Grackle II YMS-312

Grackle II

(YMS-312: dp. 270; 1. 136'; b. 24'6"; dr. 10'; s. 14 k.; cpl.
32; a. 1 40mm.; cl. YMS-136)

The second Grackle was launched 9 November 1943 by Henry B. Nevins, Inc., City Island, N.Y.; sponsored by Mrs. W. G. Kroepke; and commissioned as YMS 812, 6 December 1943, Lt.(jg) Ray G. Huling in command. She was redesignated Grackle (AME3-13) 18 February 1947.

YMS-312 put in at Key West 4 February 1944 after shakedown and following sound training there steamed to Curacao, arriving 17 February. Escort, minesweeping. and patrol duties in Caribbean waters occupied her until she got underway 1 September 1944 for San Pedro, Calif., and Hawaii.

Her duty in the Pacific terminated 9 April 1946 when YMS-312 steamed eastward through the Panama Canal for overhaul at Charleston, S.C. On 15 May the minesweeper arrived Norfolk for operations in the Chesapeake Bay until November 1947 when she shifted her base to Charleston. Operations out of this base included tours of service for the Naval Schools Mine Warfare at Yorktown, VA., and the U.S. Naval Mine Countermeasures Station at Panama City, Fla. Periodically Grackle engaged in minesweeping operations off Massachusetts near Martha's Vineyard, completing this duty 27 June 1951 when she reported to the Mine Warfare School at Yorktown for duty as a school ship.

On 1 March 1952 she sailed for the Caribbean to join the Mine Force in combined fleet maneuvers off Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Virgin Islands, and returned to Yorktown near the end of March. Subsequent years were spent in alternate periods of operations that included school ship duties at Yorktown, amphibious exercises along the coast of North Carolina, and mine countermeasures operations along the Eastern seaboard.

Redesignated coastal minesweeper (MSC(0)-13) in February 1955, Grackle was placed in service in reserve 16 September 1957 and was stricken from the Navy List 1 March 1963. After conversion to coastal minehunter, she was transferred to the government of Brazil 19 April 1963 under terms of the Military Assistance Program. Grackle serves the Brazilian Navy as Jurvena (M-14).


III
The third Grackle (AM-396) was under construction at the Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich., when her contract was terminated 12 August 1945.