USS ''Swift'' (AM-122) 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. The second U.S. Naval vessel to be so named, ''Swift'' was laid down on 27 June 1942 by John H. Mathis & Company, Camden, New Jersey. The ship launched on 5 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. J. E. Sheedy, and commissioned on 29 December 1943. ''Swift'' held her shakedown cruise at

Little Creek, Virginia Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

, and on 11 February 1944 entered the Norfolk, Virginia Navy Yard for alterations.

Atlantic Ocean operations

Upon completion, ''Swift'' sailed to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to await the formation of a

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 ...

. The convoy was formed and sailed, with ''Swift'' as escort, on 25 March for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It arrived at

Falmouth, England Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census). Etymology The name Falmouth is of English or ...

on 19 April, and ''Swift'' proceeded to

Plymouth, England Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth' ...

, where she reported to Naval Forces,

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, for duty. She operated out of Plymouth and Torquay, England, until the end of May. As a unit of

Mine Division 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 ...

(MinDiv) 18, ''Swift'' sailed from Torquay, on 5 June for Normandy, France, where she began sweeping mines off the

Utah Beach Utah, commonly known as Utah Beach, was the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944 (D-Day), during World War II. The westernmost of the five code-named la ...

head. She swept mines from dawn to dusk and acted as "

E-boat E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ''Schnellboot'', or ''S-Boot'', meaning "fast boat") of the Kriegsmarine during World War II; ''E-boat'' could refer to a patrol craft from an armed motorboat to a lar ...

" patrol at night. On D + l (7 June) was mined and sunk while being towed by ''Swift''. ''Swift'' remained there until 17 June when she returned to Plymouth, England. Seven days later, she returned to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to aid in sweeping a lane for

battleships 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 o ...

so they could bombard Cherbourg and returned to England. ''Swift'' was next routed to

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and sailed from Plymouth on 1 August. She arrived at Oran on 6 August and was assigned to the invasion fleet for the assault on southern

, " Operation Dragoon". ''Swift'' sortied with the fleet on 10 August and was off the landing beaches in the early morning of D-Day, 15 August. She helped clear the transport area and swept lanes for landing craft. After the troops were ashore, the minesweeper remained on station, sweeping by day and performing antisubmarine and "E-boat" patrol by night. ''Swift'' escorted a

Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, on 16 October and returned to Golfe de Juan,

. She made daily sweeps up the French Riviera, past the German frontier, to the vicinity of San Remo. The minesweeper returned to Oran on 21 December and joined a

bound for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

which sailed on 28 December 1944. ''Swift'' arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, in mid-January 1945 and entered the navy yard there for an overhaul in preparation for duty in the Pacific. The work was completed on 5 March and, after refresher training, she departed for

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, with and . The minesweepers arrived there on 30 March and air-search

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

was installed on ''Swift''.

Pacific Ocean operations

The ships departed on 26 April 1945 for the Panama Canal Zone and the

U.S. West Coast The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

, arriving at

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 ...

, on 15 May. ''Swift'' sailed two days later with ''Symbol'' and for

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. She arrived at

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 ...

on the 26th and sailed to

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

six days later. Upon her arrival at Apra Harbor, she was routed onward to

Ulithi Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the larges ...

. ''Swift'' stood out of Ulithi on 30 June as an escort for

UOK-32 en route to

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

and arrived at

Kerama Retto The are a subtropical island group southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Geography Four islands are inhabited: Tokashiki Island, Zamami Island, Aka Island, and Geruma Island. The islands are administered as Tokashiki Village and Zamami Vill ...

on 6 July. She swept mines in the East China Sea from 10 to 15 July and from 13 to 25 August. ''Swift'' sailed from Okinawa on 31 August for

Tsugaru Strait The is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture. The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles (1 ...

, between Honshū and Hokkaidō, Japan, and swept mines there from 7 to 17 September. After an upkeep period at Ominato Bay, Honshū, from the 18th to the 22nd, she swept westward of the strait from 23 September to 13 October. The ship operated out of Ominato until she began clearing the "Klondike" area of the East China Sea from 26 October to 8 November. ''Swift'' was overhauled at

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...

and then, on 26 November, sailed to Kiirin, Formosa, to sweep mines off the northwest coast. On 11 December, she moved to the Pescadore Islands and swept

Formosa Strait The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a ...

for 10 days. The minesweeper sailed for

Shanghai, China Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, on 21 December 1945 and arrived there the next day. ''Swift'' remained there until early January 1946 when she departed for the west coast of the

, via

. She arrived at

, in February and was assigned to the

Pacific Reserve 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 ...

, in commission, in reserve. ''Swift'' was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 4 June 1946.

Second commissioning

On 17 April 1951, it was decided to activate ''Swift''; and she was placed in commission again on 19 December 1951. After overhaul and refresher training, the minesweeper was assigned to

Mine Squadron MinRon is a standard U.S. Navy abbreviation for "Minesweeper Squadron." The Commander of a Minesweeper Squadron is known, in official Navy communications, as COMMINRON (followed by a number), such as COMMINRON FOUR. Mine Groups A MinGru or MINGR ...

5 for duty and operated along the

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

coast until October 1952. ''Swift'' made a voyage to

from 28 October to 1 December 1952. On 3 February 1953 she stood out of

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, en route to the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

and the

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n war zone. She called at

in mid-February and arrived at

, Japan, on 9 March. The ship sailed for

and operated in the East Coast Operating Zone and at

Hungnam Hŭngnam is a district of Hamhung, the second largest city in North Korea. It is a port city on the eastern coast on the Sea of Japan. It is only from the slightly inland city of Hamhung. In 2005 it became a ward of Hamhung. History The port a ...

until 28 April. She was in Korea again from 24 May until 25 August, operating between

Wonsan Wŏnsan (), previously known as Wŏnsanjin (), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

Pusan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

, and Cheju Do. ''Swift'' sailed from Sasebo on 4 September en route to

, via

. ''Swift'' arrived at

, on 27 September 1953 and conducted local operations along the California coast until October 1954. She deployed to the Far East again from 21 October 1954 to the spring of 1955 when she returned to local operations at

. ''Swift'' was reclassified from AM-122 to MSF-122, Minesweeper, Fleet (steel hulled) on 7 February 1955.

Decommissioning

She was decommissioned again on 13 December 1955 and assigned to the

. Swift 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 1 July 1972 and scrapped.

Awards

''Swift'' received six

battle stars 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 service in

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 ...

and two for service in

References

External links

*
Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 AM-122 USS ''Swift''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift (Am-122) Auk-class minesweepers of the United States Navy 1942 ships World War II minesweepers of the United States Korean War minesweepers of the United States Ships built by John H. Mathis & Company