USS Symbol (AM-123) - Pacific Ocean Operations

Pacific Ocean Operations

She stood out of Norfolk on 27 March for Miami, Florida, where air-search radar was installed. The work was completed on 26 April, and Symbol sailed for California the next day. She arrived at San Diego, California, on 15 May and was underway again two days later en route to Hawaii. Pearl Harbor was reached on the 27th, and Symbol was routed onward, two weeks later, to Guam, Ulithi, and Okinawa.

Symbol arrived at Kerama Retto on 6 July and swept the "Juneau" area of the East China Sea from 10 to 14 and from 23 to 30 July. She swept the "Skagway" area of the East China Sea in August. Symbol sailed from Okinawa on 1 September for Japanese home waters and from 7 to 29 September swept the eastern and western approaches to Tsugaru Strait, Honshū. She operated off Hokkaidō for three days and returned to Tsugaru Strait until 8 October. She anchored at Ominato until the 18th and then went to Sasebo for a week. The ship next swept the "Klondike" area of the East China Sea from 27 October until 8 November when she returned to Sasebo. The ship sailed on 25 November and arrived at Kiirin, Formosa, on the 28th to sweep the "Sherlys" area, north of that island. She departed Kiirun on 20 December for China and arrived at Shanghai on the 22nd.

Symbol steamed out of Shanghai in early January 1946 bound for the United States via Pearl Harbor. Upon her arrival at San Diego, California, on 8 February, she was ordered to report to the 19th Fleet for duty without a preinactivation overhaul.