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NavSource Online: Army Ship Photo Archive

USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
Top Row - American Defense Service Medal - American Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal

Mine Planter:

Built in 1936-37 for the U.S. Army Quartermaster Department by by Pusey and Jones Shipbuilding Co, Wilmington,DE.

Launched, circa 22 June 1937

Named in honor of LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles, a former mine planter commander and the chief of war plans in the Office of the Chief of Coast Artillery when he passed away in 1929

Capt. Rodney C. Jones, USA, assigned as commanding officer 1 May 1937

Accepted for service and commissioned by the Quartermaster Corps in July 1937, assigned to the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps, Mine Planter Service

Assigned to the Coast Defenses of San Francisco while stationed at Fort Du Pont, DE., during outfitting and initial shakedown period

Commissioned, 7 January 1938, and departed Fort Du Pont enroute to Fort Monroe, VA.

Arrived back at Fort Du Pont via the Army Supply Base, Brooklyn, in March 1938

Departed Fort Du Pont in May 1938 en route for Fort Baker, CA, via the Panama Canal

Arrived at Fort Winfield Scott, CA., in June 1938

On arrival, additional personnel were transferred to the Niles from the decommissioned USAMP Col. George Armistead

Typically docked at the mine wharf at Fort Winfield Scott until 1939 when Niles was moved to a new mine wharf built at Fort Baker across San Francisco Bay

On detached service to Fort Rosecrans, CA., in January 1939 to conduct training with the Harbor Defenses of San Diego

On detached service to Fort Amador, C.Z., in June 1940 for mining operations with the Harbor Defenses of Balboa in coordination with USAMP Gen. William M. Graham, in June-August 1940 Niles

installed the wartime minefields that protected the Panama Canal Zone during World War II

Transferred in 1945 to the US Army Signals Corps and converted for cable work

Retired from US Army service, date unknown

Sold in January 1965 to Marine Acoustical Services, Miami, FL., renamed R/VF. V. Hunt and served as an acoustical research ship in the Bahamas

Sold in 1978 to T.A, Thompson, converted to a salvage ship, renamed Cayman Salvage Master

Final Disposition, reefed in 1985

Specifications:
Displacement 840 t. (gross)
Length 185'
Beam 35'
Draft 15'
Speed unknown
Armament one 40mm gun

Complement

Officers, unknown

Enlisted, twelve

Civilian, unknown

Cruise Radius unknown

Fuel Capacities unknown

Propulsion

three engines. Diesel-electric drive

three shafts, 1,120 shp

Photo from an album belonging to Stanley "Scotty" G. McInnes US Army Coast Artillery Corps

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
USAMP T. Col. Ellery W. Niles
30110209	303k	*Namesake* LT. Col. Ellery W. Niles, U.S Army (1881 -1928) headstone, Webster Cemetery, Farmington, ME.	Tommy Trampp
	18k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles launching, Pusey & Jones, Wilmington,DE. circa June 1937	Ramon Jackson
30110205	53k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles fitting out at Pusey & Jones, Wilmington,DE. 1 July 1937. Hagley Digital Archives - Pusey and Jones Corp. photo	Tommy Trampp
30110206	51k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles superstructure, circa 1937 at Pusey & Jones, Wilmington, DE. Hagley Digital Archives - Pusey and Jones Corp. photo	Tommy Trampp
30110208	67k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles moored pierside at Pusey & Jones, shipyard Wilmington, DE., 1 December 1937 Hagley Digital Archives - Pusey and Jones Corp. photo	Tommy Trampp
30110212	191k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles fitting out at Fort Du Pont, DE., circa 1937. Photo from an album belonging to Stanley "Scotty" G. McInnes US Army Coast Artillery Corps	Jason Longo
30110213	287k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles moored pierside at Fort Woren, Townsend, WA., date unknown. Photo from an album belonging to Stanley "Scotty" G. McInnes US Army Coast Artillery Corps	Jason Longo
30110211	103k	4th Coastal Artillery Mine Planter USAMP LT. Col. Ellery W. Niles moored at Fort Baker, Tiburon, Marin County CA. in 1939. The National Park Service caption indicates this photo was taken at Fort Mason in San Francisco. The photo backgound clearly shows hills which are not part of Fort Mason.The background is consistent with Fort Baker the Mine Planters homeport of perhaps Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. Photo from picryl.com - National Parks Gallery	John Spivey
30110218	302k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles moored pierside at Fort Baker, Tiburon, Marin County CA. in 1939	Jason Longo
	47k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles underway, date and location unknown.	US National Archives photo, a US Army Signal Corps photo
	55k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles underway, date and location unknown.	US National Archives photo, a US Army Signal Corps photo
30110214	229k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles at anchor, date and location unknown. Photo from an album belonging to Stanley "Scotty" G. McInnes US Army Coast Artillery Corps	Jason Longo
30110215	397k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles moored piersdie at San Francisco, CA. circa 1938-1939. Note San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge in the background. Photo from an album belonging to Stanley "Scotty" G. McInnes US Army Coast Artillery Corps	Jason Longo
30110216	2402k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles underway, date and location unknown. Photo from an album belonging to Stanley "Scotty" G. McInnes US Army Coast Artillery Corps	Jason Longo
30110217	368k	USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles drydocked at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA., in 1939. Photo from an album belonging to Stanley "Scotty" G. McInnes US Army Coast Artillery Corps	Jason Longo
USACS T. Col. Ellery W. Niles
30110207	28k	USACS LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles reconfigured as a US Army Signal Corps Cable Ship after World War II Atlantic Cable - History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications from the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fiber optic network, Bill Glover
Commercial Service
	24k	R/V F.V. Hunt ex-USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles moored pierside, date and location unknown.	Ramon Jackson
30110210	157k	The T.A. Thompson owned salvage vessel MV Cayman Salvage Master (Ex-Lt.Col. Ellery W. Niles), at the Outer Mole on Truman Annex, Key West, FL. in March 1979. Photo by Raymond L. Blazevic, Florida Keys Public Libraries Key West, FL.	Robert Hurst

USAMP LT. COL. Ellery W. Niles Photo from an album belonging to Stanley "Scotty" G. McInnes US Army Coast Artillery Corps Contributed by Jason Longo
30110519 Bopper	30110520 Bopper	30110521 Cable Crew	30110522 Calbe Crew, Niles, Fort Worden, Washington	30110523 Calla, Lennen, Mac, Scotty	30110524 General Clean Up	30110525 Lennen, Scotty	30110526 Lennen
30110527 Laying Cable on the Forward Deck	30110528 McNutty, Scotty, Williams, California	30110529 Mines	30110530 Niles pierside 1939	30110531 Drydocked at Balboa, Panama, CZ	30110532 Drydocked at Balboa, Panama, CZ	30110533 Pat	30110534 Drydocked at Balboa, Pat and Bopper
	30110535 Pat	30110536 Pat with Mines	30110537 Reeling in Cable	30110538 Scotty with Minesr	30110539 Water Spray, Panama	30110540 Williams