USS ''Turkey'' (AM-13) was a the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
, thus named after the bird, not after the country which in 1917 was an enemy in the ongoing World War I. The minesweeper was acquired by for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
''Turkey'' (Minesweeper No. 13) was laid down on 19 August 1917 at
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...
, by the
Chester Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 30 April 1918; sponsored by Mrs. W. T. Smith; and commissioned on 13 December 1918.
Clearance of World War I mines
Although completed too late to see service during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, ''Turkey'' took part in the gigantic operation to clear the mine barrage which had been laid in the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
during this conflict. This system of
minefields
A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, whic ...
constituted a formidable obstacle to the resumption of trade in the aftermath of the war. After steaming across the Atlantic Ocean, the new minesweeper arrived at
Kirkwall
Kirkwall (, , or ; ) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the ''Orkneyinga saga'', it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub wi ...
, Scotland, on 20 April 1919 and joined the American forces massing there to begin clearing the shipping lanes between Scotland and Norway.
''Turkey'' strikes a mine
Soon thereafter, ''Turkey'' got underway for mine-sweeping operations in the North Sea. During her second operation (which ran from 8 to 29 May), a mine exploded directly beneath ''Turkey'' on 16 May. The disabled minesweeper crept to
Lyness
Lyness is a village on the east coast of the island of Hoy, Orkney, Scotland. The village is within the parish of Walls and Flotta, and is situated at the junction of the B9047 and B9048.
During the 1920s Lyness was briefly the headquarters of t ...
, at
Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have played an impor ...
, where she was
drydock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
ed for repairs.
Her damage was corrected in time for ''Turkey'' to take part in the project's fifth operation, commencing on 22 July. Eight days later, the minesweeper suffered a condenser failure. After receiving a cannibalized unit from the disabled , she resumed operations in mid-August.
Fair weather conditions, unusual for the North Sea, enabled the ships to make excellent progress. While thus engaged, ''Turkey'' fouled a mine in her sweep gear; and it exploded close aboard, causing minor damage. However, the ship effected quick repairs at sea and continued operations without missing the proverbial step. By 16 August, ''Turkey''s group had swept a record 1,373 mines.
''Oriole'' damaged by a mine
Deteriorating weather conditions, however, hampered the clearing of group 13, in an operation begun on 5 September. After delaying putting to sea due to heavy fog, the ships got underway to carry out their assignment but seemed dogged with misfortune and bad luck from the beginning. snared a mine which exploded in one of her "kites", damaging both kite and ship and forcing her to limp home. closed ''Turkey'' to obtain more sweep wire to replace her depleted stock, but the capricious sea slammed the two ships together, forcing USS ''Swan'' out of action and back to port for repairs.
Completion of North Sea mine clearance
By November 1919, the colossal job of sweeping the barrage had been completed. On 25 November, ''Turkey'' and her 34 sister ships received orders detaching them from duty in the North Sea. Taking on fuel at
Brest, France, ''Turkey'' departed European waters but soon ran into bad weather off the
Azores
The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
. Bucking heavy seas and high winds, the ship used a large amount of her fuel and exhausted it completely, long before she reached
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest.
Bermuda is an ...
.
Destroyer tender
A destroyer tender or destroyer depot ship is a type of depot ship: an auxiliary ship designed to provide maintenance support to a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships. The use of this class has faded from its peak in the first half of ...
passed a towline to the minesweeper and eventually brought her to Bermuda.
Assignment to the Pacific Fleet
Following her return to the United States, ''Turkey'' began operating out of New York in the waters of the
3rd 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 ...
. On 17 July 1920, the minesweeper was designated AM-13 when the U.S. Navy adopted its modern alphanumeric system of hull numbers. In 1921, the ship shifted to the Pacific Ocean to join the Pacific Fleet Train. Based at
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...
, she operated as part of
Mine Division MinDiv was a standard U.S. Navy abbreviation or acronym for "Minesweeper Division."
The Commander of a minesweeper division is known, in official Navy communications, as COMMINDIV (followed by a number), such as COMMINDIV EIGHT.
References
See ...
4 and Mine Division 6 until decommissioned there on 12 April 1922.
