Name USS Planter (ACM-2) Commissioned 4 April 1944 Struck 23 December 1947 Builder Point Pleasant | Acquired 4 April 1944 Decommissioned 22 May 1946 Length 57 m | |
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Laid down as Colonel George Ricker for the U.S. Army, 1943 | ||
The second USS Planter (ACM-2) was a Chimo-class minelayer in the United States Navy during World War II.
Contents
Planter was built as the U.S. Army mine planter USAMP Col. George Ricker by Marietta Manufacturing Company, Point Pleasant, West Virginia and delivered to the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps, Mine Planter Service May, 1943. The ship was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 4 April 1944 and commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia, on the same date, Lt. T. T. Scudder, Jr., USNR, in command.
World War II Invasion of Europe operations
Planter was assigned to Service Squadron Five, Atlantic Fleet, and got underway in convoy for the Mediterranean, 13 May 1944, reaching the Azores on 24 May, and arriving at Bizerte, Tunisia, 12 June. She continued on to put into Naples, thence to southern France to support minesweeping and buoy laying operations conducted during and after Operation Dragoon. At Toulon, on 1 September, she rescued 31 survivors from YMS–21, sunk by a mine, then resumed her support activities, continuing them until departing for Bizerte 12 November. From the latter she sailed to Cagliari, Sardinia, thence to Oran, en route back to the United States, arriving at Norfolk on 17 January 1945.
Pacific Theatre operations
Converted to minesweep gear and repair ship at Charleston, she departed for the Canal Zone on 6 April; entered the Pacific for duty with Minecraft, Pacific, 17 April; and reached Pearl Harbor 17 May. Continuing westward, she anchored off Okinawa 4 July to render tender services to YMSs. In August she steamed to the Philippines, where she received news of the war's end. She returned to Okinawa 25 August and remained until 9 December when she got underway for Honshū. Between 13 December and 25 February 1946 she provided mine tender services in Japanese waters, then got underway for the United States, arriving at San Francisco 16 April.
Decommissioning
Decommissioned 22 May 1946, her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 23 December 1947. On 9 April 1948 she was transferred to the Maritime Commission and was subsequently sold to Foss Launch and Tug Co., Oakland, California.
Awards
Planter received one battle star for World War II service.