USS Hunting (LSM-398)

USS Hunting (E-AG-398) was an LSM-1-class landing ship medium of the United States Navy. Launched as the LSM-398 by Charleston Naval Yard, on 6 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. T. B. Thompson; and commissioned on 6 August 1945, Lieutenant L. L. Walters in command.

Landing ship, 1945–1953
Based at Little Creek, Virginia, the ship operated as a part of the Amphibious Fleet in the Atlantic, taking part in many training assaults (such as "Exercise Seminole" in 1947) in the Caribbean Sea and on the Atlantic coast.

Sonar research ship, 1954–1962
In June 1953, she began a conversion to sonar research ship at Norfolk, Virginia and following completion she reported to Operational Development Force on 1 October 1954.

In late 1954, the ship started a new career developing and testing experimental sonar equipment in conjunction with the United States Naval Research Laboratory. She was reclassified E-AG-398 and assigned the name Hunting on 13 June 1957. The ship's testing and evaluation activities took her from the Naval Research Laboratory near Washington into the Chesapeake Bay, the coastal waters off the Virginia Capes, and the Caribbean. She played a vital part in the development of new and better sonar equipment for the US Navy. She was modified to have an internal well measuring 30 ft by 12 ft for handling scientific equipment in the center of the vessel. This was a unique feature for USN Research vessels at the time.

During 1961 the ship was severely limited by mechanical problems and was finally decommissioned on 23 November 1962 at Portsmouth, Virginia. She was sold on 30 July 1963 to Commercial Manufacturing Corp., Kansas City, Missouri where she was finally broken up between 1980 and 1989.