USS Swift (AM-122)

History
United States
Name	USS Swift
Builder	John H. Mathis & Company, Camden, New Jersey
Laid down	27 June 1942
Launched	5 December 1942
Commissioned	29 December 1943
Decommissioned	4 June 1946
Recommissioned	19 December 1951
Decommissioned	13 December 1955
Reclassified	MSF-122, 7 February 1955
Stricken	1 July 1972
Honours and; awards	6 battle stars (World War II); 2 battle stars (Korea);
Fate	Scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type	Auk-class minesweeper
Displacement	890 long tons (904 t)
Length	221 ft 3 in (67.44 m)
Beam	32 ft (9.8 m)
Draft	10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	100 officers and enlisted
Armament	1 × 3"/50 caliber gun; 2 × 40 mm guns; 2 × 20 mm guns; 2 × Depth charge tracks;

USS Swift (AM-122) was an Auk-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.

The second U.S. Naval vessel to be so named, Swift was laid down on 27 June 1942 by

Little Creek, Virginia, and on 11 February 1944 entered the Norfolk, Virginia

Navy Yard for alterations.

Atlantic Ocean operations

Upon completion, Swift sailed to

Torquay, England

, until the end of May.

As a unit of

battleships so they could bombard Cherbourg

and returned to England.

Swift was next routed to

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 convoy to Naples, Italy, on 16 October and returned to Golfe de Juan, France. 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 convoy bound for the United States

which sailed on 28 December 1944.

Swift arrived at

Miami, Florida, with Sway (AM-120) and Symbol (AM-123). The minesweepers arrived there on 30 March and air-search radar

was installed on Swift.

Pacific Ocean operations

The ships departed on 26 April 1945 for the

Kerama Retto 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

Pacific Reserve Fleet

, 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 5 for duty and operated along the California

coast until October 1952.

Swift made a voyage to

Cheju Do. Swift sailed from Sasebo on 4 September en route to California, via Pearl Harbor

.

Swift arrived at

San Diego, California. Swift was reclassified from AM-122 to MSF-122, Minesweeper, Fleet (steel hulled) on 7 February 1955.^[1]^[2]