WW2 and History Collection / Weapons and
Equipment / Ships / Country U / United States / Lapwing-class / USS Whippoorwill (AM 35 / AT 169 / ATO 169)
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Updated:
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March 27th, 2016
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United States of
America
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USS Whippoorwill (AM 35 / AT 169 / ATO 169)
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Details:
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Class:
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Lapwing-class Minesweepers
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Country:
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United
States
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Owner:
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U.S.
Navy
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Builder:
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Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Co., Mobile
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Laid
down:
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December 12th, 1917
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Launched:
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July 4th, 1918
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Commissioned:
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April 1st, 1919
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Fate:
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Reclassified
Fleet Tug USS Whippoorwill (AT 169) March 1st, 1944
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USS Whippoorwill, Philippines, June 1941
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The USS Whippoorwill was a Lapwing-class
Minesweeper, build in 1917/1918 and commissioned as Minesweeper No. 35,
USS Whippoorwill on April 1st, 1919. On March 1st, 1944 the ship was
reclassified as Fleet Tug, USS Whippoorwill (AT 169).
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History
The
USS Whippoorwill was laid down at the Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding
Company, Mobile, Alabama on December 12th, 1917. On July 18th, 1918 the
ship was launched. USS Whippoorwill was commissioned as Minesweeper No.
35 on April 1st, 1919. After the fitting out period, the ship left
Boston on July 3rd, 1919 for Europe. The ship was stationed at Kirkwall
asn participated in the North Sea Mine Barrage, placed withtin Division
3, Minesweeper Squadron Atlantic Fleet. USS Whippoorwill returned to
the United States in November 1919 and then was assigned to the Pacific
Fleet.
On July 17th, 1920 the ship was redesignated as USS Whippoorwill (AM
35) and was stationed at Pearl Harbor as from March 1st, 1921. Although
classified as a minesweeper, the ship in its service with the Pacific
Fleet was also used as a Fleet Tug, Target Tower and Seaplane Recovery
Ship. The ship was also used as a Suvey ship on scientific expeditions
in the Pacific and the Far East.
After being refitted and modernized, USS Whippoorwill on May 5th, 1941
was assigned to the Asiatic Fleet and bound for the Philippines.
Underway, the ship was assigned as a direction-finding statio for
patrol planes for Pacific Fleets Patrol Wing 10. The ship itself
reached Manila on May 30th, 1941 and was assigned to Mine Division 9,
Mine Squadron 3, Asiatic Fleet. Additioonal to its service as
minesweeper, the ship her was also used as Fleet Tug and Target Tower.
Lter that year the ship was attached to Inshore Patrol, stationed at
Olongapo.
By the end of 1941, USS Whippoorwill was overhauled at the Verdadero Dockyard and then placed on patrol duties with USS Tulsa (PG 22) and USS Asheville (PG 21). By December 1941, the ship was stationed at Cavite, participating in minelsweeping operations.
December 8th, 1941, Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander
Charles A. Ferriter instructed his men after the news of the attack on
Pearl Harbor became news. December 10th, 1941 the ship came under
attack by Japanese aircraft while in Cavite. During the attack it
assisted ships in trouble an was specifically in action in saving the
USS Peary (DD 226), which was hit andin trouble. The following day,
orders were received that USS Whippoorwill was to sail for Borneo, in
the Dutch East Indies. December 12th, 1941, the ship left, accompanied
by USS Tulsa (PG 22),
USS Asheville (PG 21) and USS Lark (AM 21) and joined Task Force 7,
bound for Celebes. From there USS Whippoorwill and USS Tulsa sailed for
Java. With Surabaya as its homebase, the ships patrolled the area until
into February 1942, when she was ordered to Tjilatjap, at the South
coast of Java. The ship arrived there on February 26th, 1941 and was
oredered to help in a search party for survivors of the sunken Seaplane
Tender USS Langley (AV 3), together with USS Lark (AM 21), the next
day. The search did not reveal any success due to the fact that
survivors were already picked up by other ships. February 28th, 1942,
USS Whippoorwill and USS Lark (AM 21), arrived at the scene of the
sinking of the steamlines s.s. City of Manchester that was sunk by the Japanese Submarine I-53 (I).
