425 decommissioned on 19 July 1946 and remained at Boston. On 1 September 1947, YMS-425 was renamed Siskin (AMS-58) and was assigned to the 1st Naval District at Boston for duty as a U.S. Naval Reserve training ship.^{[citation needed]}

Siskin recommissioned at Boston in March 1950 under the command of Lt. F. W. Cole. She operated along the southeastern and gulf coasts of the United States, from Norfolk, Virginia, to Panama City, Florida, assigned to Mine Division 42 (MinDiv 42) until January 1954. From January 1954 until January 1955, she was assigned to MinDiv 43 and served with the Naval Mine Countermeasures Station at Panama City, Florida. In November 1954, her homeport was changed to Charleston, South Carolina; and, from January to April 1955, she was overhauled at Norfolk, Virginia. On 7 February 1955, her designation was changed from AMS-58 to MSCO-58. After overhaul, she conducted refresher training, then returned to normal operations along the U.S. East Coast.^{[citation needed]}

Siskin arrived in Buffalo, New York, via the St. Lawrence Seaway, on 17 October 1957. She decommissioned there on 24 October and resumed duty as a Naval Reserve training ship. Later, she was transferred back to the 1st Naval District at Boston, Massachusetts, until 1 October 1968, when her name was struck from the Navy list. She was subsequently sold for scrapping.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and honors

YMS-425 received one battle star.

References

•   This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Photo gallery of Siskin at NavSource Naval History