USS Hackberry

History
United States
Name	USS Maple (YN-20)
Namesake	maple tree
Builder	American Shipbuilding Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Laid down	28 October 1940
Renamed	USS Hackberry (YN-20), 16 October 1941
Namesake	hackberry tree
Launched	28 October 1941
Commissioned	21 December 1942
Reclassified	AN-25, 20 January 1944
Decommissioned	12 November 1944
Honors and awards	one battle star for World War II service
Fate	transferred to French Navy, 12 November 1944
History
France
Name	Araignée (A727)
Namesake	"Spider"
Acquired	12 November 1944
Decommissioned	1977
Fate	Scrapped in 1985
General characteristics
Class and type	Aloe-class net laying ship
Displacement	560 long tons (570 t), light 850 long tons (860 t), full
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	direct drive diesel, single propeller
Speed	12.5 knots (23.2 km/h)
Complement	48 officers and enlisted
Armament	1 × single 3 in (76 mm) gun mount 2 × [[M1919 Browning machine gun|.30 caliber]] machine guns 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Hackberry (YN-20/AN-25) was an Aloe-class net laying ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was originally ordered and laid down as USS Maple (YN-20) but renamed shortly before her October 1941 launch. She was later transferred to the French Navy as Araignée (A727).

Career

Hackberry (YN-20), originally Maple but renamed before launching 28 October 1941 by American Shipbuilding Company. Cleveland, Ohio. She was commissioned 21 December 1942.

Following shakedown and training exercises out of Tompkinsville. Rhode Island, the net tender was assigned to North African waters, reporting 12 April 1943. She operated in Palermo harbor towing and acting as cable recovery and salvage vessel. During her stay in Palermo Hackberry installed boom defenses at Catania, Sicily, and operated briefly in the harbor at Naples, Italy.

As the pincers were applied to the Axis in Europe, Hackberry took part in the important landings in southern France. Arriving off the beaches 15 August, the ship helped transport garrison troops from the newly-won Alpha beach to Isle du Levant.

Hackberry remained in the area as Allied troops pushed forward from the beachhead, coming under fire from German shore batteries 22 August. With the capture of Toulon, the ship returned to her regular duties, clearing away the net and other harbor obstructions.

Redesignated (AN-25) 20 January 1944, Hackberry operated at Toulon and Marseille until being turned over to the French government under lend-lease 12 November 1944.

Hackberry was returned to U.S. custody from lend-lease 21 March 1949 and was sold the same day to France, where she served as Araignée.

In the summer of 1949, she sailed to Indochina with two small tugs in tow, and in February 1950, she sailed the return trip with Intraitable in tow. From then, she served in Toulon, and in Brest from 1956.

Araignée was decommissioned in 1977, and used as a pontoon hulk until 1985, when she was sold for scrap.

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-20 Maple / Hackberry - AN-25 Hackberry
• Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, Tome II, 1870–2006, p. 44, LV Jean-Michel Roche, Imp. Rezotel-Maury Millau, 2005