From Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,
Vol. III (1977), pp. 402
An island on the southern coast of South Carolina.
(LSM-398: dp. 1,095; l. 203'6"; b. 34'6"; dr. 7'4"; s. 13
k.; cpl. 59; a. 2 40mm.)
Hunting (LSM-398) was launched as LSM-398 by Charleston Naval
Shipyard, Charleston, S.C., 6 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. T. B. Thompson;
commissioned 6 August 1945, Lt. L. L. Walters in command. Based at Little
Creek, Va., the ship operated as a part of the Amphibious Fleet in the Atlantic,
taking part in many training assaults in the Caribbean and on the Atlantic
coast. In June 1953, she began a conversion to sonar research ship at Norfolk,
and following completion she reported to Operational Development Force 1
October 1954.
In late 1954, the ship started a new career developing and testing experimental
sonar equipment in conjunction with the famed Naval Research Laboratory.
She was reclassified EAG-398 and assigned the name Hunting 13 June
1957. The ship's testing and evaluation activities took her from the Naval
Research Laboratory near Washington into the Chesapeake Bay, the coastal
waters off the Virginia Capes, and the Caribbean. She played a vital part
in the development of new and better sonar equipment for the fleet. During
1961 the veteran ship was severely limited by mechanical problems and was
finally decommissioned 23 November 1962 at Portsmouth, Va. She was sold
30 July 1963 to Commercial Manufacturing Corp., Kansas City.