USS Widgeon (ASR-1)
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USS ''Widgeon'' (AM-22/ASR-1) was an acquired by 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 ...
for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. Later converted to a
submarine rescue ship A submarine rescue ship is a surface support ship for submarine rescue and deep-sea salvage operations. Methods employed include the McCann Rescue Chamber, deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV's) and diving operations. List of active su ...
. ''Widgeon'' was named by the Navy after the widgeon, a freshwater
duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...
.


Construction and commissioning

''Widgeon'' (Minesweeper No. 22) was laid down on 8 October 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 Sun Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 5 May 1918; sponsored by Ms. Mildred Moyer; and commissioned on 27 July 1918.


Service history


World War I

''Widgeon'' served with Minesweeping Group 2 of the Atlantic Fleet during the last months of
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 ...
. After the
armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...
, she was assigned to 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 ...
Minesweeping Detachment and departed Boston, Massachusetts, on 28 June 1919, bound for Scotland. Arriving 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 ...
on 10 July, ''Widgeon'' operated in the North Sea between Scotland and Norway, sweeping up mines sown by the Allies the year before to deter the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
High Seas Fleet The High Seas Fleet () was the battle fleet of the German Empire, German Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. In February 1907, the Home Fleet () was renamed the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpi ...
. These duties – often difficult and dangerous – kept the minesweeper occupied through the summer of 1919. Following the conclusion of the operation, ''Widgeon'' headed home – via Brest, France;
Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality (''concelho'') and executive capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67,2 ...
,
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 ...
; and
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– and arrived at New York on 19 November 1919.


U.S. East Coast

''Widgeon'' operated off the
United States East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...
through 1921. During this period, on 17 July 1920, she was designated AM-22. Selected for conversion to a salvage vessel for duty on the
Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas North America Countries on the western side of North America have a Pacific coast as their western or south-western border. One of th ...
, the minesweeper was decommissioned at
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
on 15 April 1922. She underwent conversion at the
Charleston Navy Yard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River (South Carolina), Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and p ...
and was recommissioned there on 5 March 1923. Despite her new equipment, the ship retained her minesweeper designation. In a departmental letter of 21 November 1923, the Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair specified that ''Widgeon''s equipment be utilized to determine "their exact capabilities in salvage work." Furthermore, "''Widgeon'' should be considered available for salvage or rescue work and the Commander, Submarine Divisions, Pacific, is authorized to send... ''Widgeon'' to render such service when needed."


Pacific operations

Operating out of
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 ...
,
Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from Apri ...
, ''Widgeon'' served as the primary submarine rescue vessel for the Hawaiian area. During this time, she proved her versatility by recovering practice mines or
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 and served as a training ship for fleet divers. In late October 1925, she collided with the submarine ; ''R-8'' suffered the loss of her
periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...
s, the destruction of her
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
, and damage to her radio antenna supports.NavSource Online (at http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08085.htm). In 1926, ''Widgeon'' was extensively altered to increase her capabilities as a submarine rescue vessel (ASR). She finally was reclassified ASR-1 on 22 January 1936, over a decade after she began operating as such. On 16 July 1929 ''Widgeon'' came alongside of and its divers replaced a damaged propeller underwater. It is believed that this was the first instance of work of this kind was accomplished. ''Widgeon'' continued her routine operations out of Pearl Harbor throughout the late 1930s.


World War II

On 7 December 1941, the submarine rescue vessel lay alongside a berth at the submarine base at Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese attacked. Despite keeping up a steady defensive fire with rifles and machine guns during the attack, ''Widgeon''s crewmen did not claim to down any of the attackers. After the enemy planes left, ''Widgeon'' set course for
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 ...
to begin salvage operations on the overturned . When she reached
Battleship Row Battleship Row was the grouping of seven U.S. battleships in port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when the Japanese attacked on 7 December 1941. These ships bore the brunt of the Japanese assault. They were moored next to Ford Island when the attac ...
, she found that burning oil spewing from the shattered tanks on was threatening the ships nested immediately ahead, and the torpedoed . Under orders from the Commander, Battle Force, ''Widgeon'' assisted and Garbage Lighter in fighting the fires. ''Widgeon'' subsequently took part in salvaging , , and ''Oklahoma''. Her work on ''Nevada'' earned the ship a commendation from Commander, Battle Force, and her divers conducted numerous dives into the darkened and treacherous interiors of the sunken battleships. When this work was well in hand and her service in that capacity was no longer required, ''Widgeon'' returned to her duties with the submarines of the Pacific Fleet. She towed targets for gunnery exercises and served as a target during torpedo-firing drills. She also recovered practice torpedoes at the conclusion of the day's training activities. ''Widgeon'' operated in this capacity from April 1942-7 September 1943, when she got underway for the California coast. Arriving at San Diego on 18 September, she operated off the West Coast as a torpedo recovery and submarine rescue ship into the spring of 1944, when she was relieved by . In May, ''Widgeon'' returned to Pearl Harbor and resumed her operations as the Hawaiian-based submarine rescue vessel. She continued this duty through the end of the war in the Pacific and into November 1945, after which time she completed another tour at San Diego.


Operation Crossroads

In the summer of 1946, ''Widgeon'' – as part of
Task Unit A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...
1.2.7, the salvage unit of Joint Task Force 1 – supported
Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity on July 16, 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices sinc ...
, the
atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear expl ...
tests at
Bikini Atoll Bikini Atoll ( or ; Marshallese language, Marshallese: , , ), known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 19th century and 1946, is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a central lagoon. The atoll is at the no ...
.


Decommissioning

Subsequently, returning to the West Coast, ''Widgeon'' was decommissioned on 5 February 1947 and 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 23 December. Soon thereafter, she was sold to the Basalt Rock Co., of
Napa, California Napa is the largest city and county seat of Napa County, California, Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California, United States. Located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the Bay Area, th ...
, on 5 March 1948 and scrapped.


Commemoration

''Widgeon''s
ship's bell A ship's bell is a bell on a ship that is used for the indication of time as well as other traditional functions. The bell itself is usually made of brass or bronze, and normally has the ship's name engraved or cast on it. Strikes Timing of shi ...
has been preserved, and as of 2018 it is on display at the
Palm Springs Air Museum Palm Springs Air Museum is an aviation museum in Palm Springs, California. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit leases from the city 17 acres abutting Palm Springs International Airport. The museum encompasses five themed hangars, outdoor displays, and a vis ...
in
Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...
, California.


Awards

* World War I Victory Medal with "MINESWEEPER" clasp *
American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a United States service medals of the World Wars, military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recogniz ...
with "FLEET" clasp * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 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 ...
*
American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had per ...
*
World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal was a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. Histo ...


References

*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Widgeon Lapwing-class minesweepers 1918 ships World War I minesweepers of the United States Maritime incidents in 1925 Ships built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company Ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Lapwing-class minesweepers converted to submarine rescue ships Submarine rescue ships