USS ''Pheasant'' (AM-61/MSF-61) was an named after the Pheasant, a large game bird found in the United States and other countries. ''Pheasant'' was laid down on 22 July 1942 at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan; launched on 24 October 1942, sponsored by Mrs.

Harry J. Defoe Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

, wife of the shipyard owner; and commissioned on 12 December 1942. Following fitting out at Boston, Massachusetts, ''Pheasant'' helped to protect convoys along the eastern and gulf coasts of the United States beginning in early 1943. Immediately preceding the

Normandy invasion Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...

of 6 June 1944, she swept dangerous mines from fire support areas used by the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

s and . From 29 June until her departure for Oran, Algeria, on 15 July 1944, she cleared areas to be used for the invasion of Cherbourg, France. Later, in the Mediterranean, she made exploratory sweeps prior to the invasion of southern France. She swept successfully in the Mediterranean until May 1945 when she received orders to return to the United States. Pheasant entered the

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 ...

at San Diego, California, in December 1945. She was reclassified MSF-61 on 7 February 1955, struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 December 1966, and later sunk as a target. ''Pheasant'' received two battle stars for World War II service.

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Photo gallery
at navsource.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Pheasant (Am-61) Auk-class minesweepers of the United States Navy Ships built in Bay City, Michigan 1942 ships World War II minesweepers of the United States Ships sunk as targets

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