Solomons I YFB-23

Solomons I

(YFB-23: 1. 65'; b. 13'; dr. 4')

The first Solomons was laid down at Seattle, Wash., on 5 May 1942 by the Shain Manufacturing Company. The wooden-hulled ferry was launched on 20 June 1942; was delivered to the Navy on 21 August, and was assigned to the 14th Naval District. She was sealifted via Pearl Harbor to Midway Island and placed in service there on 8 December 1942.

Solomons served her entire World War II career performing ferry services at Midway. She was renamed Sanibel on 6 November 1943 to allow her original name to be given to an aircraft carrier, CVE-67, then being constructed. Sanibel operated on local transport and ferry duty in the Midway Island area until deleted from the 14th Naval District list of service craft on 1 July 1946. Placed out of service after the war's end, she was declared surplus and intentionally destroyed by burning on 3 July 1946 at Midway. Sanibel was struck from the Navy list on 28 January 1947.