Canonicus (ACM-12) was a Camanche-class auxiliary minelayer in the United States Navy. It was named for Canonicus, a chief of the Narragansett Indians.

History
United States
Name
  • Major General Erasmus Weaver (1942–1944)
  • ACM-12 (1944–1955)
  • Canonicus (ACM-12) (1955—)
  • New Jersey (dates unknown)
BuilderMarietta Manufacturing Company, Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Laid downas Maj.-Gen. Erasmus Weaver for the U.S. Army
Launched1942
Acquiredby the Navy, 1944
RenamedCanonicus, 1 May 1955
ReclassifiedMMA-12, 7 February 1955
IdentificationIMO number7436911
FateScrapped in 1993
General characteristics
Class and typeCamanche-class minelayer
Displacement1,320 long tons (1,341 t) full
Length188 ft 2 in (57.35 m)
Beam37 ft (11 m)
Draft12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Speed12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
Complement69 officers and enlisted
Armament1 × 40 mm gun

Canonicus was originally delivered to the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps, Mine Planter Service in 1942 by Marietta Manufacturing Company of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The ship was named USAMP Major General Erasmus Weaver for Erasmus M. Weaver, Jr., the first chief of the National Guard Bureau.[1]

After serving in the Mine Planter Service of the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps, it was transferred to the Navy in 1944, classified ACM-12. ACM-12 was reclassified MMA-12, 7 February 1955 and assigned the name Canonicus on 1 May 1955.[2] Canonicus was never commissioned and thus never bore the "United States Ship" (USS) prefix showing status as a commissioned ship of the U.S. Navy.[3]

After being in reserve with the Navy the ship became a yacht, was converted to diesel, and became the Sandy Hook pilot boat New Jersey.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Colton, T. (19 December 2011). "U.S. Army Mine Craft". Shipbuilding History. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  2. ^ Naval History And Heritage Command. "Canonicus iv". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  3. ^ Naval History And Heritage Command (6 January 2015). "Ship Naming in the United States Navy". Heritage. Naval History And Heritage Command. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  4. ^ Grover, David (1987). U.S. Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II. Naval Institute Press. p. 130. ISBN 0-87021-766-6. LCCN 87015514.
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