Maritime Monday

USS Buttress

This ship was laid out as a Patrol Ship on 11 May 1943 by the Albina Engine and Machine Works, in Portland, Oregon.

She launched on 26 August 1943 and was delivered and commissioned as the USS PCE-878 on 13 March 1944.

She was converted to an Auxiliary Minelayer, ACM-4, on 27 March - 26 April 1944 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California.

[during conversion at Mare Island]

She was renamed the USS Buttress on 15 June 1944.

[at Mare Island after conversion]

USS Buttress served as a minelayer during World War II.

She was decommissioned on 24 February 1947 at Bremerton, Washington, and struck from Navy lists on 05 March 1947.

She was sold on 30 October 1947 to J.W. Rumsey and renamed Pacific Reefer.

She sold once more to the Trident Seafoods Corp. of Seattle, Washington and was renamed Mr. J. She was used as a crab processor at Akutan Harbor in the Aleutian Islands for many years.

Around the mid-1990's this former pride of the Navy was towed to sea and sunk.

Specifications

*  Displacement 850 t

*  Length  184'6"

*  Beam 33'

*  Draft  9'5"

*  Speed  15.7 kts.

*  Complement  102

*  Armament: One 3"/ 50  dual purpose mount

* Propulsion: Two 900bhp General Motors Electro-Motive 12-567A diesel engines, two shafts

***This ship was where my Uncle, Emmette Beane, served during World War II. He was an Electrician's Mate aboard her.