Lapwing-class minesweeper

The Lapwing-class minesweeper, often called the Bird class, was an early "AM-type" oceangoing minesweeper of the United States Navy. Seven ships of the class were commissioned during World War I, and served well into the 1950s. A number were refitted to serve as ocean-going tugs, salvage vessels, seaplane tenders, or submarine rescue ships.

USS Lapwing (AM-1) and other ships of the squadron anchored in the Hudson River, off New York City
USS Lapwing (AM-1) and other ships of the squadron anchored in the Hudson River, off New York City
Class overview
Operators United States Navy
Succeeded byRaven-class minesweeper
Built1917–1919
In commission1918–1953
Planned51
Completed49
Cancelled2
Lost16
Retired35
Preserved0
NotesAlthough technically not "preserved", USS Auk has been abandoned in Venezuela since 1962 and is still there in its original configuration albeit partially sunk.
General characteristics
TypeMinesweeper
Displacement840 long tons (853 t)
Length187 ft 10 in (57.25 m)
Beam35 ft 5 in (10.80 m)
Draft15 ft (4.6 m)
PropulsionReciprocating engine
Speed14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Complement75
Armament2 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber guns and/or 2 × .30cal machine guns

The propulsion system consisted of 2 Babcock & Wilcox 200psi boilers and a 1,400shp Harlan and Hollingsworth triple expansion reciprocating steam engine.

Ships

The table makes no distinction between classification as "Minesweeper No. X" and "AM-X". This change affected all boats equally ca. 1920.

All boats reclassified as Fleet Tugs (AT) where later again reclassified as Fleet Tug, Old (ATO) (ca. 1944). The table treats them the same. Brant and Grebe were never reclassified as ATO.

