USS Baretta

USS Baretta (AN-41/YN-60) was an Ailanthus-class net laying ship which served with the U.S. Navy in the western Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II.

The wooden hulled net layer YN-60 was laid down on 19 December 1942 at Everett, Washington, by the Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company; named Baretta on 17 March 1943; launched on 9 October 1943; sponsored by Miss Evelyn Jaramo, the 11-year-old daughter of a shipfitter at the builder's yard; reclassified AN-41 on 20 January 1944; and commissioned at her builder's yard on 18 March 1944.

Sailing in Task Group (TG) 32.6 on 8 August, Baretta proceeded to the Solomon Islands and entered Gavutu Harbor near Guadalcanal on the 26th.

On 26 September, she commenced working on moorings in Saipan Town Harbor, Angaur, but was interrupted by an enemy air raid and, later by worsening seas that made the anchorage unsafe.

Baretta's motor launch sped to the scene with a rescue party and removed 11 injured men before the damaged craft sank.

After transferring gear on 3 January 1945, Baretta sailed to Kossol Passage and, following operations in that vicinity, got underway with Spangler (DE 696) on the 10th for the Caroline Islands.

After discharging her cargo, Baretta reported to the Commander, Forward Area, Pacific, for temporary duty and sailed for Ulithi to relieve Viburnum (AN-57) that had been damaged by a mine.

Detached on 4 July when five miles west of the southern tip of Okinawa, Baretta proceeded independently to Kerama Retto to relieve Terebinth (AN 59).

She and her sister ships then recovered the anchor legs of the fleet telephone moorings in Kerama Retto for transfer to Buckner Bay.

At 0800 the next morning, Baretta was proceeding to the net line when she received word by radio notifying "...all ships present that Japan's surrender had been officially accepted and all offensive action was to cease."

On 4 September, the net layer proceeded to Unten Ko to load navigational gear to be used in marking the Kii Suido channel off the port of Wakayama.

On the evening of the 16th, weather reports warned of an approaching typhoon; and, at 0920 on the 17th, "all ships received orders to be ready to get underway on 30 minutes notice."

By 0730, the wind quieted to 30 knots, and Baretta headed for the lee of Awajii Island to avoid heavy swells coming from the northeast.

The storm abated that afternoon, and Baretta returned to Wakanoura Wan and surveyed the devastation: three LST's and a YMS lay stranded on the northern beaches of the anchorage and a PBY "Catalina" seaplane had been sunk.

On the 19th, the net layer replanted a mid channel radar buoy in Kii Suido which the typhoon had dragged some 500 yards away from its original position.

While entering Kii Suido on 22 September, the battleship California (BB 44) had snagged a channel buoy in her streamed paravanes, taking it with her some 25 miles before she anchored.