USS Sheldrake ( AM - 62 ) USS " Sheldrake " ( AM - 62 / AGS - 19 ) was an built for the United States Navy during World War II . The ship was named after the sheldrake duck . The ship earned four battle star s during World War II . She was converted to a survey ship and re - designated AGS - 19 in 1952 and remained in commission until 1968 . She was sold for scrap in 1971 . Career . " Sheldrake " ( AM - 62 ) was laid down on 24 June 1941 by the General Engineering & Dry Dock Company of Alameda , California ; launched on 12 February 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs . Helen Nicolini ; and commissioned on 14 October 1942 , Lt . Comdr . W . F . Porter , USNR , in command . After fitting out at Alameda , California , and making a short shakedown cruise in the San Francisco Bay area , " Sheldrake " departed to join a convoy bound for Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . She arrived there on the first anniversary of the Japanese sneak attack and remained for three weeks . On 28 December , she got underway for Suva Island , Fiji , where she stopped from 7 to 12 January 1943 , before heading on to the Allied base at Nouméa , New Caledonia . After a trip to Efate in the New Hebrides and back , from 17 to 27 January 1943 , she departed Nouméa to join the escort of the first of many convoys , this one bound for Espiritu Santo . For the next 15 months , the auxiliary minesweeper criss - crossed the South Pacific shepherding convoys between bases in the New Hebrides , Solomon Islands . New Caledonia ; also making - occasional runs to New Zealand , Samoa , and Fiji . " Sheldrake " also participated intermittently in patrols off Guadalcanal . From 2 Aug 1943 to 5 Nov 1943 Lt . R . G . Nichols , USN , commanded the " Sheldrake " throughout the Pacific Area of Operation . On 4 May 1944 , she departed Espiritu Santo bound for Florida Island in the Solomons . She arrived off ' Koli Point , Guadalcanal , two days later , then moved on to Purvis Bay , Florida Island . Her operations were centered in the Solomon Islands for the next month , after which , on 4 June , she departed the vicinity of Tassafaronga bound for Kwajalein and staging for the Marianas invasion . " Sheldrake " arrived at Kwajalein on 8 June and departed four days later for the Saipan area . She cruised around in the waters near Saipan until 2 July , ready to reinforce the assault force if necessary . On that date , she departed the area for Eniwetok Atoll , where she remained from 13 to 17 July . The auxiliary minesweeper went from Eniwetok to Guam with Task Group 53 . 2 . For the next two months , she stayed in the vicinity of Guam screening and engaging in hunter - killer antisubmarine operations , and putting in at Apra Harbor periodically for logistics . On 19 September . " Sheldrake " cleared the Marianas again on the first leg of a voyage to San Francisco , California . After stops at Eniwetok , 24 to 25 September , and at Pearl Harbor , 5 to 7 October , she entered San Francisco , California on 14 October . She shifted to the yards of the General Engineering and Dry Dock Co . on the next day and commenced a 14 - week overhaul . On 22 January 1945 , " Sheldrake " departed San Francisco , California . After stops at San Pedro , California and San Diego , she got underway for Pearl Harbor on 1 February . She laid over at Pearl Harbor from 9 to 19 February and entered Eniwetok lagoon on the 27th . She stood but of the lagoon on the 28th to rejoin the fleet . However , a damaged port shaft in her engine caused her to proceed independently to Ulithi Atoll for repairs . She entered Ulithi Atoll on 6 March and went into drydock on the 14th . " Sheldrake " undocked two days later , but returned to drydock on the 21st . On 23 March , she undocked again and , on the 24th , got underway to escort survey ship , to Okinawa . Upon arrival at Okinawa , five days later , she and " Bowditch " separated and " Sheldrake " joined Sweep Unit 7 . The sweep unit headed for Nago Wan , Okinawa , and arrived the next day . " Sheldrake " was detached soon thereafter to become a unit of Sweep Unit 6 . From 1 to 25 April , she did screening duty with Sweep Unit 6 . On the 16th , an enemy Val attempted to crash " Sheldrake " , but her gunners cut his suicide dive short 20 yards astern of " Sheldrake " . On 25 April , she escorted a convoy of LST ' s to Saipan , arriving on 1 May . From Saipan , she moved to Guam . She arrived on 5 May and , for the next two weeks , remained in that area , conducting sweep exercises , screening operations , and docking for six days , from 11 to 17 May . On 23 June , she exited Apra Harbor and arrived at Nakagasuku Wan ( Buckner Bay ) , Okinawa , late on 1 July . For the next two months , she swept mines in the vicinity of Okinawa , putting in periodically at Buckner Bay . She exited Buckner Bay on 5 September to join minesweeping operations off the Chinese coast in the area of the Yangtze River . She arrived there on the 7th and cleared mines until 23 September , when she moored at Shanghai . In October , she swept mines from Chefoo Harbor and in the area of Jinsen , Korea . She returned to Shanghai on 16 October , swept mines there until 6 November , then headed for Takao , Formosa . " Sheldrake ' s " commanding officer directed minesweeping operations out of Takao until 21 December , and she reentered Shanghai on the 22d . On 3 January 1946 , " Sheldrake " weighed anchor to return to the United States . On her way back , she stopped at Wakayama , Japan ; Saipan ; Eniwetok ; and Pearl Harbor , before entering San Diego , California , on 1 March . Decommissioned on 31 May 1946 , " Sheldrake " joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet , berthed at San Diego , California . " Sheldrake " earned four battle star s for World War II . Survey ship . " Sheldrake " recommissioned at San Diego , California , on 14 April 1952 and sailed to New York City for conversion to an oceanographic survey ship . Over the next 16 years , she plied the waters of the western Atlantic and the Caribbean , from Newfoundland to Cuba , conducting over 25 separate surveys . On three occasions , " Sheldrake " left her normal area of operations to conduct surveys . Two of these cruises were to the Mediterranean , February to April 1958 and November 1965 to March 1966 . The third departure from normal Atlantic Ocean operations came in July 1966 when she changed homeports , from New York City to Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . Departing Bayonne , New Jersey , on 7 July , she laid over at Norfolk , Virginia , until 12 July ; then got underway with for the Panama Canal . They transited the canal on the 19th , visited Mazatlán , Mexico , on the 29th , and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 12 August . After almost three months in Hawaii , " Sheldrake " deployed to the western Pacific on 9 November . For almost a year and one - half , she , and " Towhee " surveyed in the western Pacific , in the Philippines , and along the Southeast Asian coast . On 9 April , she returned to Pearl Harbor . She remained in Hawaii until struck from the Navy List on 30 June 1968 and decommissioned on 1 August . She was turned over to the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Pearl Harbor until sold to Flynn - Learner of Honolulu on 2 November 1971 for scrapping .