- USS Whippoorwill (AM-35)
USS "Whippoorwill" (AM-35) was a "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.The first "Whippoorwill" to be so-named by the Navy, "Minesweeper No. 35" was laid down on
12 December 1917 atMobile, Alabama , by theAlabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Co.; launched on4 July 1918 ; sponsored by Miss M. I. Evans; and commissioned on1 April 1919 , Lt. Birney 0. Halliwill in command.World War I mine clearance
After fitting out, "Whippoorwill" departed
Boston, Massachusetts , on3 July 1919 , bound forScotland . Operating subsequently from the port ofKirkwall , the minesweeper participated in the clearing of theNorth Sea Mine Barrage as part of Division 3,Minesweeping Squadron , Atlantic Fleet. Hair-trigger mines and frequent foul weather made sweeping the barrage a difficult and dangerous mission; but, by late in the autumn of1919 , the task was completed by a miscellaneous group of new minesweepers, charterednaval trawler s, andsubmarine chaser s.Post-war transfer to the Pacific Fleet
Returning to the
United States in November1919 , "Whipporwill" was later assigned to theU.S. Pacific Fleet . Having been classified as AM-35 on17 July 1920 , the minesweeper arrived atPearl Harbor , her new home port, on1 March 1921 . She would operate out of that base for the next 20 years, with brief periods spent as station ship atPago Pago ,Samoa , between1931 and1934 . "Whippoorwill's" prime duty was service to the Fleet. Besides filling the role for which she was designed -- sweeping and laying mines -- upon occasion she towed targets and plane-guarded.Performing surveys in the Pacific
Noteworthy highlights of her Pearl Harbor-based deployment came in the early
1920 's, when she participated in surveys of various and sundry Pacific islands. In July1923 , for example, "Whippoorwill" -- together with her sister-ship "Tanager" (AM-5) -- accomplished the first survey ofJohnston Island in modern times. During that cruise, she carried members of the joint expedition sponsored by theDepartment of Agriculture and theBishop Museum ofHawaii . She also carried aDouglas DT -2floatplane on her fantail, hoisting it into the water so that it could take off for aerial survey and mapping flights over Johnston. A little over a year later, in September1925 , the plane's pilot, Lt. Comdr. John Rodgers, would win fame as a member of the crew of the PN-9 flying boat. "Whippoorwill" made other cruises, carrying members of ornithological surveys to islands such asKingman Reef , Palmyra,Christmas Island ,Jarvis Island ,Howland Island , andBaker Island . The islands would later assume importance astranspacific air commerce spread its wings toward theFar East and SouthPacific Ocean ."Whippoorwill" modernized in 1941
Ultimately, however, "Whippoorwill's" Hawaiian idyll ended. Refitted and modernized, the minesweeper departed
Pearl Harbor on5 May 1941 , bound for theAsiatic Fleet , as war clouds gathered over the Pacific and Far East. En route, the minecraft plane-guarded at prearranged stations, serving as a direction-finding station for patrol planes winging their way to thePhilippines to reinforce the Asiatic Fleet's air wing -- Patrol Wing 10. After touching briefly atGuam , in theMarianas , on23 May , "Whippoorwill" reached "Manila" on the 30th. There, she became part ofMine Division 9,Mine Squadron 3, Asiatic Fleet. In the ensuing months, "Whippoorwill" performed a variety of service tasks. She towed targets for the cruisers and destroyers of the Fleet to fire at during battle practices and gunnery shoots, assisted in unmooring and mooring the Fleet'ssubmarine anddestroyer tender s frombuoy s, and conducted similar activities.Philippine operations
That spring, "Whippoorwill" operated with "Canopus" (AS-9) during maneuvers in the southern Philippines, touching at
Zamboanga and steaming in theSulu Sea , before returning toCavite and anchoring in Canacao Bay. Soon thereafter, she commenced operations with the Inshore Patrol which carried out a busy slate of operations as the Philippines feverishly prepared for the impending war with Japan. "Whippoorwill" operated on patrol duties and laid mines -- laying the field nearCaballo Island , nearCorregidor , at the entrance toManila Bay . She and "Tanager" also laid the mine field atSubic Bay while operating out of the section base atOlongapo . After an overhaul atCavite and at theVerdadero Dockyard acrossCanacao Bay from Cavite, "Whippoorwill" took up patrol duties in the late autumn, frequently alternating with the gunboats "Asheville" (PG-21) and "Tulsa" (PG-22). That duty was not without its share of interesting moments. On22 November , while on patrol station "Cast," she fired four shots across the bow of the sailing vessel "Remedio VIII" before the vessel hove to. She later prevented the Army tug "Harrison" from entering the area and warned off other vessels on the 26th and 28th.Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Relieved by "Tulsa" on station on 30 November, "Whippoorwill" returned to Canacao Bay before she got underway on
