The Ailanthus class were a group of 35 wooden-hulled net laying ships of the United States Navy built during World War II as part of the huge building programs of late 1941 and early 1942 for small patrol and mine warfare vessels. Five of the class were transferred to the British Royal Navy under Lend-Lease, and another five were converted while at their shipyards into Auxiliary Fleet Tugs, the ATA-214-class.

Armament In the original design, in addition to the 3-inch gun mounted forward of the bridge, there were two single 20 mm guns mounted on top of the bridge. In September 1944, as a trial, a third 20 mm gun was installed on a small elevated platform mounted on a pedestal between the bridge and the smokestack on Terebinth (AN-59), but it was found that the arc of fire was restricted, that the platform was too hot to permit the storage of ready ammunition, and that the gun crew became ill from engine fumes. Instead, two additional single 20 mm guns were installed at the after end of the deckhouse on AN 39-63 and 66-69. In April 1945 the four single mounts were ordered to be replaced with four twin mounts, but this change does not seem to have been made.

Losses Two ships of the class were lost during the war; USS Ailanthus (AN-38), was wrecked barely a month after commissioning, running aground in the Aleutians on 26 February 1944, and was declared a total loss on 14 March 1944. USS Snowbell (AN-52), was driven hard aground when Typhoon Louise hit Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on 9 October 1945 and was declared beyond repair. The wreck was blown up in January 1946.

Disposal In early 1946 six of the ships, Cliffrose (AN-42), Cinnamon (AN-50), Silverbell (AN-51), Torchwood (AN-55), Catclaw (AN-60), and Shellbark (AN-67), were transferred to the Republic of China's Maritime Customs Service at Shanghai, while the remainder were disposed of in 1947 in a Maritime Commission sales program for small vessels.

Ships Ship nameHullBuilderFate Ailanthus YN-57AN-38 Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company 2 Dec 1943 n/a Ran aground in Alaskan waters, 26 Feb 1944; declared total loss Bitterbush YN-58AN-39 15 Jan 1944 4 Jan 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, 1948; destroyed by fire off Puerto Rico, 27 May 1954 Anaqua YN-59AN-40 21 Feb 1944 7 Feb 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, 6 Mar 1946; fate unknown Baretta YN-60AN-41 18 Mar 1944 4 Apr 1946 Fate unknown Cliffrose YN-61AN-42 30 Apr 1944 7 Jan 1947 Transferred to Taiwan, 7 Jan 1947; fate unknown Satinleaf YN-62AN-43 8 Apr 1944 4 Apr 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, 29 Apr 1947; fate unknown Corkwood YN-63AN-44 16 May 1944 7 Mar 1946 Fate unknown Cornel YN-64AN-45 6 Jun 1944 15 Feb 1946 Fate unknown Mastic YN-65AN-46 4 Jul 1944 1 Mar 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, 6 Jun 1947; fate unknown Canotia YN-66AN-47 31 Jul 1944 18 Feb 1946 Fate unknown Lancewood YN-67AN-48 Pollock-Stockton Shipbuilding Company 18 Oct 1943 11 Feb 1946 Transferred to France, 3 May 1947; fate unknown Papaya YN-68AN-49 1 Dec 1943 31 Jan 1946 Fate unknown Cinnamon YN-69AN-50 10 Jan 1944 25 Mar 1947 Transferred to Taiwan; fate unknown Silverbell YN-70AN-51 16 Feb 1944 10 Jan 1947 Transferred to Taiwan; fate unknown Snowbell YN-71AN-52 16 Mar 1944 5 Dec 1945 Damaged beyond economical repair by Typhoon Louise, 9 Oct 1945; hulk blown up, 14 Jan 1946 Spicewood YN-72AN-53 7 Apr 1944 20 Feb 1946 Sold to a commercial interest; fate unknown Manchineel YN-73AN-54 26 Apr 1944 11 Mar 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, 20 Jun 1947; fate unknown Torchwood YN-74AN-55 12 May 1944 26 Oct 1946 Transferred to China; fate unknown Winterberry YN-75AN-56 30 May 1944 15 Feb 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, 31 Mar 1947; fate unknown Viburnum YN-76AN-57 2 Jun 1944 3 Jan 1946 Sold to a commercial interest; fate unknown Abele YN-77AN-58 Barbour Boat Works, New Bern, NC 2 Jun 1944 1 Mar 1946 Fate unknown Balm YN-78AN-59 5 Aug 1944 31 Jan 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, 23 Apr 1946; fate unknown Precept; served as HMS Precept (Z266) YN-79AN-73 14 Oct 1944 4 Jan 1945 Fate unknown Boxelder; served as HMS Precise (Z285) YN-80AN-74 21 Dec 1944 14 Dec 1945 Fate unknown Catclaw YN-81AN-60 Snow Shipyards, Rockland, ME 14 Jan 1944 19 Apr 1946 Transferred to China; fate unknown Chinaberry YN-82AN-61 12 Mar 1944 26 Mar 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, 27 Feb 1950; fate unknown Hoptree YN-83AN-62 18 May 1944 1 Mar 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, 23 Apr 1947; sold for scrap, 1954 Whitewood YN-84AN-63AG-129 17 Jul 1944 1 Apr 1949 Sold for scrap, 8 Mar 1950 n/a YN-85AN-64 Canulette Shipbuilding Company, Slidell, LA reordered as ATA-214 class tugboat n/a YN-86AN-65 Snow Shipyards, Rockland, ME reordered as ATA-214 class tugboat Pinon YN-87AN-66 American Car and Foundry Company, Wilmington, DE 31 Mar 1944 5 Mar 1946 Sold to a commercial interest; destroyed by fire, 28 Aug 1961 Prefect; served as HMS Prefect (Z263) YN-88AN-75 3 Jun 1944 28 Dec 1945 Fate unknown Satinwood; served as HMS Pretext (Z284) YN-89AN-76 5 Aug 1944 22 Nov 1945 Sold to a commercial interest; foundered off Newfoundland, 11 Nov 1982 Seagrape; served as HMS Preventer (Z265) YN-90AN-77 5 Aug 1944 22 Nov 1945 Transferred to New Zealand, 15 Aug 1956; sold to a commercial interest, Jun 1962; sunk, 11 Nov 1982 Shellbark YN-91AN-67 Canulette Shipbuilding Company, Slidell, LA 12 Apr 1944 19 Apr 1946 Transferred to China, 20 Apr 1946; fate unknown Silverleaf YN-92AN-68 26 May 1944 18 Apr 1946 Sold for scrap, 31 Mar 1947 Stagbush YN-93AN-69 30 Aug 1944 26 Mar 1946 Sold to a commercial interest, Apr 1947; burned, 16 Oct 1954 n/a YN-94AN-70 reordered as ATA-214 class tugboat n/a YN-95AN-71 reordered as ATA-214 class tugboat n/a YN-96AN-72 reordered as ATA-214 class tugboat

References

External links

Net Laying Ship Index at NavSource Naval History