USS ''Seagull'' (AM-30) was an acquired by 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 ...

for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. ''Seagull'' was laid down on 15 June 1918 by the Gas Engine and Power Co.,

Morris Heights, New York Morris Heights is a residential neighborhood located in the West Bronx. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: West Burnside Avenue to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the south, and ...

; launched on 24 December 1918; sponsored by Mrs. C.G. Amory; and commissioned on 7 March 1919 as Minesweeper No. 30.

World War I mine barrage clearance

Following

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

, ''Seagull'' proceeded to Boston, Massachusetts, whence she sailed for Scotland and duty with the North Sea Mine Detachment. Departing on 28 June, she arrived at

Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...

on 10 July to join other units already engaged in clearing the waters between Scotland and Norway of the mine barrage planted during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. On 30 September, during the seventh and final sweeping operation, ''Seagull'' was damaged by the explosion of an upper-level mine. On the completion of repairs, she departed England with others of the force; and, after stops at

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

and the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, set out to recross the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. En route, storms slowed her progress, and the small amount of fuel she had received at Brest ran out. The extra fuel carried by eased the situation and enabled the force to arrive back in the United States in early November. On the 19th, the ships gathered at Tompkinsville, New York, where, on the 25th, the North Sea Mine Force was dissolved.

Post-World War I Pacific operations

''Seagull'', assigned to the Pacific Fleet, proceeded first to Charleston, South Carolina, for repairs; then - with the new year, 1920 — continued on to

San Diego, California 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 Stat ...

, arriving on 30 January. Designated ''AM-30'' seven months later, she operated as a unit of the 3rd Division, 4th Mine Squadron until June 1922 when she was ordered to serve as a

submarine tender A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

. There, with only occasional interruptions for inter-island towing and passenger runs, fleet problems, and overhauls during the 1920s and 1930s and to assist in salvage operations at

after 7 December 1941, she provided services -

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 ...

recovery, target towing, and escort - until after the close of

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 ...

Decommissioning

Redesignated twice during the war, to Ocean Tug AT-141 on 1 June 1942 and to ATO-141 on 15 May 1944, ''Seagull'' departed

for the last time in October 1945 and arrived at

Mare Island, California Mare Island ( Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the eas ...

, on the 12th to await inactivation. Assigned to SubRon 3 during the interim, she was decommissioned on 5 September 1946; struck from the

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 ...

on 15 October 1946; and transferred to the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

for disposal on 2 May 1947.

References

External links

*
Tenders - USS ''Seagull''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seagull (AM-30) Lapwing-class minesweepers Ships built in Morris Heights, Bronx 1918 ships World War I minesweepers of the United States Submarine tenders of the United States Navy World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Lapwing-class minesweepers converted to tugs