USS Argus (PY-14)
Encyclopedia
USS Argus (PY-14) was a patrol yacht
that saw service in the United States Navy
during World War II
. Named for the Argus
(a monster with a hundred eyes supposedly slain by the Greek mythological
messenger of the gods, Hermes
), she was the second U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name.
; converted at Long Beach, California
by the Craig Shipbuilding Company for naval service; renamed USS Argus (PY-14) on 14 November 1940; and commissioned on 13 February 1941 with Lieutenant Commander
Harold H. Connelley in command. Argus arrived in San Francisco on 19 February 1941 and began duty patrolling San Francisco Bay
as a unit of the Patrol force, 12th Naval District. That assignment lasted until May 1941, when she was reassigned to what appears to have been a successor organization — Patrol Squadron 1, Local Defense Force, 12th Naval District. Her duty, however, remained substantially the same as before, patrolling San Francisco Bay. She continued to perform this task until decommissioned on 17 September. She was then transferred to the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey
.
, which had been torpedo
ed and sunk by the on 30 October 1944. I-12, after ramming and sinking the lifeboats and rafts, had then machine-gunned the 70 survivors in the water, killing 10. A Pan American Airways plane spotted John A. Johnsons remaining men soon thereafter, and Argus recovered them at 21:35 on 30 October. She disembarked them at San Francisco on 3 November. and then teamed up to sink I-12 10 days later.
In the second event, Argus participated in the establishment of a weather station on Clipperton Island
, 670 mi (1,078.3 km) southwest of Acapulco, Mexico. Departing San Francisco on 4 December 1944 with meteorological
personnel embarked, the converted yacht reached the island a week later and landed her passengers. With the American colors hoisted over the island, the naval weather station was set up that day, supported at the outset by Argus. The yacht was decommissioned at San Francisco on 15 April 1946. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 21 May, and she was transferred to the Maritime Commission on 30 October for disposal.
, British
Member of Parliament
Loel Guinness, and film producer
Robert Stigwood
.
The Sarina was renamed Rosenkavalier in 1981 by a Greek
owner, possibly Stanley Steeger; sold again to the Isaka family of Yokohama
in 1988, and returned to Greek
ownership in 1992.
In 1999 a new owner refurbished and renamed her Haida G. The Haida G has been restored to her original condition, including a refit
of the original main engines and is still in commercial service.
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
that saw service in 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...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Named for the Argus
Argus Panoptes
In Greek mythology, Argus Panoptes or Argos, guardian of the heifer-nymph Io and son of Arestor, was a primordial giant whose epithet "Panoptes", "all-seeing", led to his being described with multiple, often one hundred, eyes. The epithet Panoptes was applied to the Titan of the Sun, Helios, and...
(a monster with a hundred eyes supposedly slain by the Greek mythological
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
messenger of the gods, Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
), she was the second U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name.
Career
A yacht built in 1929 at Kiel, Germany by Germaniawerft as Haida, the ship was acquired by the Navy on 25 October 1940 from Mrs. Max C. Fleischmann of Glenbrook, NevadaGlenbrook, Nevada
Glenbrook is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. The community is named after the Glenbrook House hotel and is at an elevation of...
; converted at Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
by the Craig Shipbuilding Company for naval service; renamed USS Argus (PY-14) on 14 November 1940; and commissioned on 13 February 1941 with Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Harold H. Connelley in command. Argus arrived in San Francisco on 19 February 1941 and began duty patrolling San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
as a unit of the Patrol force, 12th Naval District. That assignment lasted until May 1941, when she was reassigned to what appears to have been a successor organization — Patrol Squadron 1, Local Defense Force, 12th Naval District. Her duty, however, remained substantially the same as before, patrolling San Francisco Bay. She continued to perform this task until decommissioned on 17 September. She was then transferred to the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey
U.S. National Geodetic Survey
National Geodetic Survey, formerly called the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey , is a United States federal agency that defines and manages a national coordinate system, providing the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a large number of applications of science...
.
United States Coast and Geodetic Survey career
Renamed Poneer, she served the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey for eight months before she was returned to the United States Navy in March 1942.Return to Navy service
Pioneer was returned to the Navy on 16 March 1942 and, after reconversion at the General Engineering & Drydock Company, she was recommissioned at San Francisco on 18 April, again as USS Argus (PY-14). The converted yacht resumed her patrols of San Francisco Bay under the auspices of the Commandant, 12th Naval District, and continued that duty for the remainder of her naval career. There were two notable events during her wartime career. The first occurred when Argus rescued the 60 survivors from the Liberty shipLiberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
, which had been torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sunk by the on 30 October 1944. I-12, after ramming and sinking the lifeboats and rafts, had then machine-gunned the 70 survivors in the water, killing 10. A Pan American Airways plane spotted John A. Johnsons remaining men soon thereafter, and Argus recovered them at 21:35 on 30 October. She disembarked them at San Francisco on 3 November. and then teamed up to sink I-12 10 days later.
In the second event, Argus participated in the establishment of a weather station on Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island is an uninhabited nine-square-kilometre coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean, southwest of Mexico and west of Central America, at...
, 670 mi (1,078.3 km) southwest of Acapulco, Mexico. Departing San Francisco on 4 December 1944 with meteorological
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
personnel embarked, the converted yacht reached the island a week later and landed her passengers. With the American colors hoisted over the island, the naval weather station was set up that day, supported at the outset by Argus. The yacht was decommissioned at San Francisco on 15 April 1946. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 21 May, and she was transferred to the Maritime Commission on 30 October for disposal.
Return to yacht service
The ship was sold in late 1946 and renamed Sarina. Owners included Egyptian cotton magnate Maurice Ada, American industrialist Larry GreenLarry Green
Lawrence Edward Green was a professional football player in the National Football League with the Canton Bulldogs in 1920....
, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Loel Guinness, and film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Robert Stigwood
Robert Stigwood
Robert Stigwood is an impresario and entertainment entrepreneur who relocated to England in 1954...
.
The Sarina was renamed Rosenkavalier in 1981 by a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
owner, possibly Stanley Steeger; sold again to the Isaka family of Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
in 1988, and returned to Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
ownership in 1992.
In 1999 a new owner refurbished and renamed her Haida G. The Haida G has been restored to her original condition, including a refit
REFIt
rEFIt is a boot menu and maintenance toolkit for EFI-based machines like the Intel Macs. It can be used to boot multiple operating systems, including triple-boot setups with Boot Camp. It also provides a way to enter and explore the EFI pre-boot environment. The name "rEFIt" is likely a play on the...
of the original main engines and is still in commercial service.