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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Suncock (AN-80)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Foxtrot - Foxtrot
NDFF

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal

Cohoes Class Net Laying Ship:

Laid down, 30 November 1944, as Yard Net Tender Suncock (YN-99); at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR.

Redesigned Net Laying Ship (AN-80), 17 January 1945

Launched, 16 February 1945

Commissioned USS Suncock (AN-80), 5 May 1945, LT. Robert C. Ramey USNR in command

During World War II USS Suncock (AN-80) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

USS Suncock (AN-80) was assigned to Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.2.7 Target Vessel Group - Salvage Units for Operation Crossroads the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in July 1946

Decommissioned, 12 June 1947, at Astoria, OR. and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Astoria

Custody transferred to the Maritime Administration in 1961

Custody transferred to the Department of Interior, Bureau of Mines

Moved to the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Mare Island, date unknown

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 September 1962

Custody transferred to MARAD in September 1962, for use as a research vessel by the Bureau of Mines, renamed RV Grass Valley

Returned to US Navy custody for disposal, 18 June 1968

Final Disposition, sold, 28 July 1971, to Waterman Supply Co., Wilmington, CA.

Re-sold in 1971 to Sandra Anne Cordoba of San Francisco, CA. as a fishing vessel named Maria Alina Tique Yates, reflagged Panama

Re-named, date unknown, Smmarcanda used as a coastal freighter, Name morphed into Samarkanh

Re-sold in 1989 to Samuel M. Hancock, Comox, B.C., Canada, renamed Northen Lights, reflagged Canada

Final Disposition, scrapped in 2003 by Saltair Marine, Ladysmith, B.C. Canada

Specifications:
Displacement 785 t.
Length 168' 6"
Beam 33' 10"
Draft 10' 10"
Speed 12.3 kts.

Complement

Officers 4

Enlisted 42

Largest Boom Capacity 12 t.

Armament

one single 3"/50 cal gun mount

Fuel Capacity

Diesel 905 Bbls

Propulsion

two Busch-Sulzer BS-539 Diesel-electric engine

single Westinghouse Main Reduction Gear

two 60Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

single propeller, 1,200shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
USS Suncock (AN-80)
	67k	*USS Suncock* (AN-80)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from the collections of the US Navy Memorial	Stan Svec
	370k	Decommissioned *USS Suncock* (AN-80) at the US Naval Reserve Fleet at Mare Island in June 1965 while being reactived for use by the Bureau of Mines. Suncock** was activated by the US Naval Reserve Ship Activation and Repair Division 12-2(M). (See attached Activation Report). She is moored alongside the decommissioned cruiser USS Oakland (CLAA-95) outboard of the decommissioned cruiser *USS Roanoke* (CL-145)**. File name: AN 80-03, Navy Photo, June 1965.	Darryl Baker
	295k	Decommissioned *USS Suncock* (AN-80)** at the US Naval Reserve Fleet at Mare Island in June 1965 while being reactived for use by the Bureau of Mines. File name: AN 80-04, Navy Photo, June 1965.	Darryl Baker
RV Grass Valley
	346k	Ex-*USS Suncock* (AN-80)** as Bureau of Mines research ship RV Grass Valley moored pierside at the Marine Mineral Technology Center, Tiburon, CA. in August 1965. File name: AN 80-08, Navy Photo, August 1965	Darryl Baker
Commercial Se ervice
091808006	29k	MV Northern Lights V (Ex-*USS Suncock* (AN-80)** moored pierside, date and location unknown. The Nauticapedia	John Spivey
091808007	29k	Northern Light V: - An Interesting Derelict By John MacFarlane 2017 "In 1945 she was built by Commercial Iron Works, at Portland OR. USA. 158'x33'x13'Steel i634.35gt 384.73rt She was powered by 2—900bhp diesel—electric engines. She started life as a a USN Net Tender, then as the Samarkahdh, then as the Northern Light (IX), and lastly as the Northern Light V 1989. ln 1945 she was owned bythe US Navy aa a submarine net tender in boom defences. She was 'Cocooned' in the mothball ﬂeet unlil sold as surplus. She was purchased by Columbian owners as the Samarkandh a coastwise freighter. ln 19B9—20U4 she was owned by Samuel M. Hancock, Commx BC. As the Samarkandh she entered Canadian waters under a crew oi Columbian nationals declaring force majeure to enable her [to] stop and repair her engines. One propulsion motor was damaged - possibly sabotaged. She was arrested and seized by the RCMP and ihe Canadian Navy In a remole Vancouver Island inlet and her cargo (containing drugs] was unloaded. She was Then moved to Esquimalt BC where later the RCMP moved her to the old Coast Guard Base on Harbour road in Victoria Harbour. Crown Assets and Disposal sold her to Frank Gale & Partner. He intended to use her as a supply vessel to the oﬁ shore dragger ﬂeet (which obviously never happened). She was towed to Cowichan Bay where she lay for some time and later she was a prominent sight around Hornby and Denman Islands moving anchorage when she became too unpooular wilh local residents. Jeff Slubbington (British Columbia Nautical History Facebook Group 2EllD5l2019) stated ‘She was towed to Ladysmilh and broken up at Saltair Marine.‘ She is said to have been scrapped there in 2003." The Nauticapedia	John Spivey
091808008	29k
091808009	29k
091808010	29k

USS Suncock (AN-80)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Ramey, Robert Clifton, USNR	5 May 1945 - 14 November 1945
02	LT. Lefcourt, Louis Lawrence, USNR	14 November 1945 - 22 February 1946
03	LT. Nickle, Leslie George, USN	22 February 1946 - 12 June 1947


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Net Tender Stories

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 7 June 2024