USS ''Penguin'' (AM-33) was a acquired by the United States Navy, named after the bird. ''Penguin'' was laid down on 17 November 1917 at the New Jersey Dry Dock and Transportation Co.,

Elizabethport, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

; launched on 12 June 1918; and commissioned on 21 November 1918.

North Sea minesweeping operations

''Penguin'', commissioned too late for service during World War I, performed minesweeping and salvage work in the New York City area until sailing for Kirkwall, Scotland, on 22 May 1919. On 5 June she reported to the North Sea Minesweeping Detachment. Fitted out with "electrical protective devices", she was soon busy in the post-war clearing of the

North Sea Mine Barrage The North Sea Mine Barrage, also known as the Northern Barrage, was a large minefield laid easterly from the Orkney Islands to Norway by the United States Navy (assisted by the Royal Navy) during World War I. The objective was to inhibit the m ...

. On 9 July a mine exploded in her kite, causing minor damage. In August, while laying

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 ...

s for the sixth sweeping operation, she suffered a similar explosion, with more severe results. Temporary repairs restored her to working condition until a lengthy repair and overhaul period at

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

prepared her to sail homeward.

Pacific Ocean operations

''Penguin'' returned to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in November, then sailed to join the Pacific Fleet's Mine Squadron 4, with which she operated, in the eastern Pacific, until decommissioned and placed in reserve at Pearl Harbor on 1 June 1922. Recommissioned on 13 October 1923, she was fitted out for temporary service as a gunboat and assigned to the

Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...

. Sailing west she took up duties as a Yangtze Patrol vessel, operating out of Shanghai. She remained on China station until the end of the decade, then sailed to Cavite, whence she steamed to Guam, where she was homeported for the remainder of her naval career. During the 1930s she performed various services for the administrators of Guam, including patrol and rescue missions in areas traversed by the newly established transpacific air routes. However, with increased political tension in the Far East, and increased possibilities for war, her patrol duties were stepped up and took on a more defensive posture.

World War II and sinking

Early on the morning of 8 December 1941 (7 December east of the

International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is an internationally accepted demarcation on the surface of Earth, running between the South and North Poles and serving as the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific O ...

) she returned to Guam's Agana Harbor from a patrol to receive word of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Soon thereafter Japanese aircraft attacked the island, starting the Battle of Guam. Bombs fell on fuel storage tanks and shore installations. ''Penguin'' slipped her mooring and moved outside the harbor to gain maneuvering space and attacked the bombers with

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

fire, shooting down one aircraft, but she was then bombed and strafed. There were no direct bomb hits, but a group of bombs straddled the ship, killing one, wounding over sixty, and causing extensive damage. Then, in of water, she was scuttled to prevent her capture by the enemy. Her crew made the shore in life rafts; those not seriously wounded continued the defense of Guam.

References

External links

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USN Ships - USS ''Penguin'' (Minesweeper # 33, later AM-33)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penguin (AM-33) Lapwing-class minesweepers Ships built in Elizabeth, New Jersey 1918 ships World War I minesweepers of the United States World War II minesweepers of the United States World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Maritime incidents in December 1941