- USS Staunch (AM-307)
USS "Staunch" (AM-307) was a steel-hulled
Admirable Class Minesweeper built for theU.S. Navy duringWorld War II . Her crew was quickly trained in the art ofminesweeping and then sent to thePacific Ocean to clear dangerous mine fields so that Allied troops could land on Japanese-held beaches. Because of her courageous work under fire, she was awarded fourbattle star s.She was laid down,
5 September 1943 byAssociated Shipbuilders ,Seattle, Washington ; launched,15 February 1944 ; commissioned USS "Staunch" (AM-307),9 September 1944 ; and, reclassified as a Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull), MSF-307,7 February 1955 .World War II Pacific Theatre operations
Following shakedown training and
antisubmarine warfare (ASW) training out of San Pedro andSan Diego, California , "Staunch" was overhauled atLong Beach, California , and then headed forHawaii at the end of November. She arrived inPearl Harbor on10 December , took on supplies and sweep gear, participated in amphibious exercises, and got underway for the Central Pacific on22 January 1945 .The minesweeper stopped at
Eniwetok for fuel and provisions from 3 to 5 February, before continuing on to the Marianas. She conducted ASW patrols for several days and took on fuel and supplies atTinian ; then, on13 February , sailed withTask Unit (TU) 52.3.18 in the screen of USS|Terror|CM-5|6. "Staunch" arrived offIwo Jima early on the 16th and made a sweep of the shoreline. On the 17th and 18th, she served as an antisubmarine picket and bombarded the shore on the eve of the assault. "Staunch" spent D-Day assisting in the refueling of the smaller minesweepers. All during her stay at Iwo Jima, she joined other minesweepers in screening "Terror" during nightly retirements to the transport area.Rescue operations
After the landings on the 19th "Staunch" remained in the Bonins until
7 March . While there she served on several patrol stations and helped rescue sailors who fell overboard during a collision between USS|Logan|APA-196|6 and USS|Napa|APA-157|2. She cleared the Bonins on7 March and reached Ulithi, in the western Carolines, four days later. After eight days of repairs provisioning, and fueling, "Staunch" exited UlithiLagoon on19 March . She reached the Ryūkyūs on25 March and immediately streamed her gear to sweep mines aroundKerama Retto . Between 26 and 29 March "Staunch" and the other minesweepers swept mines from the approaches to the assault beaches onOkinawa fueled the smaller minesweepers, and periodically fought off air attacks. Each night she retired seaward.Invasion of Okinawa
Duty in the antisubmarine screen occupied her time on the day before the invasion. On
1 April , the assault troops stormed theHagushi beaches on Okinawa, and "Staunch" settled into the routine of patrols and ASW screening. until31 May , she came under frequent air attacks, though most were directed at the larger ships particularly against the radar pickets. During the night of 16 and 17 May, she picked up a small surface contact on herradar screen and found a large boat pulling araft . "Staunch" opened fire on the strange enemy craft, and all but one of the Japanese took to the water. The remaining Japanese soldier blew himself up with ahand grenade .On
31 May , "Staunch" joined in a practice sweep in preparation for the occupation ofIheya Shima . At 0000 on the following day, she approached the objective, but the operation was called off, and she retired rapidly. On2 June , she and her sister minesweepers swept the waters around the island, and theU.S. Marines stormed ashore. Then, after watching a Japanese "Val" splash, the minesweeper cleared the area for Okinawa. From then until 8 July, she concentrated on an offensive sweep offSakishima Gunto , known asOperation Zebra , putting into Kerama Retto periodically for fuel, provisions, and availability. On two occasions while at the anchorage, she joined the other ships in fighting off an enemy aircraft or two. On the morning of 8 July, she put to sea and shaped a course to thePhilippines and entered San Pedro Bay,Leyte four days later. "Staunch" was overhauled while her crew enjoyed liberty.End-of-War operations
The minesweeper was still at Leyte in mid-August when Japan's capitulation was announced, but instead of going home, she got underway on the 25th for Okinawa, reaching
Buckner Bay on the 31st. After several days sweeping mines around Okinawa, she headed forJapan ."Staunch" spent the next three months participating in the extensive post-war sweep of the waters around the Japanese home islands. She swept the area around Nagasaki and Sasebo until
17 September then after two days of availability at Sasebo, she sailed off to sweep the area of theBungo Suido until the 29th. Between 1 and21 October , she continued sweeping mines in betweentyphoons . She returned to the Bungo Suido on the 30th. In November, "Staunch" joined the major sweep conducted in theTsushima Strait . That operation continued into December with "Staunch" putting into Sasebo periodically for availability. At the completion of that operation, she put into Sasebo for fuel and provisions; then got underway on11 December for theUnited States , via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor.Return to Stateside
"Staunch" reached San Diego on
12 January 1946 and remained there for a month. On11 February , she headed for thePanama Canal and transited it on the night of 21 and 22 February. She madeGalveston, Texas , on the 28th and stayed there until11 April when she moved toOrange, Texas .Post-War deactivation
There she joined the
Atlantic Reserve Fleet . On7 February 1955 , she was redesignated MSF-307. She remained there until1 April 1967 , when her name was struck from the Navy List. Her hulk was sold on9 October 1969 to Luria Bros. Co., Inc., for scrapping.Awards
"Staunch" earned four battle stars during World War II.
References
See also
*
List of United States Navy ships
*Patrol boat
*Minelayer
* MinesweepingExternal links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/#Anchor-Editoria-14954 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/02307.htm NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Staunch (MSF 307) - ex-AM-307]
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