USS Silverleaf (AN-68/YN-92) was a which was assigned to protect U.S. Navy ships and harbors 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...

 with her anti-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...

 nets.

Constructed in Slidell, Louisiana

Silverleaf (AN-68) was laid down on 3 February 1943 as YN-92 by Canulette Shipbuilding Co. Inc., Slidell, Louisiana

Slidell, Louisiana

Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000...

; launched on 11 December 1943; redesignated AN-68 on 20 January 1944; and commissioned on 26 May 1944, Lt. A. W. Brown, Jr., USNR, in command.

World War II service

On 6 June, Silverleaf sailed for Melville, Rhode Island

Melville, Rhode Island

Melville is a village in the town of Portsmouth in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The village is also the basis of a census-designated place , which extends south along the shore of Narragansett Bay into the town of Middletown to encompass the village of Lawtons and the port...

, to hold her 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...

 cruise from 13 to 30 June. She was in the Boston Navy Yard

Boston Navy Yard

The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...

 from 1 July to 29 August for post-shakedown availability.

The net layer moved to New York City and sailed from there on 3 September with a southbound convoy. On the 10th, she was ordered to proceed independently to San Diego, California

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...

, via the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

.

Silverleaf arrived at San Diego on 3 October and operated between there and San Pedro, California, until departing for 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...

 on 5 December 1944. She remained there until 5 February 1945 when she steamed 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...

. The tender was then attached to the U.S. 5th Fleet for the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...

; remaining there with 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...

 94 until 10 August. From 13 August until 20 November 1945, Silverleaf operated from 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 Marcus Island. On the 20th, she sailed for San Pedro, California, via Pearl Harbor, for disposal, arriving on 1 January 1946.

Post-war inactivation

Silverleaf was stripped for sale to the Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

Government, but the ship was in such poor condition that she was decommissioned on 18 April. She was struck from the Navy list on 5 June 1946 and sold to Joe Medina Enterprises, San Diego, California, on 31 March 1947 for scrap.