USS Verdin ( AMS - 38 ) USS " Verdin was a YMS - 1 class minesweeper of the US Navy that served during World War II . Laid down as PCS - 1439 on 5 September 1943 at Jacksonville , Florida , by the Gibbs Gas Engine Co . ; redesignated YMS - 471 " on 27 September 1943 ; launched on 23 May 1944 ; and commissioned on 27 October 1944 . Service history . World War II . Following brief shakedown training , " YMS - 471 " proceeded to Charleston , South Carolina , and began escorting coastwise convoys and conducting minesweeping operations . That duty ended in April 1945 when she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet . After a long voyage which took her by way of the Panama Canal , San Diego , Pearl Harbor , Eniwetok , Guam , and Saipan , the minesweeper finally joined the 3rd Fleet off Okinawa in June . During the last week of the month , she and the other ships of Mine Squadron ( MinRon ) 105 swept mines from the Buckner Bay , Kerama Retto , and Unten Ko areas of the Ryukyus . In July , " YMS - 471 " ventured into the East China Sea for mine disposal operations . Post - war . At the time Japan capitulated , the minesweeper was undergoing repairs at San Pedro Bay , Leyte , Philippines . Soon thereafter , she headed north to begin the monumental job of clearing mines from waters around Japan for transports bringing American occupation forces and supporting shipping . She concentrated on sweeping the approaches to the island of Honshū and remained at the task from 8 September 1945 until 20 February 1946 , when she began preparations for the voyage back to the United States . The minesweeper reached the west coast in April 1946 and returned home to Charleston in June to begin demobilization . Though never actually decommissioned , she remained inactive at Charleston until early in 1947 , when she embarked upon a refresher training cruise in the West Indies . She also participated in a fleet exercise held off Cuba . On 18 March 1947 , near the conclusion of the exercise , " YMS - 471 " was renamed " Verdin " and was re - designated AMS - 38 . After a tour of duty at Yorktown , Virginia , serving as a training platform for the students of the Mine Warfare School , " Verdin " returned to Charleston in November where she remained until the following spring . In April 1948 , she entered the Charleston Naval Shipyard for repairs and then put to sea once again for refresher training put of Norfolk , Virginia . In November , the minesweeper participated in cold weather fleet exercises off Newfoundland before returning to warmer waters . This time , she reported to Panama City , Florida , for duty at the Navy ' s mine countermeasures research facility . For the next six years , " Verdin " alternated between mine warfare research duty at Panama City and mine warfare school ship operations at Yorktown . Periodic overhauls , mine and convoy exercises , and refresher training punctuated these two primary assignments . In November 1954 , " Verdin " transferred back to Charleston where she became flagship for Mine Division 43 . She spent her last eight active months there as an operational unit of the Mine Force . On 7 February 1955 , she was redesignated MSC ( O ) - 38 . On 1 July 1955 , she reported to Green Cove Springs , Florida , for inactivation . There , she went into reserve on 30 August 1955 . A little over four years later , on 1 November 1959 , her name was struck from the Navy List . No documents have been found giving details of her final disposition .