USS ''Tide'' (AM-125) was an oceangoing Auk class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for the marine tide, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. ''Tide'' was laid down on 16 March 1942 at Savannah, Georgia, by the Savannah Machinery and Foundry Company; launched on 7 September 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Ruth Hangs; and commissioned on 9 May 1943. ''Tide'' served in the

European Theatre of Operations The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

and was assigned to minesweeping the beaches offshore the

Normandy landing The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

in June of 1944. On the day following

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

, June 7, 1944, she struck a German mine and sank. She received one battle star for her wartime service.

North African operations

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, ...

training out of

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

and Norfolk, ''Tide'' got underway from

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...

for her first transatlantic voyage. On 17 July 1943, as she steamed in ''convoy'' for North Africa, the minesweeper collided with an infantry landing craft — ''LCI-267'' — which she had just provisioned. Damage to the sweeper included sprung plates and two minor hull punctures which were repaired at sea. ''Tide'' arrived at

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

on 18 July and was soon on her way again escorting a convoy bound for American ports. During the homeward voyage on 29 July, a sonar contact prompted ''Tide'' to drop

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

s on what she thought was an enemy

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

. Although a later search revealed an oil slick, no submarine sinking was confirmed.

Stateside operations

Following her arrival at

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 * '' ...

on 9 August 1943, ''Tide'' operated on the

Eastern Sea Frontier The Eastern Sea Frontier (EASTSEAFRON) was a United States Navy operational command during World War II, that was responsible for the coastal waters from Canada to Jacksonville, Florida, extending out for a nominal distance of two hundred miles. T ...

until 30 September. In October–November, she made another Atlantic crossing, returning to New York on 25 November. In December, ''Tide'' participated in exercises off the coast of Maine and conducted mine warfare training off Yorktown, Virginia. Convoy duties in the waters of the Eastern Sea Frontier and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

occupied her in January 1944. On the 25th, ''Tide'' got underway again for what was to be her longest convoy escort assignment. Departing

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

, she steamed — via Bermuda and the Azores — for the United Kingdom.

European operations

''Tide'' completed this voyage at

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...

, Wales on 10 March 1944 and spent the remainder of the month operating out of Falmouth. In April–May, she escorted convoys in British coastal waters and engaged in exercises with minesweepers of the Royal Navy in preparation for the invasion of Europe. In the last week of May, ''Tide'' made sweeps out of Babbacombe Bay. On 5 June, ''Tide'' got underway from Tor Bay with Minesweeper Squadron "A", a unit assigned to the Utah Beach area. Later that day, German mines began to take their toll as , a squadron member, went down. As the day wore on, ''Tide'' swept channels off the Normandy beaches for fire-support ships and continued sweeps the next day, "

". During the night of 6–7 June, she joined other vessels in guarding the Carentan Estuary to prevent the sally of enemy E-boats. USS Tide after hitting a mine

On the morning of 7 June, ''Tide'' swept the area inshore and between Îles Saint-Marcouf and Barfleur to clear lanes for fire-support ships. At 09:40, while recovering her gear, ''Tide'' drifted over the Cardonet Banks and struck a mine which exploded with such force that she was lifted out of the water. The explosion broke her back, blasted a tremendous hole in her bottom, and tore away all bulkheads below the waterline causing immediate and irreversible flooding. ''Tide''s

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

— Lt. Cdr. Allard B. Heyward — died soon after the initial explosion, and Lt. Cdr. George Crane — the ship's

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

— directed efforts to assist the stricken vessel and to rescue survivors. and tried to aid ''Tide'', but the ship was beyond saving. When attempted to tow the damaged ship to the beach, the strain broke ''Tide'' in two. She sank only minutes after the last survivors had been taken off. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 29 July.

Awards

''Tide'' received one battle star for World War II service.

References

External links