Ordered as Speaker Acquired 31 December 1940 Out of service 23 January 1946 Construction started 1940 Length 30 m Draft 3.4 m | Laid down 1940 In service 31 October 1941 Struck 7 February 1946 Launched 24 April 1941 Weight 345.5 tons | |
USS Ruff (AMc-59) was a coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
The first ship to be named Ruff by the Navy, AMc-59, originally named Speaker, was laid down in 1940 by Martinolich Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, California; acquired by the Navy 31 December 1940; named Ruff and designated AMc-59 on 5 March 1941; launched 24 April 1941; sponsored by Miss Martha Jane Shown; and placed in service 31 October 1941, Ens. W. H. Roberts, USNR, in command.
World War II service
Assigned the 14th Naval District, Ruff was escorted to Pearl Harbor where she arrived 11 March 1942 for duty. A coastal minesweeper equipped with acoustical, magnetic and "O" type gear, she operated in the Hawaiian Islands throughout the war. From January 1943 through September, she was stationed at the section base at Bishops' Point, Oahu, Hawaii. She remained with the Hawaiian local defense forces through September 1945.
Ruff was placed out of service at San Diego 23 January 1946, was struck from the Navy list 7 February 1946, and released to the Maritime Commission for disposal 29 August 1947.