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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 UJS 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
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    USAMP T. Col. Ellery W. Niles
    Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles
    30110209    		 303k
    Namesake
    LT. Col. Ellery W. Niles, U.S Army (1881 -1928) headstone, Webster Cemetery, Farmington, ME.     		Tommy Trampp
    Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles 18k USAMP Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles launching, Pusey & Jones, Wilmington,DE. circa June 1937 Ramon Jackson
    Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles
    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
    Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles
    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
    Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles
    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
    Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles 47k USAMP Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles underway, date and location unknown. US National Archives photo,
    a US Army Signal Corps photo
    Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles 55k USAMP Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles underway, date and location unknown. US National Archives photo,
    a US Army Signal Corps photo
    USACS T. Col. Ellery W. Niles
    Lt. 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
    Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles 24k R/V F.V. Hunt ex-USAMP Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles moored pierside, date and location unknown. Ramon Jackson
    Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles
    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
    The history for USAMP LT. Col. Ellery W. Niles is from US Army Order of Battle 1919-1941 Vol. 2
    Commanding Officers
    01 Capt. Rodney C. Jones, USA1 May 1937 - 7 July 1937
    02 Maj. Samuel Rubin, USA31 August 1937 - August 1940
    US Army Order of Battle 1919-1941 Vol. 2
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    First Annual Christmas Dinner Menu, 1938
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The US Army Ship Index Back To The US Army Mine Planter Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 30 June 2023