USS Catclaw

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History
United States
Name	USS Catclaw (YN-81)
Namesake	Catclaw
Builder	Snow Shipyards Inc., Rockland, Maine
Launched	22 May 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. F. R. Draper
Commissioned	14 January 1944
Decommissioned	19 April 1946, Shanghai, China
Reclassified	AN-60, 20 January 1944
Fate	transferred to the U.S. State Department for sale to the Republic of China ; fate unknown
General characteristics
Class and type	Ailanthus-class net laying ship
Displacement	1,100 tons
Length	194 ft 6 in (59.28 m)
Beam	37 ft (11 m)
Draft	13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Propulsion	diesel electric , 2,500hp
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement	56 officers and enlisted
Armament	one single gun mount; four twin 20 mm AA gun mounts

USS Catclaw (AN-60/YN-81) was an

Catclaw (YN-81) was launched 22 May 1943 by Snow Shipyards, Inc., Rockland, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. F. R. Draper: commissioned 14 January 1944 and reclassified AN-60 20 January 1944.

World War II service

Atlantic Ocean operations

Catclaw reported at New London, Connecticut, 10 April 1944 to lay experimental underwater detection and sonar gear until 10 June. At Brooklyn Navy Yard, she was supplied with welding and diving equipment and had radar equipment installed.

Catclaw then sailed on 23 June for a month and a half of duty at Clyde, Scotland. On 20 August she arrived at Cherbourg, where she based until 14 September while laying moorings at Morlaix Roads for cargo ships bypassing the harbor at Brest.

Through November, she played an essential part in the huge task of clearing the harbor of

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - YN-81 / AN-60 Catclaw