USS Albatross ( AMS - 1 ) USS " Albatross " ( AMS - 1 / YMS - 80 ) was an " YMS - 1 " - class auxiliary motor minesweeper acquired by the U . S . Navy during World War II for clearing coastal minefields . " YMS - 80 " was laid down on 27 June 1941 at Cleveland , Ohio , by the Stadium Yacht Basin , Inc . ; launched on 5 May 1942 ; and commissioned on 15 July 1942 , Lt . Charles Bulfinch , USNR , in command . World War II service . The minesweeper sailed for Boston , Massachusetts , on 16 August , in company with her sistership " YMS - 81 " and the coastal patrol yacht " Cymophane " ) PYC - 26 ) , and , proceeding via Quebec and Halifax , the latter part of the voyage with coastal convoy XB - 36 , reached her destination on 1 September . Assigned as a school ship . After completing fitting out at the Boston Navy Yard on 21 September 1942 , " YMS - 80 " then proceeded to her new assignment via New York , New York ; assigned to the Mine Warfare School at Yorktown , Virginia , she served as a school ship , training sailors in minesweeping , from 13 October 1942 . After completing that tour of temporary duty at the Mine Warfare School on 13 March 1943 , she proceeded to Naval Operating Base , Norfolk , and reported to Commander in Chief , Atlantic Fleet , for duty . On 4 July , she commenced minesweeping operations out of Portland , Maine , for antisubmarine warfare training with Task Group 27 . 1 . Detached on 28 August 1943 , " YMS - 80 " proceeded thence to Quonset Point , Rhode Island , and operated with the Aircraft Antisubmarine Development Detachment , Atlantic Fleet , out of Narragansett Bay , into the autumn of 1944 . Florida operations . On 8 October 1944 , " YMS - 80 " arrived at Port Everglades , Florida , to operate with the Surface Detachment of the Antisubmarine Development unit , Atlantic Fleet on temporary duty . Her duties there varied from retrieving targets to acting as a reference and target vessel — at one point ( 26 – 28 December 1944 ) operating with submarine " R - 13 " ( SS - 90 ) – and continued into the post - World War II period ; a Commander Task Force 69 dispatch alluded to the continued experimental nature of her work referring to her as E - YMS - 80 . Redesignated USS Albatross ( AMS - 1 ) . On 17 February 1947 , she was named " Albatross " and redesignated as AMS - 1 ; on 18 August 1947 , she was redesignated EAMS - 1 , and on 7 February 1955 , to experimental coastal minesweeper ( old ) , EMSC ( O ) - 1 , the last designation being followed on 19 February 1955 with her being transferred from Mine Force , Atlantic , to Commander , 6th Naval District ( Charleston , South Carolina ) for administrative and operational control . She thus spent the remainder of her career based at Key West , Florida , ranging from her home port to Tampa , West Palm Beach , and Miami , Florida ; Nassau , in the Bahamas ; Havana , Matanzas , Santiago , and Guantanamo Bay , Cuba ; Eleuthera , British West Indies ; and occasionally ranging as far north as Charleston , and Norfolk , Virginia . Decommissioning . " Albatross " departed Key West for the final time on 17 March 1958 and arrived at Green Cove Springs , Florida , on 19 March 1958 . Decommissioned and placed in reserve , " Albatross " was simultaneously struck from the Navy list on 20 March 1958 . Sold on 19 February 1959 to Dorado , Inc . , of Wildwood , New Jersey , the former minecraft was renamed " Dorado " . She served as a fishing boat , homeported at Reedville , Virginia , into the 1960s .