USS Surfbird ( AM - 383 ) USS " Surfbird " ( AM - 383 ) was an built during World War II for the United States Navy . She was the only U . S . Navy ship named for the surfbird . " Surfbird " was laid down on 15 February 1944 by the American Ship Building Company , Lorain , Ohio ; launched on 31 August 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . F . W . Chambers ; and commissioned on 25 November 1944 with Lt . R . H . Nelson , Jr . , USNR , in command . Service history . World War II , 1944 – 1946 . " Surfbird " departed Lorain on 26 November en route to Boston , Massachusetts via Montreal , Quebec and Halifax . She arrived at Boston on 15 December 1944 and held minesweeping trials . On 13 February 1945 the ship arrived at Little Creek , Virginia to begin her shakedown training . After a brief period in the Charleston Naval Shipyard for alterations , she sailed for the west coast . The Panama Canal was transited on 27 April , and " Surfbird " arrived at San Diego , California on 6 May . Two days later , she and sailed for Hawaii . " Surfbird " arrived at Pearl Harbor and on 26 May departed there for Okinawa Retto , via Eniwetok , Guam and Ulithi . She arrived at Kerama Retto on 25 June and began daily sweeps of the " Skagway " area of the East China Sea . The minesweeper departed Okinawa on 5 September for North Saddle Island , at the entrance of the Yangtze River . She swept Bonham Strait and its approaches until 4 October and then swept the entrance to Chefoo Harbor , Shantung . Next was a two - day sweep of the approaches to Jinsen , Korea after which she got underway for Shanghai . The Yangtze River was entered on 16 October and , by the end of the month , she had swept 32 mines . " Surfbird " sailed from Shanghai on 17 November for Sasebo Japan to be repaired . From 14 – 31 December 1945 she swept mines in Tachibana Wan , Kyūshū . She moved to Kure from Sasebo and remained there from 20 – 26 February 1946 when she sailed for the United States , via the Marianas , Marshall Islands , Johnston Island , and Pearl Harbor . The minesweeper arrived at San Diego on 14 April , and was decommissioned on 5 June 1946 . Korean War , 1952 – 1953 . " Surfbird " was recommissioned at San Diego on 12 March 1952 and operated from there until December . On 1 December she stood out to sea en route to the Far East . The minesweeper touched at Yokosuka , Japan on 28 December 1952 and departed on 1 January 1953 with units of Mine Division ( MinDiv ) 76 to begin sweep and blockade operations between Wonsan and Hungnam , Korea . These patrols were only broken by brief intervals of replenishment and upkeep at Sasebo . On 25 May " Surfbird " arrived at Inchon to make magnetic - acoustic sweeps of Yong Do and Cho Do . She returned to Sasebo on 6 June and sailed for the United States three days later . 7th Fleet , 1953 – 1956 . " Surfbird " arrived at Long Beach , California on 3 July . Following an overhaul at Mare Island from 17 August to 28 October , she resumed local operations out of Long Beach . The ship departed the Far East again on 28 April 1954 and returned on 24 November 1954 . In February 1955 , her designation was changed from AM - 383 to MSF - 383 . She trained along the California coast for the next year and on 1 March 1956 sailed for another tour with the 7th Fleet . When " Surfbird " was due for rotation on 9 August , she and began a 13 , 000 - mile cruise home through the South Pacific . They called at Manila in the Philippine Islands ; Bali , Republic of Indonesia ; Darwin , Australia ; Port Moresby , New Guinea ; and Pago Pago , Samoa . They then called at Pearl Harbor before returning to Long Beach on 9 October 1956 . Degaussing ship , 1957 – 1965 . On 22 January 1957 " Surfbird " sailed for Yokosuka ( her new home port ) to begin a new career . She arrived in Japan on 12 February and began receiving degaussing equipment from the . On 15 June she was redesignated from MSF - 383 to a degaussing ship , ADG - 383 . Until April 1965 , " Surfbird " operated from Sasebo , but her operations covered much of the western Pacific as she also degaussed ships of the allied sea services of Japan , Korea , the Republic of China , the Philippines , and South Vietnam . Vietnam War , 1965 – 1970 . " Surfbird " stood out of Subic Bay on 11 April 1965 en route to Vietnam . Upon her arrival there , she was assigned patrol duty on " Operation Market Time " until returning to Sasebo on 7 May . " Surfbird " again performed " Market Time " patrols and special ranging service off the coast of South Vietnam from 2 to 22 August 1966 , and from 17 September to 7 October 1966 . She returned to Vietnam for operations during the following periods : 8 to 15 September and 10 to 14 November 1967 ; 17 June to 20 July 1968 ; 8 to 28 March ; 16 August to 10 September ; 2 to 26 October 1969 ; 4 January to 7 February ; and 21 July to 3 August 1970 . " Surfbird " received three Battle Star s for service in World War II , two for Korean War service , and eight for service during the Vietnam War . Decommissioning and subsequent career . On 5 August 1970 " Surfbird " was notified that she was to be inactivated . She departed Japan on 7 September and , after making port calls at Guam and Hawaii , arrived at the Inactivation Facility , Bremerton , Washington on 3 October . " Surfbird " was decommissioned on 18 December 1970 and attached to the Pacific Reserve Fleet , where she remained into February , 1975 . " Surfbird " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 21 February 1975 ; sold 5 December 1975 to the Pacific Northwest Salvage Company , Inc . of Seattle , Washington ; sold again in December , 1975 to Brice Industries of Fairbanks , Alaska and renamed " Helenka B " . " Helenka B " was subsequently transferred to the Maritime Administration in 1976 for disposal and sold to Wel - Aska of Valdez , Alaska . She is still operating under that name , and was involved in the March , 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill clean up . The " Surfbird " is still floating , Her name is " Helenka B " and she is owned and captained by Capt . Bruce Flanigan and operates out of Homer , Aka . as a Supply ship . She has been shortened in length and bow doors added , 2 new main engines ( Cats ) . She operates under the company name Alaska Coastal Freight and her webpage is http : / / alaskancoastalfreight . com / The " Surfbird " was the 75th vessel , as well as the longest and heaviest , at 410 tons , pulled by the City of Kodiak ' s Travelift in June 2011 . In popular culture . " Surfbird " appeared briefly in the 1954 film " The Caine Mutiny " as the fictitious minesweeper USS " Jones " .