USS Shoveler (AM-382) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

USS Shoveler (AM-382) was an Auk-class

Auk class minesweeper

The Auk class were Allied minesweepers serving with the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. In total, there were 95 Auks built.-Design and development:...

minesweeper

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

Construction history

Shoveler was laid down on 1 April 1944 by Gulf Shipbuilding Corp., Chickasaw, Alabama

Chickasaw, Alabama

Chickasaw is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. As of July 2007, the population was 5,979. It is included in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area.-Geography:Chickasaw is located at . According to the U.S...

; launched on 10 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. William G. Burkhart; and commissioned on 22 May 1945, Lt. Comdr. Edwin H. Jones, Jr., USNR, in command.

World War II service

Shoveler was fitted out at New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

, and then reported to the Mine Warfare Base, Little Creek, Virginia, on 15 June for shakedown

Shakedown (testing)

A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...

training. On 5 August, the minesweeper

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

cleared that port en route to the west coast

West Coast of the United States

West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

for assignment to Mine Force, Pacific Fleet. The ship arrived at San Pedro, California, on 23 August and conducted further trials. On 30 August, Shoveler stood out of San Pedro, California, underway for Eniwetok, Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...

, via Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

.

Shoveler arrived at Eniwetok on 18 September and was routed to Okinawa. Upon her arrival there, on 26 September, she was ordered to sail at once for Bungo Suido, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. She was back at Okinawa on 1 October to join the main task force

Task force

A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...

which sailed for Sasebo

Sasebo, Nagasaki

is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...

on 18 October. Shoveler swept the Klondike mine field there during the period 26 October-2 November. The ship returned to Okinawa on 6 December 1945 and operated from there until returning to Sasebo

Sasebo, Nagasaki

on 20 January 1946. Shoveler swept mines from the areas around Kikai Shima, Miyako Jima

Miyako-jima

Miyakojima is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It lies approximately 400 kilometres east of Taipei, Taiwan...

, Amami Ōshima

Amami Oshima

is a semi-tropical island in the Amami Islands, which is part of the larger Nansei Islands in Japan. Ōshima literally means big island, and it is the largest of the Amami Islands. It lies roughly halfway between the islands of Okinawa and Kyūshū. Briefly part of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, in 1624 it was...

, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima.

Shoveler sailed from Japan

Japan

on 12 April en route to San Pedro, California, via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

. She entered the Todd Shipyard there on 27 June and prepared for inactivation. The minesweeper

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 5 November 1946.

Korean War service

Shoveler was recommissioned on 24 July 1951 and assigned to Mine Squadron 5. After refresher training and fleet exercises off Santa Rosa, California

Santa Rosa, California

Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...

, she entered the yard of the Harbor Boat Co., Long Beach, California

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, for alterations and repairs on 5 November 1951. When the work was completed on 7 January 1952, the ship moved down the coast of San Diego

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

and acted as a mine warfare schoolship for three months.

On 20 March, Shoveler was ordered to the Far East

Far East

The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

. After port calls at Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

and Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

, and minesweeping exercises in the Bonin Islands, she arrived at Sasebo

Sasebo, Nagasaki

, Japan

Japan

, on 20 May. A week later, she got underway for the Korean war

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

zone.

Shoveler arrived at Wonsan

Wonsan

Wŏnsan is a port city and naval base in southeastern North Korea. It is the capital of Kangwŏn Province. The population of the city is estimated to have been 331,000 in 2000. Notable people from Wŏnsan include Kim Ki Nam, diplomat and Secretary of the Workers' Party.- History :The original name of...

Harbor on 28 May to assist the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

forces. During the next four and one-half months, the minesweeper

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

operated along the Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n coast from Musu Dan in the north to Kosong

Kosong

Kosong is a kun, or county, in Kangwon province, North Korea. It lies in the southeasternmost corner of North Korea, immediately north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Prior to the end of the Korean War in 1953, it made up a single county, together with what is now the South Korean county of the...

in the south. In addition to sweeping mines, she destroyed nine sampans with gunfire and bombarded the coast when afforded the opportunity. On 17 June, she was fired on by an enemy shore battery on Mayang Do but received no hits.

Shoveler returned to Sasebo in mid-October; and, on the 20th, she cleared that port for Long Beach, California

Long Beach, California

. The minesweeper arrived there on 20 November 1952 and, for the next two years, operated along the coast of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

as a unit of Mine Division 72.

Shoveler was again deployed to the Far East

Far East

on 21 October 1954 and operated out of Sasebo

Sasebo, Nagasaki

, Japan

Japan

. On 21 November 1954, she commenced a series of patrols along the east coast of Korea

Korea

. She steamed from Sasebo

Sasebo, Nagasaki

to Keelung

Keelung

Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It borders New Taipei and forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with the Taipei and New Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport...

, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, on 1 February 1955 and five days later departed that port for the Tachen Islands to assist in the evacuation there. The minesweeper swept channels during the days and ran antitorpedo boat patrols during the nights until 14 February when she returned to Sasebo

Sasebo, Nagasaki

. Shoveler's hull classification was changed from AM-382 to MSF-382 on 7 February. She departed the Far East

Far East

on 9 May and arrived at Long Beach, California

Long Beach, California

, on 1 June 1955.

Decommissioning and disposal

The minesweeper operated from that port for the next year. Shoveler moved to San Diego, California

San Diego, California

, on 29 June 1956 for inactivation and was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 28 September 1956.

Shoveler was loaned to Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

on 1 November 1960 under the Foreign Military Assistance Program and served that government as MSF-69.

Awards and honors

Shoveler received one battle star for 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...

service and one for service in the Korean War

Korean War

External links

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