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USS Scoter (AM-381)
Encyclopedia
The second USS Scoter (AM-381) was an acquired by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
Scoter was named after the word "Scoter
Scoter
The scoters are stocky seaducks in the genus Melanitta. The drakes are mostly black and have swollen bills. Females are brown.They breed in the far north of Europe, Asia and North America, and winter further south in temperate zones of those continents. They form large flocks on suitable coastal...
," which is a mercantile name retained during service in the United States Navy.
Scoter was the second United States Navy vessel to have that name, and was laid down on 4 April 1944 by the Gulf Shipbuilding Corp., Chickasaw, Alabama
Chickasaw, Alabama
Chickasaw is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. As of July 2007, the population was 5,979. It is included in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area.-Geography:Chickasaw is located at . According to the U.S...
; launched on 26 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Reuben E. Clarson; and commissioned on 17 March 1945, Lt. Comdr. G. W. Lundgren in command.
Pacific Ocean operations
After shakedownShakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Shakedown cruises are also used to familiarize the ship's crew with operation of the craft....
, Scoter sailed from the U.S. East Coast on 22 May for the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
; arrived at San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
on 13 June; and proceeded to Terminal Island, California for four additional weeks of training, which began upon arrival on 18 June. The ship underwent repairs in San Pedro, California, from 11 July to 12 August and sailed for Okinawa on 17 August, two days after the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
surrender.
After a month in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, Scoter sailed on 20 October for Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, arriving two days later. In company with 14 minesweepers and other craft, Scoter departed Sasebo for a sweeping operation in the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
on 26 October. However, after one day's sweeping, she was withdrawn from the task group
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
and returned to Sasebo to prepare for minesweeping support missions elsewhere in Japan. On 3 November, she proceeded to Iki Shima with , but was unable to enter the harbor there and returned to Sasebo on 9 November. She sailed two days later for Fukuoka, Japan, where she served as logistics ship for sweeping operations. On 28 January 1946, she sailed for Kure, Japan, to serve as logistics vessel for Minesweeping Craft Three. The minesweeper departed Kure on 24 February and arrived at San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, on 18 April 1946 for overhaul.
Second Far East tour
Scoter departed San DiegoSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
on 16 November 1946 with five YMS's, and, for the next five months, supported these vessels as they cleared minefields at Johnston Island, Eniwetok, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, and Woleai
Woleai
Woleai is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-northwest of Ifalik and northeast of Eauripik...
. She then joined five larger minesweepers in sweeps at Truk before returning, via Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, to Seal Beach, California
Seal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...
, on 14 April.
Decommissioning
Scoter arrived at San Diego for inactivation the next day, and was decommissioned and placed in reserve there on 16 April 1947. Scoter was reclassified MSF-381 on 7 February 1955. Scoter was sold to MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on 19 September 1972.
Mexican Navy service
On 19 September 1972, the former Scoter was sold to the Mexican NavyMexican Navy
The Mexican Navy is the naval branch of the Mexican military responsible for conducting naval operations. Its stated mission is "to use the naval force of the federation for the exterior defense, and to help with internal order". The Navy consists of about 56,000 men and women plus reserves, over...
and renamed ARM Gutiérrez Zamora (C84). At dates unspecified in secondary source
Secondary source
In scholarship, a secondary source is a document or recording that relates or discusses information originally presented elsewhere. A secondary source contrasts with a primary source, which is an original source of the information being discussed; a primary source can be a person with direct...
s, her pennant number was changed to G16, and her name was changed to Melchor Ocampo. In 1993, both her name and pennant number were changed again, this time to Felipe Xicoténcatl (P115), which would remain her name through the end of her Mexican Navy service. Felipe Xicoténcatl had been retired from active service by 2004.