Both the ships started picking up survivors and returned them to
Tjilatjap. Wounded were transferred to USS Tulsa (PG 22). March 1st,
1942 the ship arrived at Tjilatjap and was ordered to retreat towards
Australia. USS Whippoorwill arrived at Fremantle on March 9th, 1942 and
used it as its homebase until it was transferred to Albany in May 1942.
In August 1942 the ship returend to Fremantle. During the yaer 1942 and
the beginning of 1943, the ship was operating from Exmouth Bay, Albany
and Fremantle, until the ship went into drydock at Fremantle in March
1943. April 24th, 1943 the ship was back at Exmouth and then went
towards Fremantle, from where the ship was active in anti-submarine
patrols until the end of November 1943. As from December 1st, 1943, the
ship was completely refitted to be used for other purposes.
On March 1st, 1944 the ship was reclassified as Fleet Tug, USS Whippoorwill (AT 169).
The refitting was completed on March 5th, 1944, after which the ship
was placed in service with Commander Service Force, 7th Fleet. The
ships homebase was to be Brisbane where it arrived on March 20th, 1944.
In Brisbane the final adjustments were made to be operated as an
ocean-going tug. Her first tug operatio was the towing of USS LST 385
to New Guinea. After this the USS Whippoorwill served in Hollandia,
Mios Woendi, Seeadler Harbor and the Admiralty Islands as tug for
towing battle damaged ships.
On May 15th, 1944 the vessel was redesignated to Ocean-Going Tug, Old
and received the designation ATO 169. After operating as a tug in New
Guinea again and near Leyte in February 1945, USS Whippoorwill was send
to the Philippine Islands and served as a harbor tug in Manila from
June 15th, 1945. On December 20th, 1945 the ship sailed for Eniwetok
together with USS Vireo (ATO 144) and USS Rail (ATO 139) and on January
4th, 1946 towards Pearl Harbor, arriving on January 15th, 1946. USS
Whippoorwill and USS Rail left for San Francisco on January 25th, 1946,
arriving there on February 5th.
On April 17th, 1946 the ship was decommissioned and struck form the
Navy List on June 10th, 1946. On November 6th, 1946 USS Whippoorwill
was transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal.
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For her service USS Whippoorwill was
awarded the: |
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Asiatic Pacific Campaign Streamer with one bronze campaign star
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USS Whippoorwill tendering a seaplane in 1920
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Commanding Officers
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Lieutenant Birney O. Halliwill
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No image available
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April 1st, 1919
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Lieutenant (Jg) Charles William Van Horn
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No image available |
1920
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Lieutenant Edwin Fisher
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No image available |
December 9th, 1925
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Lieutenant Eugene Carrol Burchett
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No image available |
1934 - June 1935
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Lieutenant Laurence Francis Blodgett
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No image available |
1939 - 1940
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Lieutenant Commander Charles Arthur Ferriter
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December 1941
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Lieutenant Vincent Arthur Halbert
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No image available
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1946
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During the ships career, USS Whippoorwill was part of:
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July 1919
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No image available
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Division 3, Minesweeping Squadron, Atlantic Fleet |
November 1919 |
No image available
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Pacific Fleet
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May 1941
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No image available
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Asiatic Fleet
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May 30th, 1941
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No image available
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Mine Division 9, Mine Squadron 3, Asiatic Fleet
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1941 |
No image available
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Inshore Patrol
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March 20th, 1944
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No image available
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Commander Service Force, 7th Fleet
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Details: |
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Name:
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USS Whippoorwill
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Country:
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United States
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Type:
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Lapwing-class Minesweeper
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Owner:
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U.S. Navy
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Displacement:
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950 BRT
(Standard) 1.010 BRT (Maximum)
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Manufacturer:
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Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Co., Mobile
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Measurements:
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Length: 57,25 m
Beam: 10,82 m
Draft: 3,15 m
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Propulsion:
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Engine: 2 Babcock and Wilcox, hp
Shafts: 1
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Speed:
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14 knots
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Range:
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unknown
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Armament:
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2 x 7,62 cm (3 inch) machineguns
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Complement:
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78
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Text:
Wilco Vermeer
Sources: - USS Whippoorwill / NavSource Online (Retrieved March 2nd, 2015
- Whippoorwill (Retrieved March 2nd, 2015)
- USS Whippoorwill (AM-35) / Wikipeida (Retrieved March 26th, 2015)
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© WW2 History Collection, Wilco Vermeer, 2015
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contact |
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