USS YP-346
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Prospect |
| Owner | Star & Crescent Boat Co. |
| Port of registry | San Diego, California |
| Builder | Campbell Industries, San Diego |
| Launched | 1938 |
| Identification | Official number: 237063 |
 United States | |
| Name | YP-346 |
| Operator |  United States Navy |
| Commissioned | 1942 |
| Honors and awards |
|
| Fate | Shelled severely by Japanese light cruiser Sendai on 9 September 1942 and beached on Tulagi |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Tuna clipper, Yard patrol boat |
| Tonnage | 259 GRT |
| Length | 108 ft (33 m) |
| Beam | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Installed power | 800 hp |
| Propulsion | 2 x diesel engines |
| Speed | 10 kn |
| Armament | 3 x 20mm AA guns 2 x .50cal machine guns |
USS YP-346 was a
Description
After the conversion to a yard patrol boat, YP-346 measured 259
History
Prospect
The ship was built as Prospect in 1938 by Campbell Industries in San Diego for the Star & Crescent Boat Company. It was given the identification code ON 237063 and began operations as a tuna clipper.[1] By the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Prospect was owned by Van Camp Sea Company and crewed entirely by Japanese Americans. Shortly after the United States entered the war, it was ordered to return to Point Loma, where the crew was detained and the vessel seized by the United States Navy.[2]
YP-346
Prospect was commissioned into the Navy as YP-346 in 1942. Joaquin Theodore, a tuna fisherman and master mariner, was designated as warrant officer in charge of the ship, despite a complete lack of military training. The rest of the crew was made up of men with a similar lack of military experience, but extensive maritime skill. YP-346 arrived at Pearl Harbor on 18 May 1942 and was stationed there briefly while awaiting orders. The ship then began ferrying supplies to remote islands in the western Pacific, while also trawling for tuna whenever possible.[2] In addition to these duties, YP-346 was involved in various other tasks, including a period where it was attached as an escort for a seaplane tender.[3]
On 3 August, the
YP-346's next assignment was to Guadalcanal. Beginning on 10 August the ship moved cargo from Tulagi to Guadalcanal through the Ironbottom Sound. On 28 August, YP-346 brought a cargo of gasoline to the beachhead at Henderson Field, but had to anchor overnight due to a congestion of supply ships. At noon the next day, 24 Japanese bombers raided the beachhead, forcing YP-346 to raise anchor and withdraw from the island while still carrying several dozen drums of gasoline.[4]
YP-346 continued running the route to Guadalcanal, but on 7 September it ferried a hundred Marine raiders instead of cargo. After distributing the entirety of the ship's food and cigarettes to the embarked Marines, YP-346 joined two other YP boats and three destroyers to make way for Guadalcanal. The raiders were unloaded near Tasimboko and returned to the ship that night after completing their mission. YP-346 then dropped them off at Henderson Field and prepared to return to Tulagi.[4]
The convoy of three destroyers and three YP boats began the return trip after sundown. On the way, heavy rains and a difficult sea state meant that the YP boats were unable to keep up with the destroyers, which proceeded to steam ahead and leave the YP boats undefended. Around midnight, just as the lead ship
References
- ^ a b c d Priolo, Gary; Wright, David (27 October 2021). "USS YP-346". NavSource Naval History. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d Smith, Jeff (15 May 2013). "Unforgettable: Floating Target, part 1". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ McKenna, Ted (7 September 1943). "Former Tuna Fishermen Sail "Yippee" Boats Against Japs". Prescott Evening Courier. p. 8. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Smith, Jeff (22 May 2013). "Unforgettable: Floating Target, part 2". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
