Pacific Missile Test Support
In 1957, however, her mission changed significantly with the de-emphasis of nets in harbor defense in favor of more sophisticated techniques. On 14 December 1957, the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS), China Lake, California, assumed operational control of USS Butternut. Administrative control remained with the commandant, 11th Naval District.
For the next seven years, the ship provided support services for the Polaris missile test and development program. In addition to serving as a monitoring platform for the scientists and engineers engaged in the program, USS Butternut towed hardware and support craft to and from the San Clemente Island test site, conducted surveys of the ocean bottom at the site, carried missiles to the site, and performed a myriad of other support services. In 1964, the U.S. Navy concluded its Polaris missile tests at San Clemente Island and closed the facility there. China Lake, however, retained operational control over Butternut for the purpose of testing the Mark 46 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) torpedo and its first modification. That duty, punctuated by repair periods, occupied her until the summer of 1969.
Read more about this topic: USS Butternut (YAG-60)
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