USS ''Owl'' (AM-2) was an acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. The first ''Owl'' to be so named by the Navy, ''AM-2'' was laid down 25 October 1917 by the

Todd Shipbuilding Vigor Shipyards is the current entity operating the former Todd Shipyards after its acquisition in 2011. Todd Shipyards was founded in 1916, which owned and operated shipyards on the West Coast of the United States, East Coast of the United St ...

Corp., Brooklyn, New York; launched 4 March 1918; sponsored by Miss Ruth R. Dodd; and commissioned 11 July 1918.

World War I Atlantic operations

Following a New York to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

towing assignment, ''Owl'' reported to the

5th 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 ...

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, 22 August 1918. Employed as a minesweeper for the remaining months of World War I, she then served as a

light ship A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, t ...

in the inner approach to Chesapeake Bay until 10 July 1919. From that time until 1936, she was primarily engaged in providing towing services along the eastern seaboard and in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. Between June 1936 and January 1941, she operated with units of the Aircraft Division, Base Force, providing planeguard, seaplane tender, and target and mooring

buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

planting services from New England to the Caribbean. Then, temporarily attached to Train, Patrol Force at Culebra, Puerto Rico, she steamed to Bermuda in May for towing and servicing duties with

MinDiv 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 ...

14. Redesignated as Ocean Tug AT–137 on 1 June 1942, she was based at Bermuda until June 1943. During that time, towing and escort duties frequently took her to the east coast, while numerous salvage and rescue missions, including aid to the

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

and torpedoed Argentine tanker ''Victoria'', kept her busy at Bermuda and in nearby convoy lanes.

Preparing for the invasion of France

Detached from Bermudan duty in June, ''Owl'' spent the last six months of 1943 with DesRon 30 operating out of

Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay ( es, Bahía de Guantánamo) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off ...

, Cuba. She then steamed back to

, for overhaul, and sailed for Europe. She arrived at Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom, 14 March 1944 to join the Allied forces gathering for the invasion of France. Redesignated ATO–137 on 15 May 1944, she arrived off the Normandy coast two days after "D-Day." As ground forces pushed inland, she towed port and road construction materials to the French coast, thus aiding the all important flow of men and equipment to the front. Availability at Falmouth, early in the new year, 1945, preceded her return to the United States, 27 February, and mid- Atlantic coast towing assignments.

Transfer to Pacific operations

Transferred to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, she sailed from Newport, Rhode Island, 5 May, with the Gate Craft ''YNG–11'' in tow, and arrived at San Diego, 23 June, to join ServRon 2. In August she continued on to Pearl Harbor for four months of target towing duty, returning to the west coast 2 January 1946. ''Owl'' then provided towing services for the

19th Fleet The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and s ...

(

Reserve Fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; a ...

) until beginning inactivation in April.

Decommissioning

She decommissioned in the

13th 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 ...

on 26 July 1946, and on 27 June 1947 was sold for scrapping to the Pacific Metal and Salvage Co. at Port of Nordland, Washington.

Awards

''Owl'' received 1 battle star for World War II service.

References

External links

Ships of the US Navy, 1940–1945 ATO-137 – USS ''Owl''

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Owl (AM-2) Lapwing-class minesweepers Ships built in Brooklyn 1918 ships World War I minesweepers of the United States World War II minesweepers of the United States Lapwing-class minesweepers converted to tugs