USS Ruddy ( AM - 380 ) USS " Ruddy " ( AM - 380 ) was an " Auk " - class minesweeper acquired by the U . S . Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing . She was the only U . S . Navy ship named for the North American Ruddy Duck . Launched in Alabama in 1945 . " Ruddy " was laid down on 24 February 1944 by the Gulf Shipbuilding Corp . , Chickasaw , Alabama ; launched 29 October 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . John Zerolis ; and commissioned 28 April 1945 , Lt . Comdr . William H . Rothwell II , USNR , in command . World War II - related operations . After commissioning , " Ruddy " completed her shakedown cruise in Chesapeake Bay and on 27 July 1945 departed Little Creek , Virginia , for Okinawa . Arriving at Buckner Bay on 27 September , she escorted the " Miiilicoma " ( AO - 73 ) to Sasebo , Japan , destroying two Japanese mines with rifle fire en route . During October , she returned to the Ryukyus ; but , on the 26th , was back off Sasebo to commence sweeping operations in the " Klondike " area off that port . Detached on 8 November , she provided courier service ; supervised YMS operations ; and carried freight between Okinawa and Sasebo until the new year . In January 1946 , she again conducted minesweeping operations . On 17 February , " Ruddy " sailed for the Marshall Islands . At Bikini Atoll from 7 to 24 March , she supervised buoy - laying activities in preparation for Operation Crossroads , the July 1946 atomic tests ; then continued on to the United States . Reaching San Pedro , California , on 23 April , the minesweeper was decommissioned at San Diego , California , on 15 January 1947 and berthed with the Pacific Reserve Fleet . Korean War operations . Recommissioned on 12 March 1952 , " Ruddy " joined Mine Division 72 and , after 11 months of mine warfare exercises and fleet amphibious operations , sailed from Long Beach , California , in February 1953 for the Korean combat zone . She arrived off Wonsan , North Korea , on 15 March and began operations as a unit of the U . N . Blockade and Escort Force . On the 16th , she transported prisoners of war to Yo Do , then returned to Wonsan , whence , for 6 weeks , she conducted inshore patrols . Three weeks of voyage repairs at Yokosuka , Japan , followed . She then steamed for Inchon and patrol duty along the peninsula ' s western coast . In mid - July , " Ruddy " returned to Japan . Fourteen days later , the truce went into effect ; and , at the end of the month , the minesweeper was at Niigata , Japan , to participate in the Perry Expedition Centennial celebration . In mid - August , she returned to Korea for patrol duty off Cheju Do ; and , on 4 September , she departed Sasebo for California , arriving at Long Beach , California , on the 27th . For the next 16 months , the " Ruddy " engaged in type training and tactics along the California coast . Post - Korean War Far East tour . On 20 January 1955 , accompanied by the " USS Zeal " , MSF - 131 , the " Ruddy " departed Pipeline Pier in Long Beach Harbor , and headed west for another tour in the Far East , stopping at Pearl Harbor in the Territory of Hawaii , and at Midway Islands for fuel and supplies . Eighteen days later , while still in transit , she was redesignated MSF - 380 . " Ruddy " and the " Zeal " arrived at Sasebo , Japan , on the 16th of February and , until 10 August , " Ruddy " ranged from Japan to the Philippines in operations with the U . S . 7th Fleet . Accompanied by the " Zeal " she returned to Pipeline Pier at Long Beach , California on 5 September and resumed local operations . Decommissioning . With the new year , 1956 , she began inactivation . Decommissioned at San Diego , California , on 31 August 1956 , " Ruddy " was berthed with the Pacific Reserve Fleet until 1 November 1960 when she transferred , under the terms of the Military Assistance Program , to the government of Peru . The minesweeper served as the " Galvez " in the Peruvian Navy until 1975 when she was transferred to the Peruvian Coast Guard . The minesweeper was retired in 1981 . Awards and honors . " Ruddy " earned one battle star for post - World War II minesweeping operations and two for her service during the Korean War .