USS Hoptree (AN-62)

History
United States
Name	USS Hoptree
Namesake	A small American tree having two seeded winged fruits which have been used in place of hops
Builder	Snow Shipyards Inc., Rockland, Maine
Laid down	date unknown
Launched	14 October 1943 at Rockland, Maine as YN-83
Sponsored by	Lt. Ann Jameson
Commissioned	18 May 1944
Decommissioned	1 March 1946
Reclassified	AN-62, on 20 January 1944
Stricken	20 March 1946
Fate	sold, delivered 23 April 1947 to new owner; scrapped in 1954
General characteristics
Class and type	Ailanthus-class net laying ship
Displacement	1,100
Length	194' 6"
Beam	37'
Draft	13' 6"
Propulsion	diesel electric, 2,500hp
Speed	12 knots
Complement	56 officers and enlisted
Armament	one single 3 in (76 mm) dual purpose gun mount; four twin 20 mm AA gun mounts
Armor	wooden-hulled

USS Hoptree (AN-62/YN-83) was a Ailanthus-class net laying ship that served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Hoptree performed her tour of duty in the Pacific Ocean and, post-war, she was decommissioned and sold.

Built in Maine[]

Hoptree (AN-62), a wooden-hulled net layer, was launched on 14 October 1943 by Snow Shipyards Inc., Rockland, Maine, as YN-83; sponsored by Lt. Ann Jameson; reclassified AN-62, on 20 January 1944; and commissioned on 18 May 1944.

World War II service[]

Pacific Ocean operations[]

Arriving at the Melville Net Depot for shakedown on 31 May 1944, Hoptree performed training and readiness operations until 27 June, when she joined the Net Layer Pre-commissioning and Training Group at Melville, Rhode Island. She then departed on 2 December for the U.S. West Coast and sailed on 3 February 1945 from the Naval Net Depot, Tiburon, California, for duty in the Pacific Ocean.

Hoptree arrived Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 13 February 1945 and was routed on to Eniwetok Atoll, where she arrived the 28th. From March through the end of the war the ship was engaged in the vital work of maintaining and repairing net defenses in the harbor, and after August she was occupied in dismantling them.

She sailed back to the United States in November 1945, arriving at San Francisco, California, on 8 November.

Post-war decommissioning[]

Decommissioned on 1 March 1946, deemed surplus to Navy needs, and made available for disposal, Hoptree was stricken from the List of Naval Vessels on 20 March 1946.

Subsequent maritime career[]

She was delivered to her purchaser, Van Camp Sea Food Company, San Pedro, California, on 23 April 1947. She operated on mercantile service until scrapped in 1954.

References[]

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• NavSource Online: USS Hoptree (AN-62)