CaptFlyingDutchman
Contributor
The Mahi used to be an Admirable class minesweeper, USS Scrimmage (AM 297). This former Navy vessel received 6 battle stars during World War II.
She helped sweep an old United States minefield in the French Frigate Shoals in August 1944. On 20 October, she joined her division, Mine Division 34, off the Leyte beaches for a 4 day sweep of the main transport channel, and then anchored with the transports to provide antiaircraft support. Between 27 and 31 October, she helped search for survivors at the scene of the Battle off Samar, where a few American escort carriers and their screen had withstood the attack of a superior Japanese force.
Scrimmage participated, in most of the subsequent landings in the Philippines. For all but the Ormoc assault, she remained on the scene after the initial landings, helping extend the mineswept areas and providing antisubmarine and antiaircraft protection to the transports. Few mines were encountered, but kamikaze resistance was intense, and the ships saw much antiaircraft action.
On 13 February, Scrimmage began pre-invasion sweeps in Manila Bay in preparation for the landings at Mariveles and Corregidor. While sweeping off Corregidor on the 14th, the minesweepers came within 5,000 yards of the island and were repeatedly straddled by Japanese fire before supporting ships silenced the enemy's guns. Scrimmage continued sweeping in Manila Bay through 19 February, and her division earned a Navy Unit Commendation for the operation.
Between 7 and 18 June, Scrimmage supported the landings at Brunei Bay, Borneo. During the operation, the minesweepers came under fire from shore batteries and one ship, Salute, was sunk by a mine on 8 June. On completion of the operation, Scrimmage returned to Subic Bay for emergency engine repairs, arriving on 21 June.
She was decommissioned on 22 June 1946 and placed in reserve. The ship was reclassified MSF-297 on 7 February 1955. She subsequently became the British merchantman, Giant 11 and used as a cable ship. Sold in March 1968 to the Dillingham Corp. and leased to the University of Hawaii as a research vessel being renamed M/S Mahi
Sold in 1982 to Dacor Scuba Diving to be sunk as an artificial reef. Sunk approximately 1 mile off the Waianae coast in 90 feet of water