After 15 years in reserve, ''Turkey'' returned to the
West Coast of the United States
The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...
in September 1937 and was fitted out at the
Mare Island Navy Yard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...
,
Vallejo, California
Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California, United States, and the second largest city in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the ci ...
. Recommissioned there on 15 August 1938, ''Turkey'' subsequently operated out of
San Pedro, Los Angeles
San Pedro ( ; ) is a neighborhood located within the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los ...
, through 1939.
As the Fleet shifted to Pearl Harbor in late 1939 and early 1940, ''Turkey'' followed and operated out of Pearl Harbor into 1941. On 7 December of that year, she lay moored in a nest of her sister ships at the Coal Docks at Pearl Harbor, when
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
planes launched a surprise attack on the unsuspecting
Pacific Fleet.
Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor
A
Naval Reserve ensign, who had experienced only six months of sea duty, led the ship's defense until her
commanding officer
The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...
could return to the ship. The crew tumbled to
battle stations
General quarters, battle stations, or action stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal that all hands (everyone available) aboard a ship must go to battle stations (the positions they are to assume when the vessel is ...
at the sound of the
general quarters
General quarters, battle stations, or action stations is an announcement made aboard a navy, naval warship to signal that all hands (everyone available) aboard a ship must go to battle stations (the positions they are to assume when the ves ...
alarm and quickly manned the main battery of two 3-inch guns. In addition, two
Lewis guns atop the tall pilot house went into action. A number of riflemen armed with
Springfield 1903 bolt-action rifles roamed the decks looking for good vantage points from which to fire at the attacking planes. Twenty minutes after the raid began, ''Turkey'' backed clear of the next ship to improve her field of fire and continued the fight.
When all Japanese planes had departed the area, ''Turkey'' and her sister ships labored to salvage the critically damaged
battleships
A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
which were partially sunk in the mud and oily waters off
Ford Island
Ford Island () is an islet in the center of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It has been known as Rabbit Island, Marín's Island, and Little Goats Island; its native Hawaiian name is ''Mokuumeume''. The island had an area of ...
. ''Turkey'' remained engaged in these operations until 1 April 1942, when she departed Pearl Harbor for
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
n waters.
Pacific Theatre operations
Relieving as station ship at Samoa, ''Turkey'' operated in Samoan waters through the end of the year and into 1943. She conducted
minesweeping
Minesweeping is the practice of removing explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that purpos ...
patrols, provided local escort services, and towed targets for the
United States Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...
shore batteries on Samoa. On 1 June 1942, she was reclassified as 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 ...
and given the designation AT-143. She also supported
Marine raider
The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry warfare.
Despite the original intent for Raiders to serve ...
landing exercises.
Discovering castaways
On 14 April 1943, ''Turkey'' visited
Bowditch Island on an inspection and discovered two
castaway
A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a desert island, either to evade kidnapping, captors or the world in general. A person may also be ...
s who had been there for nearly a month. The two had been treated well by the local populace and were in good shape. After receiving repairs from 21 to 30 April, the minesweeper became station ship at
Tutuila
Tutuila is the largest and most populous island of American Samoa and is part of the archipelago of the Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisba ...
. She returned to Pearl Harbor in June and thence proceeded to the U.S. West Coast and a major overhaul at
Mare Island
Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...
, California. Following trials off the west coast, she headed for Hawaii and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 20 October.
Operating out of the Fleet's Hawaiian base, ''Turkey'' towed targets for naval aircraft and recovered practice
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
es through January 1944. Operating as a unit of
Service Squadron
A Service Squadron (ServRon) was a United States Navy squadron that supported fleet combat ships and US Navy Auxiliary ships. Service Squadrons were used by the US Navy from their inception in 1943 to as late as the early 1980s. At the time of t ...
6, she conducted these activities through late February, after which she underwent more repair work at Pearl Harbor from 1 March to 24 April.
Following post-repair trials and practice torpedo-recovery operations in Hawaiian waters, she headed for the
Marshalls
Marshalls, Inc. is an American chain of discount store, off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store (stores operating with HomeGoods combined), ...
on 10 May 1944 – in company with and towing barges ''YOGL-7'' and ''YW-68'' – and arrived at
Majuro
Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain, Ratak ( ...
on 25 May. Five days later, ''Turkey'' headed for
Kwajalein with ''YF-412'' and ''YF-383'' in tow and in company with ''ATR-46'', making port there on 1 June. Upon delivering her tows, she proceeded back to Majuro. Meanwhile, on 15 May 1944, she had been reclassified as an old ocean tug and redesignated ATO-143.
