Feather development grows, its spathe, which is where the rachis and vanes attach, continues to form. When spathe is finished developing, the calamus begins to form within the base of the spathe. The calamus is the quill of the feather, which is the bottom portion that stays mainly within the pulp cavity. From there, the feather is fully developed and will remain as such until molting occurs, causing it to fall off. Feathers fall off during molting, which occurs in the at different times through the year depending on the type of bird. Birds can molt for seasonal, reproductive and many other
USS Calamus (AOG-25) as did the combatant ships. While at Okinawa "Calamus" was beached as a result of Typhoon Louise, 9 October 1945, refloated 24 October 1945, repaired and returned to service. Following occupation service, "Calamus" returned to San Francisco, California, 20 March 1946 and was struck from the Navy list (date unknown). She was decommissioned 15 May 1946, and transferred to the Maritime Commission 4 September 1946. Final disposition: she was scrapped in 1964. "Calamus" received one battle star for service in World War II. Her crew was eligible for the following medals: USS Calamus (AOG-25) USS "Calamus" (AOG-25) was a "Mettawee"-class