USS Fulton (SP-247)-- Part 2: A Minesweeper

This USS Fulton was built as a steel-hulled tug in 1909 by the Staten Island Shipbuilding Company at Port Richmond on Staten Island for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Co. to tow barges carrying rail cars.  It was named after inventor Robert Fulton who was being honored in New York City's Hudson-Fulton Celebration on the centennial of the development of practical steamship technology.

The Navy acquired her under charter on 30 April 1917 during World War I.  She was to be a minesweeper.  After arming with a single  1-pounder gun, she was commissioned  on 22 September 1917 with her two officers and 16 men assigned to the Third  Naval District.  On 11 April 1918 her official name was reduced to SP-247.

The Navy returned her to its previous owner, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad on 12 August 1919.

Don't Need It Anymore.  --Cooter

And Another USS Fulton (SP-247)-- Part 1

Still researching ships by the name of the USS Fulton and Wikipedia has two more ships by that name.  Thus USS Fulton served at the same time as the Fulton that started off as the U.S. Navy's first submarine tender.

From Wikipedia.

The fourth USS Fulton(SP-247) later USS SP-247 was a commercial tug built in 1909.  She was commissioned by the Navy as a minesweeper in 1917 and served in the Third Naval District and returned to her previous owners two years later.  She was used until the 1960s, often under the name of Catherine Carroll.

It was 93.5 feet long, 25.2 foot beam, crew of ten as a minesweeper and armed with one 1-pdr. gun.

--Cooter

USS Grebe (AM-43)-- Part 1: World War I Mines in the North Sea

In my Not So Forgotten:  War of 1812 blog, I recently wrote about the USS Grebe, which towed and served as the tender for the famed War of 1812 warship, USS Constitution on its 1931-1932 National Cruise to U.S.ports after it was restored.

I looked the ship up in Wikipedia and found this ship had quite an interesting and varied history.

USS GREBE

It was 187-foot long Lapwing-class minesweeper launched 17 December 1918 and served in many capacities until destroyed by a hurricane in 1943.  It was commissioned 1 May 1919 and from July to October of that year, participated in the clearing of the North Sea mines from WW I.

From then until 1921, she did a variety of jobs, including rescuing 139 passengers from the SS Mormugao on April 29.  (The SS Mormugao was a Portuguese ship which ran ashore off Block Island, Rhode Island. Her passengers were taken off and the ship was refloated on May 2.)

--Cooter

Further Research on the Seventh HMS Looe

I just spent about an hour doing further research on the seventh HMS Looe, the one that was a Bangor-class minesweeper, laid down in 1941 in Hong Kong, renamed HMS Lyemun while on the stocks, but captured by the Japanese at the fall of Hong Kong Dec. 25, 1941.

It was later completed as the Nan Yo and used as a Japanese navy ship until sunk later that year.

I found some material which will be posted later today on my World War II blog, "Tattooed On Your Soul."

--DaCoot

Interesting Histories to Former Ships By the Name HMS Looe

From Wikipedia.

There were seven ships in the British Navy of this name.  Of them, were wrecked, two became breakwaters, one was a former privateer and one was captured by the Japanese in 1941 and became a Japanese ship.

1st:  32-gun fifth rate launched 1696, wrecked 1697

2nd:  32-gun fifth rate launched 1697, wrecked 1705

3rd:  42-gun fifth rate launched 1707, reduced to harbor service 1735, sunk as breakwater 1737

4th:  44-gun fifth rate launched 1741, wrecked 1744  (Our HMS Looe)

5th:  44-gun fifth rate launched in 1745, sunk as breakwater 1759

6th:  30-gun fifth rate, formerly privateer Liverpool, purchased 1759, sold 1763

7th:  To have been a Bangor-class minesweeper.  Laid down 1941, renamed HMS Lyemun while still on stocks, but captured that year by the Japanese who completed it and launched it as the Nan Yo in 1943, lost later that year.

Wreck Me, Break Me.  --Cooter

Low Water in 2012 Exposed History-- Part 2

Old boats and sunken steamboats from the 1800s are now visible.  In the 1800s a person could have seen hundreds of steamboats by St. Louis each day  people, supplies and goods used the rivers for transport.  The average life span of a steamboat was just five years.  Some 500-700 operated in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers alone.  besides obvious water perils, there was always the danger of boiler explosions, lightning and accidents.

The steamboat Montana sank near St. Charles, Missouri, and it was as large as a football field and extremely lavish, a favorite of the rich passengers.

It is illegal to take items from these uncovered ships as they are owned by the state.

Last year, a piece of the space shuttle Columbia was found in an east Texas lake because of the drought.

A 125-year-old wooden steamer has been found in Michigan.

The World War II minesweeper USS Inaugural  has also been seen resting on the exposed river bottom.  It was a museum ship that was sunk during the Great Flood of 1993.

Steamboating.  --  DaCoot

Low Water in 2012 Showed History-- Part 1

From the December 22, 2012, Yahoo! News/AP "Low-water rivers offering up a glimpse of history" by John Salter.

Lack of rain has caused the lowest levels of rivers in decades and resulted in problems for commerce, concern for water supplies and hydro power.But, the low waters also have uncovered objects long-hidden.  Old steamboats were visible in the Missouri River near St. Charles.  A World War II minesweeper is now visible near St. Louis.

A rock has become visible in the Mississippi River in southeast Missouri that contains an etching (possibly a map) that is believed to be up to 1,200 years old.  It once wasn't in the water but a new channel was made and it is exposed only in periods of extreme drought.  Officials aren't giving its exact location for fear of looting.

Low Water Can be Good.  --Cooter

The Fishing Boat Goes to War

From the June 14th Free-Lance Star, Virginia.

A table-sized model of the Chesapeake Bay fishing boat B.H.P. Hubbard, Jr. has gone on display at the Reedsville (Va.) Fisherman's Museum.

It was one of eleven fishing boats sent to France during World War II to serve as minesweepers and the only one to return home.

It was built in 1912 in Wilmington, Delaware for the Taft Fish Co. of Reedsville and later owned by the Menhaden Co..

Volunteers spent most of last winter working on it and the ship appears as it did in 1938.

From Fish to Mines. Quite a Career. --Cooter

USS Salute (AM-294)-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Like I said in the previous post, I'd never heard of this ship before, so had to do some further research.

The USS Salute was an ocean-going minesweeper of the Admirable-class, the largest group of minesweepers built-ever for the US Navy, with 123 completed during the war. One, the USS Hazard (AM-240) remains today as a museum ship on dry land in Omaha, Nebraska.

It was laid down November 11, 1942, by Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company in Seattle, Washington, and launched February 6, 1943. in a little less than three months. Commissioning was December 4, 1943.

Stats: 795 tons, 184.6 feet long, top speed of 15 knots, 104 crew with 9 guns and depth charges.


SERVICE

From April to September 1944, the Salute escorted convoys in the Pacific Ocean. On October 20th, it began a four-day sweep of mines in the main transport channel off Leyte and then provided anti-aircraft support for the landings.

From Oct. 27-31, the ship helped search for survivors from the Battle of Samar where a group of escort carriers, destroyers and destroyer escorts repulsed an attack by a larger Japanese fleet.

More to Come-- Cooter

USS Salute Survivors Meet in Oklahoma

From the June 9th Bartlesville (Ok) Examiner- Enterprise.

The survivors of the minesweeper USS Salute, sunk by a mine June 8, 1945, are having a reunion in Bartlesville this weekend. They traveled across the state and country to attend the meeting in the City of Legends, the second time the city has hosted the group. Last year they met in Oklahoma City.

This year's event was organized by Carol Randall, her father, Ted Miller, is one of the few remaining members of the group which gets smaller every year.

The first reunion was held June 8, 1986, and organized by Wayne Shafer, whose brother Ralph was killed that day in Brunei Bay, Borneo. It all started with a letter to Dear Abby inquiring about the loss of his brother and ship. Abigail Van Buren then invited all remaining crew mates to contact her, and as a result, the group had its first reunion.

I Had Never Heard of This Ship or Its Loss Before This Article. --DaCoot