- USS Kingfisher (AM-25)
USS "Kingfisher" (AM-25/AT-135/ATO-135) was an "Lapwing"-class minesweeper acquired by the
U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing."Kingfisher" was launched
30 March 1918 byPuget Sound Naval Shipyard ,Puget Sound, Washington ; sponsored by Miss Nancy Griswold; and commissioned27 May 1918 , Lt. (j.g.) C. L. Greene in command.Post-World War I mine clearance
Departing
Bremerton, Washington ,17 June , "Kingfisher" steamed toPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , where she arrived8 August for duty as a minesweeper offCape May, New Jersey . On5 April 1919 she departedBoston, Massachusetts , for theNorth Sea , arrivingInverness, Scotland .20 April . Assigned to the North Sea Detachment atKirkwall ,Orkney Islands , she swept up mines of the Northern Barrage until1 October when she sailed for theUnited States . Steaming viaFrance ,Portugal , and theAzores , she reachedNew York 19 November .Pacific Ocean operations
Assigned to the Train Force, Pacific Fleet, "Kingfisher" departed
Hampton Roads, Virginia ,9 August 1920 for the West Coast. ArrivingSan Diego, California ,3 October , she began duty as a fleet tug and minesweeper. Over the next 19 years fleet maneuvers and supply, towing, and minesweeping operations sent her to the East Coast,Puerto Rico ,Cuba , thePanama Canal Zone , andHawaii . During the summers of1933 ,1934 , and1935 she supplied naval ships and bases inAlaska n waters for theAleutian Islands Survey Expedition. DepartingSan Diego, California ,4 October 1939 , she sailed toPearl Harbor for duty with the Base Force, Hawaiian Detachment. Arriving19 October , she towed target rafts and conducted gunnery and minesweeping exercises until sailing forSamoa 26 October 1941 . "Kingfisher" reachedTutuila 5 November and was on station duty7 December when hearing of the Japanese attack onPearl Harbor . With Lt. Comdr. C. B. Schiano in command. "Kingfisher" began defense patrol and mine laying operations offSamoa .World War II Pacific operations
On
19 February 1942 she departedTutuila for similar duty in the Fijis and arrivedViti Levu 23 February . Returning toSamoa 12 April , she was reclassifled AT-135 on1 June ; she then sailed toWallis Island 28 July for a month of plane guard and rescue duty. With a lighter in tow she departedSuva, Fiji ,12 September forNoumea, New Caledonia . Arriving18 September , she served under the command of the Port Director until she departed forHawaii 8 October . ArrivingPearl Harbor 30 October , "Kingfisher" served as a tug andtorpedo recovery ship until23 September when she sailed for theEllice Islands . She reachedFunafuti 5 October and undertook towing duty between the Ellice andPhoenix Islands . On8 December she sailed for theGilberts , arrivingTarawa Atoll13 December . Though subjected to intermittent enemy bombing attacks, "Kingfisher" towedantisubmarine nets and laid telephone cables inBetio Harbor before departing27 December forFunafuti .From
30 December to15 April she continued towing, station ship, and harbor operations in the Ellice, Gilbert, andMarshall Islands ; then she departedKwajalein 16 April forPearl Harbor , arriving29 April . Reclassified ATO-135 on15 May , "Kingfisher" departed19 September for further towing operations in the South Pacific. Towing runs sent her to Palmyra, Ellice, Solomon, Admiralty, andMarshall Islands before she returned toPearl Harbor 14 November .Return to stateside
On
18 November she sailed for theU.S. West Coast , arrivingSan Diego, California ,29 November . She returned toPearl Harbor 29 January 1945 and resumed tug and target towing services. On21 April she assisted in salvage operations of groundedmerchantman "SS Sarensen". And while towing a gunnery target4 May , she rescued the pilot of an Army P-47 that had splashed while on a training Sight.End-of-war decommissioning
"Kingfisher" sailed for
San Francisco, California ,30 October , arriving9 November . Remaining in theSan Francisco Bay area, she decommissioned6 February 1946 and entered thePacific Reserve Fleet . Transferred to theMaritime Commission 3 June 1947 , she was sold the same day to M. E. Baker atSuisun Bay, California ."Kingfisher" received one
battle star forWorld War II service.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k4/kingfisher-iii.htm
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/02025.htm NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Kingfisher (AT(O)-135) - ex-AT-135 - ex-AM-25]
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5178.html USS Kingfisher (AM 25)]
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