The USS Nucleus (AM-268) was an Admirable-class minesweeper constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Laid down at the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation in Chickasaw, Alabama, on 7 September 1942, she was launched on 26 June 1943 and commissioned on 11 February 1944. The vessel measured approximately 184 feet in length, with a beam of around 33 feet, and was built to serve as a minesweeper and escort vessel during wartime operations. Following her commissioning, USS Nucleus underwent shakedown in Chesapeake Bay and then operated briefly as an escort in the Caribbean. She then proceeded to Boston, where she supported convoy escort missions to Naval Station Argentia in Newfoundland. In mid-1944, the ship was modified to enhance her meteorological capabilities by adding a platform deck for launching radiosondes and weather balloons, making her a more effective weather ship in the North Atlantic. After serving in weather collection duties, she returned to Boston and later moved to Norfolk, Virginia, in November 1944. During December, Nucleus engaged in minesweeping and anti-submarine patrols near Chesapeake Bay, continuing escort runs into the Caribbean in early 1945. In April 1945, USS Nucleus was selected for transfer to the Soviet Navy under Project Hula, a clandestine effort to transfer U.S. ships to the Soviets as the Allies prepared to fight Japan. She arrived at Cold Bay in April for crew training, was decommissioned from the U.S. Navy on 21 May 1945, and transferred to the Soviet Union. Renamed T-278, she served with the Soviet Pacific Fleet and participated in the Soviet amphibious landings at Chongjin, Korea, and Sakhalin in August 1945. The Soviets converted her into a naval trawler in 1948, renaming her Uragan. The USS Nucleus remained in Soviet service until she was scrapped in 1960. Despite negotiations and the Cold War tensions, she was never returned to the United States. The U.S. Navy continued to list her until she was finally struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 January 1983. Her service reflects a significant period in maritime history, exemplifying wartime shipbuilding, international cooperation, and Cold War maritime diplomacy.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.