The U.S.S. SKYWATCHER was originally a merchant ship of the World War Two Merchant Fleet.

Her keel was laied on November 30 1944 (MCE hull 2337) at Panama City Fl. by the J. A. Jones Construction Co. She was launched on January 16 1945 as the merchant vessel SS "RAFAEL R. RIVERA." She was a grand old or should I say "new" LIBERTY ship of WW II. She was placed in service on January 30 1945.

After the war, she was placed into the reserve fleet in October of 1947, where she remained until she was converted into a U.S. Navy Radar Picket Ship in September of 1954, renamed the "U.S.S. SKYWATCHER" and commissioned on March 29 1955 as YAGR 3 at Norfolk VA. and joined the Navy YAGR Radar Picket Fleet.

She remained in the Navy fleet until March 29 1965, serving her nation off of the east coast of the United States cruising in a picketing circle about 100 miles off shore at stations from Greenland to the Carolinas. She would spend 30 to 35 days at sea on picket duty tracking all incoming air craft into the continental US and reporting those air craft to shore based Air Force stations, where the Air Force would identify them by flight plan or scramble interception as friend or foe. The Skywatcher would then after her "on duty" trips to sea, go to her home port after being relieved by another picket ship, where she would spend 10 to 12 days tied up at the docks at Davisville RI. where her crew would get some well deserved R&R liberty. Then after those 10 to 12 days in port, she would put to sea again and relieve another picket ship on another station for another one month duty trip.

Due to advancing technologies such as satellite, the YAGR Radar Picket Ship Fleet became obsolete for the duty they performed. Thus, they were decommissioned and the YAGR fleet disbanded.

The Skywatcher was decommissioned on March 29 1965, sold to Pakistan in December of 1970 then resold by Pakistan to German buyers in 1971 and scrapped. Her service to her nation in war and peace was an admirable one, slow of speed that she was, she served well and honorably, delivering the needed supplies of war to our troops and allies, then as a visual protector of our country. May she rest in peace!