Chinchona YN-7

Cinchona

Various trees the dried bark of which produces quinine.

(YN-7: dp. 660; 1. 163'2"; b. 30'6", dr. 11'8"; B. 12 k.
cpl. 48; a. 1 3"; cl. Aloe)

Cinchona (YN-7) was launched 2 July 1941 by Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oreg.; sponsored by Mrs. W. Casey; outfitted by Puget Sound Navy Yard and placed in service 15 August 1941, Lieutenant H. H. Breed, USNR, in charge.

Assigned to the 14th Naval District, she arrived at Pearl Harbor 17 October where she took up duty in net repair and replacement, salvage of gear lost or adrift, and maintenance of net and boom defenses. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941 Cinchona manned both her machine guns and her 3' gun, and as the enemy repeatedly strafed her deck, she closed the gaps in the net defenses protecting the drydocks. Continuing her salvage operations in the Hawaiian group,Cinchona salvaged YP-108 off Lanai in June 1942, and in August escorted a motor torpedo boat convoy to Midway, where she installed nets around the dock spaces, returning to Pearl Harbor early in September. She was placed in commission 20 December 1942, her officer-in-charge Lieutenant T. A. Ingham receiving the title commanding officer. She continued local operations at Pearl Harbor, and on 20 January 1944 was redesignated AN 12.

Cinchona arrived off newly invaded Saipan 16 June 1944. She conducted patrols, assisted LST-84 after an enemy bomb started a fire on board, then inspected the Japanese net line in Tanapag Harbor. She remained at Saipan on salvage and net operations until 18 November when she steamed to Guam and Ulithi to lay cables. From 7 December 1944 to 30 June 1945 Cinchona conducted net operations, laid moorings, and aided in installing a pipeline at Guam. Returning to the States 27 July, she conducted net operations at Long Beach and out of Mare Island Naval Shipyard until 24 August 1946 when she sailed for Astoria, Oreg. Cinchona was placed out of commission in reserve 6 November 1946 at Vancouver, Wash.

Cinchona received two battle stars for World War II service.