3 December for sweeping operations out of Cavite. Five days later, on8 December 1941 (7 December east of theInternational Date Line ), the Japanese unleashed their onslaught against American, British, and Dutch possessions in theFar East and in the Pacific. At 0415 on the 8th, "Whippoorwill" received the news of the attack onPearl Harbor . Lt. Comdr. Charles A. Ferriter, the ship'scommanding officer , soon called his crew to quarters and announced the news. Now, after months of escalating tension and feverish preparations for war, the blow had fallen. Within hours, "Whippoorwill" was underway, commencing her first wartime sweeping operations inManila Bay .Under air attack in the Philippines
On the following day,
9 December , Japanese bombers caught General Douglas MacArthur's Far Eastern Air Force on the ground at its principal fields of Nichols andClark Field s, destroying it as a viable retaliatory force. Thus, with little in the way of air cover,Cavite -- the small, crowded base of operations for the Asiatic Fleet -- lay naked to an attack from the sky. The Japanese did not wait long to exploit their advantage -- at 1230 on10 December , the air raid alert was broadcast at Cavite. At 1250, "Whippoorwill" weighed anchor and stood out to maneuver inManila Bay , away from the confining waters near Cavite itself. Soon the enemy's high-level bombers were droning overhead, above the effective range of the navy yard's 3-inch batteries; every ship in the harbor opened up with theirantiaircraft batteries. In the ensuing action, "Whippoorwill" claimed assists in splashing two bombers and sending another one crashing on shore nearby. However, the planes that did get through wreaked havoc. Stick after stick of bombs blasted the navy yard -- its buildings and docks -- explosions reverberated like thunderclaps."Peary" stuck by Japanese bombs
"Peary" (DD-226) -- alongside Central Wharf for an overhaul -- was hit by a bomb that struck the foremast, snapping it off above the searchlight platform and sending shards of metal down onto the bridge and fire-control platform, killing or wounding nearly every man there -- including the commander and his
executive officer . Meanwhile, bombs blasted and set afire thetorpedo warehouse across the wharf; warheads exploded and burned. Comdr. Ferriter saw "Peary's" predicament and moved his ship through the burning navy yard and eased "Whippoorwill" near thedestroyer 's stern and passed a towline. Braving the burning firebrands from the blazing warehouse, the destroyermen made fast the line, and the minesweeper commenced backing. The towline stretched taut -- only to part! Twice more Ferriter's command closed the immobile destroyer, both ships endangered by warheads detonating nearby. Finally, on the third try, the line held; and, with debris showering upon the minesweeper and her crippled charge, "Whippoorwill" pulled "Peary" free."Whippoorwill" pulls "Peary" out of danger
Soon thereafter, "Whippoorwill" moored "Peary" to a buoy in
Manila Bay and took the destroyer's wounded to the hospital atSangley Point in her motor launch. Later that evening, the minesweeper unmoored from thedestroyer and stood out, anchoring for the night farther out in Manila Bay."Whippoorwill" escapes to Borneo
With Philippine waters vulnerable for surface ships, those ships of the Asiatic Fleet that could do so sailed for points south. "Whippoorwill" headed for
Borneo on12 December and arrived atBalikpapan on the 15th. Four days later, the minecraft -- in company with "Tulsa", "Asheville", and "Lark" (AM-21) -- joinedTask Force (TF) 7 and withdrew further south to theCelebes , arriving the next day. Later, "Whippoorwill" screened "Tulsa" as the two ships proceeded forJava . Arriving atSurabaya , three days beforeChristmas of1941 , Comdr. Ferriter went ashore and reported for orders to the Dutch naval commander there. Three days later, the minesweeper commenced local patrols and sweeps out of Surabaya and continued that duty into February1942 , often operating in company with Dutch units, before she received orders to move toTjilatjap , a port onJava 's south coast.Searching for "Langley’s" survivors
Arriving early on
26 February , "Whippoorwill" and "Lark" put to sea at 1400 the next day to search for survivors of theseaplane tender "Langley" (AV-3), reportedly sunk south of Java. Three hours out of Tjilatjap, the minesweeper's lookouts sighted a strange vessel and altered course to close and identify her. The mysterious ship turned out to be "Tulsa", also searching for "Langley" survivors. The trio of ships continued their search, the minesweepers steaming independently of the gunboat. At 2229, "Whippoorwill" and "Lark" arrived in the area in which "Langley" had been reported lost, passed a large oil slick, and smelled a strong odor of gasoline and oil -- mute testimony to the tragedy that had gone before.Rescuing survivors of the "SS City of Manchester"
On the following day, the last day of February, the minesweepers abandoned their search and were about to put about to return to Tjilatjap. At 0507, however, lookouts noted a pulsating fire on the horizon; and the minesweepers closed cautiously. The burning vessel turned out to be the British merchantman "City of Manchester" -- of the Ellerman Line -- that had been torpedoed and gunned by the
