.jpg) Locust (YN-17) underway, probably during builders trials in late December 1942, off Cleveland, OH | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSLocust (YN-17) |
| Namesake | locust tree |
| Builder | American Shipbuilding Company,Cleveland, Ohio |
| Laid down | 18 October 1940 |
| Launched | 1 February 1941 |
| In service | 13 July 1941 |
| Commissioned | December 1942 |
| Reclassified | AN-22, 20 January 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 8 July 1946,Astoria, Oregon |
| Stricken | 1 September 1962 |
| Honors & awards | "Consolidation ofSolomon Islands" campaign |
| Fate | transferred to theFrench Navy |
| History | |
 France | |
| Name | Locuste (A765) |
| Fate | Sold to Malaysian owners; struck a reef off Cikobia Island,Fiji, 30 July 1978, while towing the formerScorpion; both ships sunk |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Aloe-class net laying ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 163 ft 2 in (49.73 m) |
| Beam | 30 ft 6 in (9.30 m) |
| Draft | 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m) |
| Propulsion | direct drivediesel, single propeller |
| Speed | 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h) |
| Complement | 48 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSLocust (YN-17/AN-22) was anAloe-classnet laying ship built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. She was later transferred to theFrench Navy asLocuste (A765).She was sold to Malaysian owners but sank after striking a reef off Cikobia Island,Fiji, on 30 July 1978. She was towing the former French shipScorpion, which also sank.
The second ship to be so named by the Navy,Locust (YN-17) was laid down by theAmerican Shipbuilding Company,Cleveland, Ohio, 18 October 1940; launched 1 February 1941; and placed in service 13 July 1941 for passage down theSt. Lawrence River for a year of net-laying duties in the3d Naval District offNew York, New York, before commissioning December, 1942.
Assigned to theService Squadron, Pacific Fleet, the beginning of 1943,Locust laid and tendedtorpedo nets, moorings, andbuoys and participated in various towing and salvage operations in the SouthPacific Ocean through World War II.
The net tender was off San Cristobel Island, in theSolomon Islands, in April 1943 withTask Unit 32.4.7 when she came under attack the 5th. For about 5 minutesLocust, withYAG-26 in tow, was not only dodging fire from aJapanese bomber but also atorpedo from an undetected enemysubmarine.
Successfully evading the assault, she continued her small but vital role in the ultimate naval victory, serving in the Solomon Islands,Marshall Islands, andNew Hebrides through her reclassification toAN-22 on 20 January 1944.
She departed for theU.S. West Coast 6 August 1945, arrivingSan Pedro, California, the 18th. With the postwar disarmament policy in forceLocust spent the next 6 months moving from one west coast berthing area to another until 8 July 1946 when she decommissioned atAstoria, Oregon, and entered theAtlantic Reserve Fleet in theColumbia River,Oregon, where she remained until stricken from theU.S. Naval Vessel Register 1 September 1962.
Locust was later sold to and commissioned in theFrench Navy asLocuste (A765). In later service, she struck a reef off Cikobia Island,Fiji, 30 July 1978 and sank.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1978 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
