Minesweeper

Mediterranean moored as part of the 6th Fleet at Marseilles, France in August 1953.

Profile: My name is Robert J. Gerety and in April 1953, I was assigned to serve aboard the Minesweeper, Tanager AM385, in Charleston, South Carolina. Within two weeks we were on our way to the Mediterranean an part of the US Sixth Fleet. It took almost 12 days to cross the Atlantic and it was so extremely rough that 122 out 125 officers and crew were seasick. We were required to use ropes to navigate walking on deck and climbing the quarterdeck to stand watches. For several days we were unable to see other ships in the convoy due to the height of the waves. Our first port was Tangiers in North Africa and It was so different with tents, people riding camels etc. Some of the many other places we went to were the Isles of Sardinia (Italian) & Malta (English); Athens; Salonikas in Greece; Seville, Spain (where we sailed up the 408 mile Guidalquivir river equipped with locks); Marseilles; Cannes; Nice in France; Naples; Livono, Salerno in Italy and Messina, Sicily. While I was in Naples I had the opportunity to visit the ancient city of Pompei which is a short train ride from naples rr station. It was a breath taking experience. While in port we were welcome by various USO's in both France and Italy. During the time we spent in the Mediterranean in coordination with first the Greek Naval and later the French Navy we performed joint minesweeping operations. When we returned to the United States we visited Havana, Cuba when Batista was still in power. We also went to Ports like Savannah, Georgia, Fort Lauderdale, Key West and Panama City, Florida. In July 1954, I was discharged from the United States Navy Reserve after 4 yrs of both active & inactive service.

Minesweepers are named after birds. Any of the numerous American, passerine birds. The brightly colored males are unmusical and inhabit woodlands and I served on this one from April 1953 to August 1954.
(AM-385: dp. 890; l. 221'1"; b. 32'2' ; dr. 10'9" (mean); s. 18.1 k. (tl.); cpl. 117; a. 1 3"; cl. Auk) The second Tanager (AM-385) was laid down at Lorain, Ohio, on 29 March 1944 by the American Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 9 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas Slingluff; and commissioned on 28 July 1945, Lt. Comdr. Oscar B. Lundgren, USNR, in command. Tanager steamed via the St. Lawrence River to Boston, Mass., in late July and early August. In October, she moved south to the Naval Amphibious Base at Little Creek, Va., for shakedown training and minesweeping exercises in the Chesapeake Bay area. For almost six years, Tanager operated with the 2d Fleet along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean area. She conducted minesweeping exercises and supported the training efforts of the Mine Warfare School at Yorktown, Va. On three occasions-once each in 1948, 1950, and 1951-she did tours of duty with the Naval Mine Countermeasures Station, located at Panama City, Fla. On 2 September 1951, she departed Charleston, S.C., for the Mediterranean Sea. While she was deployed with the 6th Fleet, she conducted more minesweeping exercises and visited many of the famous ports in the area. Among those were Mers-el-Kebir, Gibraltar, Naples, Monaco, Cannes, Venice, Malta, and Genoa. In February 1952, Tanager returned to Charleston and resumed operations with the 2d Fleet. After repairs at Charleston and a voyage to Norfolk and back, the minesweeper began her second Mediterranean deployment in April 1953. During that cruise, she added some new ports-of-call to her itinerary, notably Tangier, Palermo, Pireaus (Port of Athens) Marseille, Leghorn, Marseille, Malta, Sardina, Cannes, Salonika, and Seville. She also participated in a number of minesweeping exercises with other units of the 6th Fleet. Tanager re-entered Charleston on 26 October 1953. Following minesweeping exercises along the southeastern coast of the United States and in the Caribbean, she entered the yard at Savannah Machine & Foundry Co. on 29 June 1954 for repairs. On 23 September, the minesweeper departed Savannah and headed for Beaumont, Tex. She arrived on the 28th and entered the drydock the same day. She was refloated on 8 October and towed to the naval station at Orange, Tex. Two months later, on 10 December 1954, Tanager was decommissioned and berthed there with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. On 7 February 1955, the minesweeper was redesignated MSF-385. On 4 October 1963, Tanager was transferred to the Coast Guard for use as a training cutter. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1963, and she was commissioned in the Coast Guard as Tanager (WTR-885) on 16 July 1964. She was decommissioned once more on 1 February 1972; and, on 15 November, she was sold to Mr. William A. Hardesty of Seattle, Wash.

As of 8/31/2007 here are the latest updates regarding the former Tanager AM385 from interested contributors around the world. I would like to express my thanks for all of their help and assistance and their interest in this site.

Some time in the 1980's a former airline pilot purchased the ship from the goverment with the idea in mind of making it a cruise ship with passengers manning the ship. At some point in the 80's it was reported to have been seen tied up just south of the San Francisco /Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco. Sometime later it was used in the 1995 Hollywoodfilm "The Usual Suspects" staring Kevin Spacey and Stephen Baldwin.

A former Coast Guard veteran by the name of Bob Manthei reported in April 2002 that the Tanager was moored in San Pedro harbor, Los Angeles, California. He stated that he served on her in 1968-69 as a CG reservist out of Yorktown, Virginia. She was impeccably restored by the Coast Guard and crew in 1969 (major power plant and structural) before sailing to the West Coast in late 1969. Her condition at that time was nearly that of being totally restored like a vintage car. Having seen her in a movie I was curious enough to track her down. I was very disappointed at what I saw and about what I learned about her stewardship in the last few years. The ship survived the sea and warfare, but not the dirty hands of man. All you have to do is mention the Tanager by name on the waterfront, and everyone there knows about it and its current owner and its questionable activities. The Coast Guard, US Justice Department, Customs, and San Pedro Harbor Police all have extensive files on the ship's most recent shady past. She sits dockside without propulsion and is painted black. The crew onboard is not receptive to visitors and acts as if they have something to hide. I wish I could have gone aboard, but I could not get permission. It is too bad she could not be saved.

I received a report in August 2007 from Lic. Armando Arceo Hernandez who is employed by the Mexican Government in Mexicali, Baja California next to Calexico, Ca. regarding the Tanager. He stated that in 2004 it was found abandoned in the (sAN DIEGO)port of Ensenda. Sometime in the past an extra deck had been added consisting of four rooms, two bathrooms, office and a living room with an attached kitchen. The ship had been painted black as was reported by a former contributor, Bob Manthei. According to Armando Arceo Hernandez the ship was towed from san diego with the idea of repairing the ship but that plan was changed after accessing the damage. there was extensive vandalism to the ship and IT would be very expensive (for us) to try AND fix it. Our present intention is to sell the SOMETIME IN 2008. iT WILL NO DOUBT BE USED FOR SCRAP METAL. IT IS A SAD FAITH FOR A GREAT SHIP THAT SERVED ITS COUNTRY FOR SO MANY YEARS.

Disclaimer: This site is a place where interested parties exchange information concerning the USS Tanager AM385 and other minesweepers. Such information is not guaranteed in any way whatsoever as to its completeness or accuracy, by any source or any person. The opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. In addition this site has no affiliation with the any of the various links shown on this page and are only for the convenience of the web page visitors.
Updated 09/1/2007