From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Barbican is an outer defensive work of a city or castle.

(ACM-5: dp. 880; l. 188'2"; b. 37'; dr. 12'6"; s. 12.6 k.; cpl. 69; a. 1 40 mm.; cl. Chimo)

Barbican (ACM-5) was built in 1942, by Marietta Manufacturing Co., Point Pleasant, W. Va., as Colonel George Armistead for the Army Coast Artillery Corps; transferred to the Navy 6 January 1945; converted to an auxiliary minelayer at Charleston Navy Yard; commissioned 24 March 1945, Lieutenant Commander A. Anderson, Jr., in command, and reported to the Pacific Fleet.

Barbican arrived in the Pacific too late to participate actively in combat against the Japanese. Departing Pearl Harbor 17 August, she arrived at Saipan 20 September 1945 after a brief stop at Midway. For one month she operated between the Marianas and Ryukyu Islands, as a tender and operational headquarters for a YMS squadron. On 24 October she departed Okinawa for Sasebo, Japan. Barbican remained on occupation duty in the Far East until 24 February 1946 when she departed for the United States. Barbican was decommissioned 12 June 1946 and loaned to the Coast Guard the same day. [Transcriber's Note: Barbican served in the U.S.C.G. as sea-going buoy tenderWLB-329 Ivy.]