USS Opal (PYc-8)
Encyclopedia
USS Opal (PYc-8), formerly the yacht named Coronet (1928), was a patrol boat
in the United States Navy
during World War II
and then served in the Ecuador
ian navy.
firm of Cox & Stevens
as the steel-hulled motor yacht
Coronet for American businessman Irving T. Bush
. It was built in 1928 at Kiel
, Germany
by Germania Werft
. This vessel was named after the smaller schooner yacht Coronet
of 1885, built for Irving's father Rufus T. Bush
and known for its victory in an 1887 transatlantic ocean race. The first Coronet was also the vessel upon which young Irving Bush and his family had sailed around the world in 1888. The new diesel-powered Coronet featured a library, a living room with an open fireplace, a dining room, six staterooms (each with its own bathroom), and space for a crew of 20. The yacht had a 7,000 mile range.
During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Coronet served as a pleasure yacht, for example cruising around the Mediterranean Sea
"Olympic Arrives with Notable List ," New York Times, Sep. 19, 1928, pg. 24 and participating in New York Yacht Club
activities on Long Island Sound
.
From 1931 through the end of the 1930s, Coronet stayed in south Florida
, in and near Miami, maintained and ready for service, yet inactive. In 1935, Bush transferred ownership of the yacht to his wife, Marian Spore Bush
. As both husband and wife were officially residents of New York City, and the Coronet was registered in New York but kept in Florida
, the yacht became the subject of a property taxation dispute, which was finally settled by the Florida Supreme Court
in 1939.
on 27 January 1941 and converted for naval service at Merrill-Stevens Drydock Co.
in Miami, Florida
. It was commissioned Opal on 10 June 1941.
Opal reported 23 August, 1941 at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
, Cuba
for service in the 10th Naval District. The vessel patrolled off Cuba and among the Greater Antilles
prior to arrival at Trinidad
, 24 April 1942, for similar “inshore patrol” duties. Early in October 1941 it sailed to the Charleston Navy Yard for installation of new sound detection equipment before returning to action against German submarine
s in the Caribbean Sea
. Opal frequently served on escort missions between Guantanamo and Trinidad during the first eight months of 1943.
ian naval crews. It was lent to Ecuador on 23 September 1943 under the Lend-Lease Program
and renamed Manabi. The United States sold the vessel to Ecuador on 13 May 1949 and the US Navy struck its name from the Navy List on 7 June 1949. The Ecuadorian Navy scrapped the vessel in 1960.
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and then served in the Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
ian navy.
1928-1941: Yacht Coronet
Opal was originally designed by the naval architectureNaval architecture
Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...
firm of Cox & Stevens
Cox & Stevens
Cox & Stevens began in 1905 as a yacht design and commercial brokerage in New York City. The original principal partners were Daniel H. Cox, Irving Cox, and marine engineer Colonel Edwin Augustus Stevens Jr., son of renowned designer Edwin Augustus Stevens....
as the steel-hulled motor yacht
Luxury yacht
The term luxury yacht, “Superyacht” and "Large Yacht" refers to very expensive, privately owned yachts which are professionally crewed. Also known as a Super Yacht, a luxury yacht may be either a sailing or motor yacht.-History:...
Coronet for American businessman Irving T. Bush
Irving T. Bush
Irving T. Bush was an American businessman. His father was the wealthy industrialist, oil refinery owner, and yachtsman Rufus T. Bush. As founder of the Bush Terminal Company, Irving T...
. It was built in 1928 at Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by Germania Werft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I and the Kriegsmarine in World War II.-History:The company was founded in 1867 by Lloyd Foster, as...
. This vessel was named after the smaller schooner yacht Coronet
Coronet (yacht)
The Coronet, a wooden-hull schooner yacht built in 1885, is one of the oldest and largest schooner yachts in the world.-History:left|thumb|200px|Page 1, The New York Times, March 27, 1887The schooner Coronet was designed by William Townsend and built for Rufus T. Bush by the C. & R. Poillon...
of 1885, built for Irving's father Rufus T. Bush
Rufus T. Bush
Rufus T. Bush was an American businessman, oil refining industrialist, and yachtsman. His notable testimony against Standard Oil's monopolistic practices through railroad rebates left a lasting impression, while the 1887 transatlantic ocean race of his sailing yacht Coronet and his subsequent...
and known for its victory in an 1887 transatlantic ocean race. The first Coronet was also the vessel upon which young Irving Bush and his family had sailed around the world in 1888. The new diesel-powered Coronet featured a library, a living room with an open fireplace, a dining room, six staterooms (each with its own bathroom), and space for a crew of 20. The yacht had a 7,000 mile range.
During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Coronet served as a pleasure yacht, for example cruising around the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
"Olympic Arrives with Notable List ," New York Times, Sep. 19, 1928, pg. 24 and participating in New York Yacht Club
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. The organization has over 3,000 members as of 2011. ...
activities on Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
.
From 1931 through the end of the 1930s, Coronet stayed in south Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, in and near Miami, maintained and ready for service, yet inactive. In 1935, Bush transferred ownership of the yacht to his wife, Marian Spore Bush
Marian Spore Bush
Marian Spore Bush left her successful Michigan dental practice for a studio in Greenwich Village, New York City, and became a self-taught painter in the 1920s...
. As both husband and wife were officially residents of New York City, and the Coronet was registered in New York but kept in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the yacht became the subject of a property taxation dispute, which was finally settled by the Florida Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...
in 1939.
1941-1943: Coastal Patrol Yacht USS Opal
Coronet was purchased by the United States Navy from M.S. BushMarian Spore Bush
Marian Spore Bush left her successful Michigan dental practice for a studio in Greenwich Village, New York City, and became a self-taught painter in the 1920s...
on 27 January 1941 and converted for naval service at Merrill-Stevens Drydock Co.
Merrill-Stevens Drydock & Repair Co.
Merrill-Stevens Drydock & Repair Co. is a shipbuilding and drydock company currently based in Miami, Florida. The company was incorporated in 1885 in Jacksonville, Florida by James Eugene Merrill, and was located along the St. Johns River. According to the company, it was the largest Atlantic...
in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It was commissioned Opal on 10 June 1941.
Opal reported 23 August, 1941 at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
for service in the 10th Naval District. The vessel patrolled off Cuba and among the Greater Antilles
Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
prior to arrival at Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, 24 April 1942, for similar “inshore patrol” duties. Early in October 1941 it sailed to the Charleston Navy Yard for installation of new sound detection equipment before returning to action against German submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. Opal frequently served on escort missions between Guantanamo and Trinidad during the first eight months of 1943.
1943-1960: Ecuadorian Navy's Manabi
In 1943, the US Navy reassigned Opal to serve as a training ship for EcuadorEcuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
ian naval crews. It was lent to Ecuador on 23 September 1943 under the Lend-Lease Program
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
and renamed Manabi. The United States sold the vessel to Ecuador on 13 May 1949 and the US Navy struck its name from the Navy List on 7 June 1949. The Ecuadorian Navy scrapped the vessel in 1960.
External links
- NavSource Online's article on Opal, with photos of the vessel as Coronet, Opal, and Manabi
- HyperWar: USS Opal (PYc-8)