USS ''Reedbird'' (AMc-30) was a ''Reedbird''-class

coastal minesweeper Coastal minesweeper is a term used by the United States Navy to indicate a minesweeper intended for coastal use as opposed to participating in fleet operations at sea. Because of its small size—usually less than 100 feet in length—and construct ...

acquired by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. The first ship to be named ''Reedbird'' by the Navy was built in 1935 as the wooden

purse-seiner Seine fishing (or seine-haul fishing; ) is a method of fishing that employs a surrounding net, called a seine, that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats. Seine nets can be dep ...

''Fearless'' by Al Larson,

Terminal Island, California Terminal Island, historically known as , is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long Beach. Terminal Island i ...

, was purchased by the Navy from Tony Marincovich and others 18 November 1940; renamed ''Reedbird'' (AMc-30), 30 December 1940; converted to a

by the Campbell Machine Co.,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, and placed in service 29 April 1941. She was present at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 (Attack on Pearl Harbor) and was undamaged.

World War II service

''Reedbird'' departed San Diego 14 May 1941 and, with , steamed west to Pearl Harbor. She reported for duty in the

14th Naval District United States Naval Districts is a system created by the United States Navy to organize military facilities, numbered sequentially by geographic region, for the operational and administrative control of naval bases and shore commands in the Unit ...

28 May and, equipped with acoustical, magnetic, and "O" type gear, operated in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

an waters throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Post-war deactivation

Then ordered inactivated, ''Reedbird'' returned to San Diego where she was stripped and placed out of service 14 January 1946. Her name was struck from the

Navy list A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...

7 February 1946 and on 8 November 1946 she was delivered to the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...

for disposal.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reedbird (AMc-30) Ships built in San Diego 1935 ships Minesweepers of the United States Navy World War II minesweepers of the United States Ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor