Subchasers have virtually vanished. Only a handful of subchaser hulls survived into the 21st century, almost all of them in cold, northern waters.
| SC # | Name | Location | Status | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 504 | Pacific Laurel | Vancouver, BC | sank 2006 | fishing packer |
| 536 | Moonlight Maid | Girdwood, AK | sank 2012 | fishing vessel |
| 715 | Cape Pine | Vancouver, BC | active | charter |
| 718 | Hitra | Bergen, Norway | active | museum ship |
| 772 | SC 772 | Portland, OR | sank 2022 | charter |
| 1013 | Mount Independence | Baltimore, MD | sank 2007 | private |
| 1039 | Norking | Vancouver, BC | scuttled 2015 | fishing packer |
| 1068 | Air Snipe | Seattle, WA | active | nonprofit |
| 1342 | SC 1342 | Prescott, MN | sank 2007 | live-aboard |
| 1372 | Northwind | Port Townsend, WA | active | private |
SC 504 – Pacific Laurel
SC 504 was built by Rice Brothers Corporation, East Boothbay ME, commissioned by the US Navy 5/4/1942 as PC 504, later reclassified as SC 504. It served in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Pacific.
On Sept. 30, 1946, SC 504 was sold to Parks Canning Co. of Seattle WA for $10,000. It was later renamed Pacific Laurel and was used as a fish packer registered in Vancouver, BC. Some photos are available at the UBC Library and the City of Richmond, BC Archives.
On the evening of August 4, 2006, the Pacific Laurel was taking on water about 126 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii and issued a distress call. A US Coast Guard C-130 cargo plane dropped dewatering pumps and the navy vessel USS Peleliu rescued four people using several helicopters. The captain stayed aboard to attempt salvage, but had to abandon ship and was rescued by the Coast Guard cutter Ahi. The Pacific Laurel sank August 5, 2006.
Sources:
- ShipbuildingHistory.com (accessed 16 Jun 2025)
- Naval Marine Archive (accessed 16 Jun 2025)
- Dudley Towne
- US Maritime Administration records
- Lloyd’s register of shipping
- Nauticapedia (accessed 16 Jun 2025)
- Pier Systems (accessed about 2013; site inactive 16 Jun 2025)
- 5 people saved from sinking fishing vessel, Honolulu Star Tribune, 6 Aug 2006 (accessed 16 Jun 2025)
- Pacific Laurel, Lloyd’s Casualty Week, 18 Aug 2006, p. 9 (accessed 16 Jun 2025)