USS Salem ( CM - 11 ) USS " Salem " ( CM - 11 ) was a commercial cargo ship , that served as a minelayer and then net laying ship of the United States Navy during World War II . The ship was built in 1916 by William Cramp and Sons , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , as SS " Joseph R . Parrott " ; was acquired by the U . S . Navy on 8 June 1942 from the Maritime Commission ; and commissioned on 9 August 1942 , Lt . Comdr . Henry G . Williams in command . Service history . Invasion of North Africa . Following training exercises , " Salem " departed Brooklyn , New York , on 13 November 1942 , as part of a convoy , and arrived at Casablanca on 1 December . She laid 202 mines off that port on 27 and 28 December and helped fight off an air raid there on 31 December . On 20 January 1943 , she sailed from Casablanca and arrived at Norfolk , Virginia , on 9 February . Invasion of Italy . After repairs , she left the United States again on 13 June and arrived at Oran on 5 July . The minelayer got underway the next day as part of the Sicily invasion force ; and , on 11 July , laid 390 mines off Gela , Sicily , in company with and . Returning to Oran on 17 July , " Salem " subsequently carried 255 British troops from Gibraltar to Oran and then moved to Bizerte in preparation for landings in Italy . However , her role in these landings was cancelled due to the Italian surrender . The ship left Mers el Kebir on 7 October and returned to New York on 26 October . Pacific Theatre operations . " Salem " was repaired at Norfolk , Virginia , and carried out local operations along the $ 3 coast until 11 May 1944 , when she departed Hampton Roads , Virginia , for duty with Service Squadron 6 in the $ 3 . On 27 June , she sailed from Pearl Harbor with a cargo of ammunition , which she offloaded to shore facilities and combatant ships after her arrival at Eniwetok on 8 July . She then shuttled between Eniwetok , Kwajalein , Makin , Majuro , Saipan , and Tinian , helping to carry ammunition to forward areas for issue to the fleet . At Tinian on 4 October , her stern touched bottom in heavy swells , damaging both screws , and and an Army tug towed her back to Pearl Harbor . After arrival on 5 November , she underwent repairs and temporary conversion into a net cargo ship . Conversion to net cargo ship . " Salem " completed conversion on 10 February 1945 and departed Pearl Harbor on 18 February with a cargo of anti - torpedo nets . After stops at Eniwetok , Ulithi , and Leyte , " Salem " arrived off Kerama Retto on 26 March 1945 as troops went ashore to secure the island and its harbor for use as a fleet base for the invasion of Okinawa . During the next two days , " Salem " laid antisubmarine nets to protect the harbor . Frequent air attacks . Japanese air attacks were frequent ; and , on 2 April , " Salem ' s " gunners helped shoot down a plane that was trying to crash into . " Salem " departed Kerama Retto two days later and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 27 April , where she picked up a new cargo of nets . Departing Pearl Harbor on 24 May , she unloaded her nets at Guam between 12 and 19 June , and then proceeded to Eniwetok where she repaired nets between 24 June and 31 July . Renamed . " Salem " returned to Pearl Harbor on 10 August , and on 15 August , the day fighting stopped in the Pacific , was renamed as USS " Shawmut " to permit a new cruiser to be named . End - of - War deactivation . Departing Pearl Harbor on 31 August , she arrived at San Francisco , California , on 10 September for inactivation . " Shawmut " was decommissioned on 6 December 1945 , struck from the Navy List on 3 January 1946 , and transferred to the Maritime Commission on 20 June 1946 . She was sold on 7 March 1947 to the West India Fruit and Steamship Company , and served as under the Honduran flag until 1970 . Awards . " Salem " ( CM - 11 ) received two battle star s for her World War II service .