USS Albatross (AM-71)

The USS Albatross (AM-71) was an Albatross class minesweeper: Laid down 25 October 1930 as the steel hull fishing trawler M/V Illinois by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, for the Booth Fisheries Co., Boston, Massachusetts; Launched, 19 March 1931; Delivered 30 March 1931; Acquired by the U.S. Navy, 9 August 1940; Renamed USS Albatross 14 August 1940; Conversion to a minesweeper began 6 September 1940 by the General Ship and Engine Works, East Boston, Massachusetts; Commissioned Albatross (AM 71), 8 November 1940 at the Boston Navy Yard; Conversion completed 8 November 1941; Reclassified as an Unclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary, IX-171, 1 June 1944.

World War II North Atlantic operations

Following her conversion for naval service as a minesweeper by the General Ship & Engine Works, Boston, Massachusetts, USS Albatross was assigned to duty in the 5th Naval District. In early May 1941, she sailed to Bermuda, arriving at Port Royal Bay on 9 May. The ship operated in Bermuda waters until 15 August, when she got underway for Norfolk, Virginia. After a period of upkeep, she returned to her minesweeping activities in the Hampton Roads area. On 12 December, she set sail for Newfoundland, arriving at Argentia, Newfoundland, on 23 December 1941.

Iceland Area operations

USS Albatross left that port on 4 January 1942 in company with USS Linnet (AM-76) to join a British convoy bound for Iceland. En route to the rendezvous, the ships encountered heavy weather which forced them to change their course; and they reached Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on 16 January. Although USS Albatross had sustained minor damage, she was sent to Iceland via northern Scotland, the Orkneys, Shetlands, and Faroe Islands. The minesweeper finally returned to the United States in July, when she arrived at the Boston Navy Yard. She left Boston, Massachusetts, as an escort for a convoy on 1 October and reached Greenland on 21 October. USS Albatross spent the remainder of the year in waters around Greenland.

Albatross Strikes an Iceberg

USS Albatross struck an iceberg on 7 January 1943, causing minor damage. Then an ice pack formed astern of the ship, blocking the ship's path until shifting winds cleared the ice, enabling her to leave Greenland on 12 January. She touched at Newfoundland on 3 February and then proceeded on to Boston, Massachusetts, arriving on the 8th. USS Albatross reached Norfolk, Virginia, on the 11th. After a month's overhaul, she got underway for Canada.

Collision with Another Ship

On 11 April, while operating out of Nova Scotia, USS Albatross was struck by another ship and suffered damage which caused her to return to Boston, Massachusetts, for a drydock period. When this was completed, the minesweeper returned to Greenland to resume her convoy duties.

Stranded in Greenland

USS Albatross spent the first six months of 1944 moored to the pier at Narsarssuak, Greenland, awaiting repairs to her main engine which were held up for want of spare parts. While she was thus immobilized, she provided repairs and services to other ships. On 1 June, USS Albatross was redesignated IX-171. When her engine was finally back in working order, she headed home and arrived at Boston, Massachusetts, on 14 July. Then the minesweeper reported to the 1st Naval District for inactivation.

End-of-War Decommissioning

Stripped of her military equipment, she was decommissioned on 11 September, and her name was struck from the Navy list on 23 September 1944. USS Albatross was transferred to the Maritime Commission on 15 November 1944 for disposal. She then resumed the name M/V Illinois, but no record of her subsequent career has been found.

References

*DANFS|http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am71.htm

External links

* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/02071.htm NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Albatross (IX 171) - ex-AM-71]