USS ''Partridge'' (AM-16) was an acquired by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. ''Partridge'' was named after the

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perdic ...

, any of various

gallinaceous Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often ...

birds, such as the

ruffed grouse The ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus'') is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is non-migratory. It is the only specie ...

bob-white quail The northern bobwhite (''Colinus virginianus''), also known as the Virginia quail or (in its home range) bobwhite quail, is a ground-dwelling bird native to Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Cuba, with introduced populations elsewhere in th ...

, found in North America. ''Partridge'' was laid down on 14 May 1918 by the Chester Shipbuilding Co.,

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester ...

: launched on 15 October 1918; sponsored by Ms. C. H. McCay; and commissioned on 17 June 1919.

Post-World War I operations

Completed too late to participate in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, ''Partridge'' operated in the Pacific Ocean until returning to the Atlantic Ocean in June 1941. Converted to an ocean-going

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

, ''Partridge'' was reclassified AT-138 on 1 June 1942. The tug participated in rescue and towing duties along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean, making an important contribution to saving lives and ships, until early May 1944.

World War II operations

Reclassified ATO-138 on 15 May 1944, ''Partridge'' was ordered to England to assist in preparing for the coming invasion of Normandy. The ship remained in England until 10 June, when she was ordered to sail for the

beachhead A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. Th ...

. ''En route'' to France, at position , some north of

Vierville-sur-Mer Vierville-sur-Mer (, literally ''Vierville on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy region in northwestern France. History World War II On 6 June 1944 (D-Day), the U.S. Army's 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry ...

, the veteran

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

was hit by a

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

from a German

E-Boat E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ''Schnellboot'', or ''S-Boot'', meaning "fast boat") of the Kriegsmarine during World War II; ''E-boat'' could refer to a patrol craft from an armed motorboat to a la ...

at 02:00 on 11 June and sank some 35 minutes later. ''Partridge'' was struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

on 29 July 1944.

References

External links

*
USS Partridge.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Partridge (AM-16) Lapwing-class minesweepers Ships built in Chester, Pennsylvania 1918 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States World War II shipwrecks in the English Channel Lapwing-class minesweepers converted to tugs Maritime incidents in June 1944