''T-114'' was a

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 ...

of the Soviet Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. She had originally been built as USS ''Alchemy'' (AM-141), an , for 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 ...

during

, but never saw active service in the U.S. Navy. Upon completion she was transferred to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

under Lend-Lease as ''T-114''; she was never returned to the United States. ''T-114'' was sunk by in the

Kara Sea The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...

in August 1944. Because of the Cold War, the U.S. Navy was unaware of this fate and the vessel remained on the American

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 ...

until she was struck on 1 January 1983.

Career

''Alchemy'' was laid down on 8 June 1942 at

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, by the

Tampa Shipbuilding Tampa Shipbuilding Company, or TASCO, was one of a number of shipyards in Tampa, Florida. It operated from 1917 to after World War II, closing in 1947. History Origins Originally Tampa Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, founded in 1917, the y ...

Co.; sponsored by Mrs. W. E. Edgarton; and completed on 11 August 1943. On the same day that she was completed, ''Alchemy'' was turned over to the Soviet Navy under the terms of the lend-lease program. She served the Soviets as ''T-114'', until she was

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 ...

ed and sunk 13 August 1944 in the

by the . ''Alchemy'' was carried on the American

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the 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 autho ...

as MSF-141 after 7 February 1955, until struck on 1 January 1983.

References

External links

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

{{DEFAULTSORT:T-114 Admirable-class minesweepers Ships built in Tampa, Florida 1942 ships World War II minesweepers of the United States Admirable-class minesweepers of the Soviet Navy World War II minesweepers of the Soviet Union Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II Maritime incidents in August 1944 Shipwrecks in the Kara Sea World War II shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean