USS Heron (AM-10)
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Heron |
Builder | Standard Shipbuilding Co., New York |
Launched | 18 May 1918, as Minesweeper No.10 |
Commissioned | 30 October 1918 |
Decommissioned | 6 April 1922 |
Recommissioned | 18 December 1924 as AVP-2 |
Decommissioned | 12 February 1946 |
Reclassified |
|
Honours and awards | 4 battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation (World War II) |
Fate | Transferred to the State Department (Foreign Liquidation Commission) in July 1947 for disposal. |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Lapwing-class minesweeper |
Displacement | 840 long tons (853 t) |
Length | 187 ft 10 in (57.25 m) |
Beam | 35 ft 6 in (10.82 m) |
Draft | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
Complement | 78 |
Armament | 2 × 3 in (76 mm) guns |
USS Heron (AM-10) was an Lapwing-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
Heron was named by the U.S Navy after the heron, a long-necked, long-legged wading bird indigenous to Louisiana and the vast coastal marshes.
Heron was launched 18 May 1918 by the Standard Shipbuilding Co.; sponsored by Miss Astrid Rundquist, daughter of the minesweeper's prospective commanding officer; and commissioned 30 October 1918.
1918–41
Departing Boston 17 November 1918, Heron performed experimental mine sweeping work until 8 March 1919, when she returned to Boston to be fitted out for foreign duty. She departed
Returning to
.The minesweeper served in the 4th Division mine detachment until she decommissioned at Cavite on 6 April 1922.
Heron recommissioned 18 December 1924 and reported to the Aircraft Squadron, Asiatic Fleet for duty as a
World War II
When the Japanese
Attacks by Japanese aircraft, 31 December 1941
The following morning, 31 December, an enemy aircraft came in on a bombing run. Heron opened fire with every gun on the ship, and apparently enough machine gun fire hit the plane to discourage a bomb drop on the first run. The bomber came in twice more to aim bombs at the twisting and turning seaplane tender, but the agile ship always managed to dodge in time.
Heron then made a run for a rain squall to the southwest. Some two hours later the weather cleared, and a Japanese
Half an hour later, one of the sections broke off and came in on a horizontal bombing attack. Although this section made three bombing attacks, in each case the ship was maneuvered to avoid the bombs. The second section came in next on a bombing attack, and, on their first run, Heron drew first blood by hitting one of the planes with a 3-inch shell. The plane started smoking, dropped out of formation, and retired to the north. Heron was again able to outmaneuver the bombs unleashed by the two remaining planes on a final pass.
About this time five twin-engine land-based
Next, three four-engine patrol planes made torpedo attacks: one plane on the starboard bow; one on the port bow; and the other on the port quarter. Heron maneuvered skillfully, and all three torpedoes missed.
They then strafed the ship, doing considerable damage. However, the crew of single 3-inch (76 mm) gun shot down one of the planes as it came in to attack. Heron had approximately 26 casualties, or about 50 percent of the crew, as a result of the attack.
During that night the fires were extinguished; the forward hold was pumped out to bring the ship back to an even keel; and the 3-inch gun was repaired. When the ship arrived back at Ambon, she resumed tending seaplanes and continued this duty until early 1942. For her "valiant action" during this period, Heron received the Navy Unit Commendation.
1942–46
Following the fall of the Dutch East Indies to the Japanese, Heron was based in Australia as a seaplane tender.
She remained in and around Australia through early 1944 as an advance base tender. Heron also conducted salvage operations and served as an
When the
Heron again returned to the Philippines in April 1945 to participate in the wrap-up of the war in that quarter, and remained there through the end of World War II.
She decommissioned at
Awards
- Navy Unit Commendation
- Victory Medal
- Yangtze Service Medal
- China Service Medal
- American Defense Service Medal with "Fleet" clasp
- battle stars
- World War II Victory Medal
- Philippine Defense Medal with star
- Philippine Liberation Medal with two stars
- Philippine Independence Medal
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
The account of the U.S.S. Heron's fight against the Japanese flying boats and bombers can be found in the book, "The Fleet The Gods Forgot" by W.G. Winslow. Chapter, "The Little Giant-Killer—USS Heron (AVP-2)
External links
- Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940–1945 AV – Seaplane Tenders
- Photo gallery of USS Heron (Minesweeper No. 10/AM-10/AVP-2) at NavSource Naval History