| USC&GS Pioneer (1929) | |
|---|---|
 Pioneer | |
| Career (United States) |   |
| Name: | Pioneer |
| Namesake: | Pioneer, one who goes before, as into the wilderness, preparing the way for others to follow |
| Builder: | Germaniawerft, Kiel, Germany |
| Completed: | 1929 |
| Acquired: | 1941 by U.S. Department of Commerce on loan from U.S. Navy |
| In service: | 17 September 1941 |
| Fate: | Returned to U.S. Navy 16 March 1942 |
| Notes: |
Served as private yacht Haida 1929-1940 Served as U.S. Navy patrol yacht USS Argus (PY-14) 1941 and 1942-1946 Served as private yacht Sarina 1946-1981 Served as private charter yacht Rosenkavalier 1981-2000 Has served as private yacht Haida G. since 2000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Survey ship |
| Displacement: | 859[1] or 890[2] tons (as Navy patrol yacht) |
| Length: | 207.6 ft (63.3 m) |
| Beam: | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Draft: | 13.2 ft (4.0 m) |
| Installed power: | 1,500[3] or 1,600[4] horsepower (1.12 or 1.19 megawatts) |
| Propulsion: | Two 750-[5] or 800-[6] horsepower (0.56- or 0.60-megawatt) Krupp diesel engines, two shafts |
| Speed: | 13.5 [7] or 14.5[8] knots |
USC&GS Pioneer was a survey ship that served in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1941 to 1942. She was the second ship of the Coast and Geodetic Survey to bear the name.
[]
Pioneer was completed in 1929 by Germaniawerft at Kiel, Germany, as the private yacht Haida. The United States Navy purchased Haida in 1940, modified her for naval use, and commissioned her as patrol yacht USS Argus (PY-14) in 1941.
United States Coast and Geodetic Survey career[]
The U.S. Navy decommissioned Argus later in 1941 and loaned her to the Coast and Geodetic Survey for use as a survey ship. The Coast and Geodetic Survey modified her for her new role, renamed her Pioneer, and placed her in service on 17 September 1941.
Pioneer was able to accomplish little survey work before the entry of the United States into World War II led to her return to the U.S. Navy on 16 March 1942 under Executive Order 9072 of 24 February 1942.[9]
Later career[]
The U.S. Navy recommissioned the ship, again as patrol yacht USS Argus (PY-14), in April 1942, and she remained in commission until 1946, spending most of her naval career patrolling San Francisco Bay. She was sold for use as the private yacht Sarina in 1946, then again in 1981, becoming the charter yacht Rosenkavalier, and again in 2000, becoming the yacht Haida G. Restored to the appearance of the original Haida of 1929, Haida G. remains in service today.
Notes[]
- ↑ Per the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (see http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a/argus.htm)
- ↑ Per NavSource Online (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/1314.htm)
- ↑ Per Power and Motoryacht (see http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/megayachts/0802world100/index4.aspx)
- ↑ Per NavSource Online (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/1314.htm)
- ↑ Per Power and Motoryacht (see http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/megayachts/0802world100/index4.aspx)
- ↑ Per NavSource Online (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/1314.htm)
- ↑ Per NavSource Online (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/1314.htm)
- ↑ Per the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (see http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a/argus.htm)
- ↑ http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/1942.html#9072 | Executive Order 9072 - Transfer of the Pioneer (ex Argus), Guide (ex Andradite) and Pratt (ex YP-96) and certain personnel from the Coast and Geodetic Survey to the War and Navy Departments
References[]
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- NavSource Online: Patrol Yacht Photo Archive USS Argus (PY-14) ex-USC&GS Argus ex-USS Argus (PY 14)
- NOAA History, A Science Odyssey: Tools of the Trade: Ships: Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships: Pioneer
- Power and Motoryacht: Megayachts: The World’s 100 Largest Yachts - 2002
The original article can be found at USC&GS Pioneer (1929) and the edit history here.