Ordered 1929 Length 50 m | Launched 1929 Builder George Lawley & Son | |
Name Margo (1929—1932)Buccaneer (1933—1940) Owner B.A. Massee (1929—1932)Leon Mandel (1933—1940) Identification Official number228861Signal lettersMHLK (Margo)Signal lettersWKDI (Buccaneer) | ||
The second USS Sapphire (PYc-2) was a patrol boat in the United States Navy.
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Originally a private yacht and later a navy training vessel, Sapphire was built in 1929 and named Margo by George Lawley & Son, Neponset, Massachusetts. It was acquired by the U.S. Navy from a later owner, Mr. Leon Mandel, Quonset, Rhode Island, on 1 November 1940. The navy renamed the boat Sapphire, designated it PYc—2, and converted it for Navy use. It was officially commissioned at Boston on 6 June 1941 with Lt. A. N. Daniels, USNR, in command.
World War II, 1941–1945
In August 1941, Sapphire was sent to Norfolk, Virginia to outfit her for sea duty. In September, Sapphire left Norfolk with orders to patrol and perform anti-mine operations in the area of the Panama Canal when on her southern course she was abruptly ordered to reverse course and proceeded north to her home port, New London, Connecticut. There, through World War II, the ship supported various Submarine School programs, but was primarily engaged in training prospective commanding officers in attack procedures and in testing sound equipment.
On 21 May 1942 a German U-Boat attacked the American freighter Plow City (3,282 tons) about 30 miles off Bermuda sinking her with two torpedoes. One crewman was killed and the remainder of the crew abandoned ship in the lifeboats. Sapphire was ordered to search and rescue the surviving crew and on 26 May 1942 she located 30 crewmen in lifeboats. Sapphire also engaged in anti-submarine patrols and some actions with German U-Boats. As one sailor (Ed Hickey, SK1) on the Sapphire commented, "We knew we were a sitting duck for any U-Boat that we found since a converted yacht is no match even though we had some depth charges and a few other armaments."
Decommissioning and sale
With the end of the war, Sapphire was designated for inactivation. On 19 September 1945, the boat departed New London and proceeded to Charleston, South Carolina, where she was decommissioned on 29 October 1945.
Struck from the Navy List on 13 November of the same year, she was transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal through sale on 3 September 1946.