YNg 28

US Navy Harbor Net Gate Vessel

Charles Bernhardt © CBernhardt

Last Update: 5017 My thanks to Charles Bernhardt, Radio Operator, and Mr. Richard Venino on the YNg 28 for the following recollection: Questions, Comments, Corrections or Additions to the YNg histories are Welcome! contact Marty Dwyer at: Martyk9 @ webtv.net NOTE: To send me an e-mail, please re-type the above E-address deletingther two spaces. Thank you! US Navy Photos are from my collection (Marty Dwyer) and show the YNg 2 which was similar to the YNg 28; but only had single deck, whereas the YNg 28 had an upper deck.

During the War (WW2) the YNg 18 was stationed at the entrance to San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge. We received trainning on her before shipping out to Pearl Harbor to join the YNg 28. The YNg 30 was a companion ship and the two Gate Vessels traveled together. These two gate vessels were launched in 1943 at the Pacific Coast Eng. Co. The YNg 28 was first assigned to the 12th Naval District while the YNg 30 was at the 11th Naval District. Both were spares and therefore towed to Pearl Harbor in anticipation for service in the Japanese Islands during the planed invasion. Late in the war we were transfered to Okinawa when the Typhoons of 1945 hit. A YNg is basicaly a barge that has no propulsion capabilities and must be towed whenever it moves. There are two cable winches forward and two aft. By means of these cable winches, we are able to shit position, and or, move gates in the net when we are positioned between permenant anchors and the gates.

YNg 2 c1941 @USNavvy Photo

Crew of the YNg28 © CBernhardt

Crew List of the YNg28 AREY; Eward ........................... RIP - pre 1997 BAKER; Robert ........................ RIP - pre 1997 BALDRIDGE; John ................... (no info) BELL; Wm. L. ........................... (no info) BERNHARDT, Charles ............. BROOKFIELD; Lee J. .............. (no info) BRYANT; Charles .....................RIP 1979 BUTCHER, Clifton ................... RIP - 2000 CAHILL; Jack ........................... RIP - 1991 CHASE, H. S. .......................... RIP - pre 1997 CHRISTIANSON; Leo .............. (no info) CLARK; Dale ........................... (no info) GEORGE; Amos ...................... (no info) GIBBONS; H. J. ...................... (no info) GODFREY; Jack ..................... (no info) IMHOFF; Peter ........................ (no info) KESSLER, Walter .................... RIP - 2000 KRAUSS, Wayne ..................... RIP - 2000 LINBURG; Peter ...................... (no info) McCAIN; Jerry ......................... (no info) MOREHEAD, Robert ................ OSBORNE, Lucien ................... ROMAN; Jerry ......................... (no info) SHORB; Lowell ...................... RIP - 1994 STAFFORD, Donald ................ THOMAS, Floyd ...................... VENINO, Richard .................... WEIGAND; Arthur ................... (no info)

Anti-Aircraft Drill © CBernhardt

Kamikaze, c1945 view from the APL-14 © LBrookfield

Anti-Aircraft Firing at Night view from the APL-14 C1945 © LBrookfield

While being towed from Pearl to Okinawa, our towing cable snaped and we were adrift. Off Eniwetok, it took more than a 12 hours for the towing vessel to circle around and another towing line secured to our YNg. The YNg has a shallow draft, and while adrift, we bobbed around like a cork in all eight directions (port, stardboard, foreward, aft, up, down. tilt left and tilt right) sometimes in all directions at once, until the tow gave us headway and then we would only go up, down and tilt. Welcome to Okinawa!

We had batted down all the hatches and we were prepared to ride out the anticipated typhoon. During the night, the crew heard a load BANG and the vessel swayed as the waves and wind howled around us. On deck we found that one of the cables snaped and we were in danger of foundering. The crew turnes to and lossened the vessels anchor, that is normally bolted to the forward deck.

Anchor, YNg 2 c1941 @USNavy Photo

It was years since the anchor was un-bolted, but the adrenalin was runing high, the anchor came loose very quickly and we were able to anchor to the sea bottom and stabilized our vessel while other ships around us were damaged or lost (212 vessels were blown aground, 12 sunk and 39 damaged, including us.).

After the Storm Oct. 1945 © LBrookfield

During the storm, we donned life-jackets, and had a watch looking for approaching vessels. We were called to quarters three times, although there was nothing we could do, but watch and wait. We were rammed by a barge that had broken free and had a hole punched through our hull (non-threating). A floating drydock, blown onto the beach, passed so close to us that I could have reached out and touched it as it passed.

Drydock Oct. 1945 © LBrookfield

After the storm © LBrookfield

Back at the Golden Gate Bridge, 1945 © CBernhardt

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