Japanese submarine I-153 . "Whippoorwill" lowered a boat at 0550 and rescued the British sailors from their rafts and life boats. Ten injured men were transferred to "Tulsa", which had providentially shown up on the scene of the rescue -- the gunboat having a well-equipped sick bay that the minesweepers lacked. Following that rescue mission, "Whippoorwill" returned toTjilatjap , arriving on1 March , only to stand out later that day as Java, too, was becoming more untenable with each passing hour. Retiring in the face of a ruthless enemy drawing tight the noose around Java, "Whippoorwill" crept southward towardsAustralia . As she proceeded on her anxious voyage, other retiring Asiatic Fleet ships met their doom at the hands of the marauding Japanese -- "Asheville", "Pecos" (AO-6), and thedestroyers Edsall (DD-219) and "Pillsbury" (DD-227)."Whippoorwill" makes it to Australia
"Whippoorwill" dropped anchor at
Fremantle on9 March and operated out of Fremantle into May before she shifted toAlbany, Australia . The minesweeper conducted local patrols and guardship operations in the shipping channels and harbors there from mid-May to late August when she returned to Fremantle. For the remainder of1942 , "Whippoorwill" operated alternatively at Exmouth Bay, Albany, or Fremantle, patrolling locally and towing targets. On occasion, she acted as reference vessel forsubmarines of the Southwest Pacific forces on their training cruises. The beginning of1943 found "Whippoorwill" engaged in local patrol operations out ofExmouth Gulf , and she continued that duty until February, when she made another brief visit to Fremantle. On 18 and19 February 1943 , she engaged in night exercises with Americansubmarines on maneuvers. Six days later, while underway off the coast, she encountered acyclone which wrenched two 300-pounddepth charges from their tracks.Antisubmarine action
After returning to Exmouth Gulf, she remained there through March
1943 before sailing for Fremantle and a six-daydrydock ing period. Upon completion of this brief refit, she returned to Exmouth Gulf on24 April and conducted minesweeping operations in the area. On15 May , while enroute to Fremantle, she picked up an echo with hersonar gear and came togeneral quarters . She droppeddepth charges but lost the contact. Arriving at Fremantle two days later,17 May , she commenced a series ofantisubmarine patrols which lasted into November.Reclassified as an ocean-going tug
On
1 December , she began an extensive refit. During the yard work, she was reclassified an ocean-going tug and redesignated AT-169 on1 March 1944 . The long overhaul was completed on5 March , and the ship proceeded toBrisbane . Coming under the operational control ofCommander, Service Force, 7th Fleet , "Whippoorwill" arrived at Brisbane on20 March . For the next 10 days, 21 to31 March 1944 , she underwent final conversion to an ocean-going tug. This involved the removal of her minesweeping gear and the addition of a heavy-duty towing engine which had once been fitted on board "Dobbin" (AD-3).New Guinea operations
On
8 April , the newly refitted "Whippoorwill" with "LST-385" under tow, got underway forNew Guinea , and arrived atMilne Bay with her charge on15 April . The tug then servedHollandia and atMios Woendi ; also receiving orders toSeeadler Harbor , in theAdmiralty Islands , to serve on "battle-damage standby" duty -- prepared to take any battle-damaged ships under tow and out of the front lines.Philippine Islands operations
"Whippoorwill" was reclassified an ocean-going tug, old, on
15 May 1944 and designated ATO-169. She then continued operations offNew Guinea and in the backwater areas of the war in the Pacific until receiving orders to head north forLeyte in February1945 . Later operating atHollandia andUlithi , "Whippoorwill" resumed operations in thePhilippine Islands on15 June 1945 and served as a harbor tug in theManila Bay area through the end of the war. Touching atLeyte Gulf ,Manila Bay ,Zamboanga , andSamar , "Whippoorwill" finally rounded out her tour in the Philippine Islands on20 December , when she departed Samar, bound for theMarshall Islands . Arriving atEniwetok in company with "Vireo" (ATO-144) and "Rail" (ATO-139), she departed that island on4 January 1946 , bound forPearl Harbor , arriving at the Pacific base that had once long served as her home port on the 15th. After a 10-day stay, "Whippoorwill" in company with "Rail", got underway again on25 January , and headed forSan Francisco, California .Post-war inactivation and decommissioning
Arriving there on
5 February 1946 , "Whippoorwill" soon began preparation for inactivation and, on17 April 1946 , the stalwart ship was decommissioned atSan Francisco, California . Struck from theNavy list on10 June 1946 , she was turned over to theMaritime Commission for disposal on6 November 1946 .Military awards and honors
"Whippoorwill" was awarded one
battle star for herWorld War II service.References
See also
*
List of United States Navy ships
*World War II External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/#Anchor-Editoria-14954 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/02035.htm NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Minesweeper No. 35 / AM-35 / AT / AT(O)-169 Whippoorwill]
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