USS Sentinel (AMCU-39)

History
United States
Name	USS Sentinel current name fishing vessel Sitkin Island
Builder	Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan
Laid down	8 February 1944
Launched	9 March 1944
Commissioned	21 March 1944, as USS LCI(L)-1052
Decommissioned	September 1946
Renamed	USS Sentinel, 7 March 1952
Reclassified	LSIL-1052, 28 February 1949 AMCU-39, 7 March 1952 MHC-39, 7 February 1955
Stricken	1 January 1960
Identification	IMO number: 7308798
Status	Anchored at Puget Island in cathlamet wa
General characteristics
Class and type	LCI(L)-351-class large landing craft
Displacement	260 long tons (264 t)
Length	159 ft (48 m)
Beam	23 ft 8 in (7.21 m)
Draft	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Propulsion	8 × GM diesel engines (4 per shaft), 1,600 bhp (1,193 kW) 2 × variable pitch propellers
Speed	14.4 knots (26.7 km/h; 16.6 mph)
Complement	41
Armament	2 × single 20 mm AA guns

USS Sentinel (AMCU-39) was a LCI(L)-351-class large landing craft of the United States Navy, later converted to an AMCU-7-class coastal minesweeper.

The ship was laid down on 8 February 1944 by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan; launched on 9 March 1944; and commissioned as USS LCI(L)-1052 on 21 March 1944.

World War II Pacific operations[]

Following shakedown off the east coast, LCI(L)-1052 reported for duty in the Atlantic Fleet on 6 May 1944, but was reassigned to the 19th (Pacific) Fleet Amphibious Force on 19 July.

On 4 September, the ship anchored in Kwajalein Atoll and remained there until the 8 September when she got underway for Eniwetok. Following installation of Army-type radio equipment, LCI(L)-1052 remained in the area ferrying passengers and carrying mail around Eniwetok Island until 12 October.

That day, LCI(L)-1052 set course for the Caroline Islands and entered Ulithi Channel on 21 September. The LCI remained in Ulithi Harbor, ferrying recreation parties for USS Washington (BB-56), until 9 November, when she departed the harbor to rendezvous with USS Cushing (DD-797) and relieve her of a boat in tow. LCI(L)-1052 was busy ferrying passengers and delivering mail and aircraft parts in the Carolines until 25 May 1945, when she sailed for Leyte Gulf.

LCI(L)-1052 remained at Tacloban, Leyte Gulf, until 22 July, performing there the same services she had rendered at Ulithi, until hostilities ended.

In September, she sailed via the Marshalls for Hawaii. On 1 February 1946, LCI(L)-1052 stood out of Pearl Harbor and headed for the west coast. After arriving at San Francisco on the 18 February, the landing craft proceeded to Astoria, Oregon, where she reported to the 19th Fleet and was decommissioned in September 1946.

Reclassification as AMCU-39[]

On 7 March 1952, LCI(L)-1052 was named and reclassified as USS Sentinel (AMCU-39), and a contract for her conversion into a minesweeper was placed with the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. Conversion began on 1 December 1953 and was completed on 18 May 1954, but the vessel saw no further active service. On 7 February 1955, all AMCU's were redesignated MHC's; minehunters, coastal.

Decommissioning[]

USS Sentinel (AMCU-39) was struck from the Navy list on 1 January 1960.

References[]

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links[]

• Photo gallery at navsource.org