USS ''Skill'' (AM-115) 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. ''Skill'' was the first of two ships to bear that name. She was laid down on 28 November 1941 by

American Ship Building Company The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio in 1898. It changed its name to t ...

of Cleveland, Ohio; launched on 22 June 1942; and placed in service on 17 November 1942.

North African operations

After a brief shakedown cruise, ''Skill'' was ordered to the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

where she swept mines and performed other mine-warfare countermeasures along the

North African North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

coast before the invasion there. After the initial invasion at Salerno,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, she was assigned patrol and

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

duty in that area. She returned to the area from escort duty on 25 September 1943 and was assigned a patrol station.

Sunk by torpedo

At 1140, not long after she had taken station, her forward magazine exploded. This was probably due to a submarine's

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 ...

because a survivor, whose station was on the bridge, later reported having seen a wake of undetermined origin paralleling the ship at a distance of about 150 yards. ''Skill'' was blown in half and the forward section capsized. The after half caught fire, and the flames moved aft until that section exploded and sank at about 1200. Ten minutes later, the capsized bow slipped beneath the waves. Of her 103 officers and men, none of the officers and only 31 of the men survived. Her name was 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 11 October 1943.

Notes

''Skill'' was mistaken for an Allied destroyer and was sunk by , commanded by Kptlt. Gerd Kelbling. ''U-593'' had been laid down in 1940 in Hamburg, Germany and was successful in sinking Allied ships. Eventually, in the

, Allied warships caught up with it and it was sunk by and . Unlike the ''Skill'', with its great loss of life, all crew members of ''U-593'' survived its sinking, and were taken captive by Allied forces.

Awards

''Skill'' was awarded one

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

for

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 ...

service.

References

External links

*
Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 AM-115 USS ''Skill''

* ttp://home.earthlink.net/~am115/ USS ''Skill'' (AM-115)
U.S. Navy Report - Loss of USS ''Skill'' (AM-115)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skill (AM-115) Auk-class minesweepers of the United States Navy Ships built in Cleveland 1942 ships World War II minesweepers of the United States Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Maritime incidents in September 1943