Providing ammunition for the larger ships
On 4 June, she commenced
ammunition
Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...
replenishment operations at that base for
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...
s , , and . For the remainder of the summer, ''Turkey'' operated in the Marshalls, towing small
barge
A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...
s between Majuro, Kwajalein, and
Eniwetok
Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...
, undergoing a brief overhaul alongside at Majuro from 29 August to 2 September and conducting harbor operations. Then, on 5 October, she headed for
Ulithi
Ulithi (, , or ; pronounced roughly as YOU-li-thee) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap, within Yap State.
Name
The name of the island goes back to Chuukic languages, Proto-Chuukic ''*úlú-diw ...
.
After harbor duty there, she sailed for
Ngulu Atoll
Ngulu Atoll is a coral atoll of three islands in the Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Ngulu extends for by with 18 reef segments enclosing a deep centr ...
on 17 October to assist in salvage operations for , which had been damaged by a mine explosion earlier that day. She returned to Ulithi on the 23rd and, four days later, assisted the torpedo-damaged into the harbor after the cruiser had been struck off
Formosa
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners as Formosa, has an area of and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about across the Taiwan Strait f ...
by a Japanese aircraft-launched torpedo.
Sinking of ''Mississinewa''
While ''Turkey'' was towing ''YOG-21'' alongside , the minesweeper's
foremast
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the median line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, giving necessary height to a navigation light ...
caught in one of the carrier's
flight deck
The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface on which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters ...
radio antenna braces and was broken in three places. On 21 November, ''Turkey'' went to the assistance of the tanker which had been struck by a Japanese manned torpedo. The minesweeper closed to help put out the fires. Despite valiant firefighting efforts, the oiler rolled over and sank some three hours later, the war's first victim of Japan's ''
kaiten
were crewed torpedoes and suicide attack, suicide craft, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of World War II.
Background
In recognition of the unfavorable progress of the war, towards the end of 1943 the Japanese high co ...
''.
Following a short overhaul period at Ulithi in December 1944, ''Turkey'' commenced assisting in fueling operations of Fleet carriers there early in January 1945; and, but for a brief drydock period from 9 to 13 January, she continued the task through the end of the month.
Iwo Jima operations
In early February, she assisted in preparations for the
Iwo Jima
is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...
landings before proceeding, via
Kossol Roads Kossol Roads is a large body of reef-enclosed water north of Babeldaob in northern Palau at .[Kossol Roads]
...
in the
Palau
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...
s, to
San Pedro Bay, off
Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has been ...
. ''Turkey'' then continued operations as part of the
Service Squadron, South Pacific Forces, in harbor activities at Ulithi in March through May 1945. After getting underway again for Leyte on 7 May, she served as a retriever for a tow
convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
, keeping a lookout for
barges
A barge is typically a flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and marine water environments. The first modern barges were pull ...
and other craft which might slip their tows en route. Arriving in San Pedro Bay on 13 May, she commenced harbor operations and continued them until 7 June, when she began 10 days of upkeep alongside .
End-of-war activity
She operated between Leyte and Ulithi through the end of hostilities in mid-August before stopping at Kwajalein on the 24th. On 30 August, she got underway for Hawaii and reached Pearl Harbor on 11 September. From there, she proceeded to San Francisco.
Decommissioning
''Turkey'' was decommissioned on 6 November 1945; 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 ...
on 28 November 1945; and sold and delivered to the Hawley Forge and Manufacturing Co., of San Francisco on 30 December 1946.
Awards
''Turkey'' received one
battle star
A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...
for her
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 ...
service.
References
External links
USS ''Turkey'', Report of Pearl Harbor Attack*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turkey (AM-13)
Lapwing-class minesweepers
Ships built in Chester, Pennsylvania
1918 ships
World War I minesweepers of the United States
World War II minesweepers of the United States
Ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor
Lapwing-class minesweepers converted to tugs