USS ''Cardinal'' (AM-6) was a in 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 ...

. She was named after the cardinal bird. ''Cardinal'' was launched 29 March 1918 by Staten Island Shipbuilding Co., New York; sponsored by Ms. I. Nelson; and commissioned on 23 August 1918 as Minesweeper No.6.

History

East Coast operations

''Cardinal'' served in the

3rd Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...

, sweeping waters off New York and serving as a temporary lightship, until 3 August 1919, when she sailed to join the Pacific Fleet.

Pacific Ocean deployment

For the next three years, she sailed out of San Diego and

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, California, carrying supplies, provisions and passengers along the California coast, and towing lighters, targets, and disabled ships. ''Cardinal'' was redesignated as AM-6 on 17 July 1920. From 8 February – 16 April 1923, ''Cardinal'' sailed to the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

to provide tug services during fleet

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

practice. She returned to San Pedro to prepare for duty in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

n waters, and on 23 May sailed for

Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. With a population of 19,960 as of the 2020 census, it is the largest city in the county. The population was estimated at 20,134 in 2021. The city's har ...

, where she called from 30 May – 1 June.

Fate

While bound for

Dutch Harbor Dutch Harbor is a harbor on Amaknak Island in Unalaska, Alaska. It was the location of the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June 1942, and was one of the few sites in the United States to be subjected to aerial bombardment by a foreign power during ...

on 6 June, she was grounded on a

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...

off the east coast of

Chirikof Island Chirikof Island (russian: Остров Чирикова) is located in the Gulf of Alaska approximately southwest of Kodiak Island. Terrain Chirikof Island consists of of grasses and sedges. Treeless, it lies west of the western tree line in Al ...

, and heavy flooding began immediately. Some of her men were landed on the island, where they were later taken off by a

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (abbreviated USC&GS), known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It ...

ship. The rest were rescued from the battered ''Cardinal'' on 7 June by the oiler , who also took off salvageable material and stores. The remaining hulk sank soon thereafter.

References

External links

*
USS ''Cardinal'' AM-6

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardinal (AM-6) Lapwing-class minesweepers Ships built in Staten Island Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Maritime incidents in June 1923 1918 ships World War I minesweepers of the United States