USS Mulberry

History
United States
Name	USS Mulberry (YN-22)
Namesake	mulberry
Builder	American Shipbuilding Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Laid down	18 October 1940
Launched	26 March 1941
Sponsored by	Mrs. W. H. Gerhauser
In service	1 November 1941 as Mulberry (YN-22) at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Commissioned	19 December 1942
Reclassified	AN-27, 20 January 1944
Decommissioned	11 April 1960
Homeport	Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Sasebo, Japan; Long Beach, California
Honours and awards	one battle star for Korean War Service
Fate	transferred to Ecuadorian Navy, November 1965
History
Ecuador
Name	BAE Orion (H-101)
Acquired	November 1965
Fate	Scrapped, 1980
General characteristics
Class and type	Aloe-class-class net laying ship
Displacement	850 long tons (860 t)
Length	163 ft 2 in (49.73 m)
Beam	30 ft 6 in (9.30 m)
Draft	11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Propulsion	Diesel- Electric, Two diesel engines with attached generators to drive twin electric motors for the single propeller
Speed	12.5 knots (23.2 km/h)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	one single 3 in (76 mm) gun mount, three 20 mm guns, one y-gun

USS Mulberry (AN-27/YN-22) was an Aloe-class net laying ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She saw service in that conflict and the Korean War, earning one battle star for service in the latter conflict. She was decommissioned in April 1960 and placed in reserve. In November 1965, she was transferred to the Ecuadorian Navy as BAE Orion (HI-91). She was scrapped in 1980.

Career

Mulberry (AN 27) originally designated YN 22, was laid down 18 October 1940 by the American Shipbuilding Company, Cleveland, Ohio; launched 26 March 1941; sponsored by Mrs. W. H. Gerhauser; placed in service at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the 10th Naval District; commissioned 19 December 1942 and was reclassified AN 27, effective 20 January 1944.

Following re-designation, Mulberry departed Guantanamo Bay and sailed to Adak, Alaska. Operating from Adak and Kodiak, Alaska, she engaged in net tending, carried cargo, and transported military personnel in Alaskan an Aleutian waters for the next 3 years.

She arrived San Francisco, California, 12 March 1947 for an overhaul, after which she proceeded to Tiburon, California, for training exercises. Assigned to Hawaii net laying ship duty, she engaged in harbor operations at Pearl Harbor from 7 June to January 1948. She resumed operations off the U.S. West Coast for the next 2 years, departing Bremerton, Washington, 8 July 1950 for duty in Japan.

For the next 5 years she engaged in net tending at Sasebo and Yokosuka Harbors. Between 29 May and 1 August 1953, she operated in the Korean ports of Pusan, Cheju Do, Ulsan, Wonsan, and Chinhae, aiding United Nations forces meeting the challenge of Communist aggression,

Mulberry arrived Long Beach, California, 23 December 1955, and continued operations from that port for the next 5 years. She decommissioned 11 April 1960, and was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, berthed at San Diego, California. The Mulberry was transferred on loan to Ecuador in November 1965 under the Military Assistance Program where she served as Orion (HI-91); she was scrapped in 1980.

Honors and awards

Mulberry received one battle star for her U.S. Korean War service.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - YN-22 / AN-27 Mulberry