Ship name Hull number Builder Commissioned Decommissioned Fate
Lapwing AM-1 Todd Brooklyn 12 Jun 1918 11 Apr 1922 Sold, 19 August 1946; fate unknown
AVP-1 1 Sep 1932 29 Nov 1945
Owl AM-2 11 Jul 1918 Sold for scrap, 27 June 1947
AT-137 1 Jun 1942 26 Jul 1946
Robin AM-3 29 Aug 1918 Sold for scrap, 1945
AT-140 1 Jun 1942 9 Nov 1945
Swallow AM-4 8 Oct 1918 n/a Ran aground, 19 February 1938; later sank
Tanager AM-5 Staten Island Shipbuilding Company 28 Jun 1918 n/a Sank, 4 May 1942
Cardinal AM-6 23 Aug 1918 n/a Ran aground, 6 June 1923; later sank
Oriole AM-7 5 Nov 1918
15 Aug 1938 		3 May 1922 Sold 1947
AT-136 1 Jun 1942 6 Feb 1946
Curlew AM-8 7 Jan 1919 n/a Ran aground, 15 December 1925; later sank
Finch AM-9 Standard Shipbuilding Company 10 Sep 1918 n/a Sank, 10 Apr 1942;salvaged later sunk 12 January 1945
Heron AM-10 30 Oct 1918
18 Sep 1924 		6 Apr 1922 Sold for scrap, 25 July 1947
AVP-2 27 Jan 1936 12 Feb 1946
Condor AM-11 never never Construction cancelled, 4 December 1918
Plover AM-12 never never Construction cancelled, 4 December 1918
Turkey AM-13 Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation 13 Dec 1918 12 Apr 1922 Sold for scrap, 30 December 1946
AT-143 1 Jun 1942 6 Nov 1945
Woodcock AM-14 19 Feb 1919
21 Feb 1924 		5 May 1922 Sold for scrap, 19 December 1947
AT-145 1 Jun 1942 30 Sep 1946
Quail AM-15 29 Apr 1919 n/a Scuttled to prevent capture, 5 May 1942
Partridge AM-16 17 Jun 1919 n/a Sank, 11 June 1944
Eider AM-17 Pusey and Jones 23 Jan 1919 18 Apr 1922 Fate unknown
YNG-20 7 Oct 1940 28 Nov 1945
Thrush AM-18 25 Apr 1919 3 Apr 1922 Sold to a commercial interest, 21 August 1946; Sank, 10 March 1951
AVP-3 31 Oct 1935 13 Dec 1945
Avocet AM-19 Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding 17 Sep 1918
8 Sep 1925 		3 Apr 1922 Sold for scrap, 12 December 1946
AVP-4 22 Jan 1936 10 Dec 1945
Bobolink AM-20 28 Jan 1919 Fate unknown
AT-131 1 Jun 1942 22 Feb 1946
Lark AM-21 12 Apr 1919 Fate unknown
AT-168 1 Mar 1944 7 February 1946
Widgeon AM-22 Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company 27 Jul 1918 Sold for scrap, 5 March 1948
ASR-1 22 Jun 1936 5 Feb 1947
Teal AM-23 20 Aug 1918 Fate unknown
AVP-5 22 Jan 1936 23 Nov 1945
Brant AM-24 5 Sep 1918 Fate unknown
AT-132 1 Jun 1942
ARS-32 1 Sep 1942 19 Dec 1945
Kingfisher AM-25 Puget Sound Navy Yard 27 May 1918 Fate unknown
AT-135 1 Jun 1942 6 Feb 1946
Rail AM-26 5 Jun 1918 Fate unknown
AT-139 1 Jun 1942 29 Apr 1946
Pelican AM-27 Gas Engine and Power Company 10 Oct 1918 Sold for scrap, November 1946
AVP-6 22 Jan 1936 30 Nov 1945
Falcon AM-28 12 Nov 1918 Fate unknown
ASR-2 12 Sep 1929 18 Jun 1946
Osprey AM-29 7 Jan 1919 12 Dec 1920 Sold for scrap, 1952
ARS-2 17 Sep 1941 13 Feb 1947
Seagull AM-30 7 Mar 1919 Fate unknown
AT-141 1 Jun 1942 5 Sep 1946
Tern AM-31 17 May 1919 Fate unknown
AT-142 1 Jun 1942 23 Nov 1945
Flamingo AM-32[1] New Jersey Dry Dock and Transportation Company 12 Feb 1919 17 Mar 1953 Sold for scrap, 22 July 1953
Penguin AM-33 21 Nov 1918 n/a Scuttled to prevent capture, 8 December 1941
Swan AM-34 Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company 31 Jan 1919 Fate unknown
AVP-7 22 Jan 1936 13 Dec 1945
Whipporwill AM-35 1 Apr 1919 Fate unknown
AT-169 1 Mar 1944 17 Apr 1946
Bittern AM-36 28 May 1919 n/a Scuttled following incapacitating damage, 10 December 1941
Sanderling AM-37 Todd Brooklyn 4 Dec 1918 2 May 1922 Accidentally sank while under tow, 26 June 1937
Auk AM-38 31 Jan 1919 28 Jan 1947 Transferred to Venezuela, 9 June 1947; decommissioned in 1962 and abandoned as of 2019
Chewink AM-39 9 Apr 1919 4 Feb 1947 Sunk as a target, 31 July 1947
ASR-3 9 April 1919 4 February 1947
Cormorant AM-40
AT-133 		15 May 1919 29 March 1946 Fate unknown
AM-40
AT-133 		15 May 1919 29 March 1946
Gannet AM-41 10 July 1919 n/a Sunk, 7 June 1942
AVP-8 10 July 1919 n/a
Grebe AM-43 Staten Island Shipbuilding Company 1 May 1919 n/a Ran aground, 6 December 1942; destroyed by hurricane, 1–2 January 1943
AT-134 1 May 1919 n/a
Mallard AM-44 25 Jun 1919 10 Dec 1946 Sunk as a target, 22 May 1947
ASR-4 25 Jun 1919 10 Dec 1946
Ortolan AM-45 17 Sep 1919 18 Mar 1947 Fate unknown
ASR-5 17 Sep 1919 18 Mar 1947
Peacock AM-46 27 Dec 1919 n/a Sunk, 24 August 1940
Pigeon AM-47 Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding 15 July 1919 n/a Sunk, 4 May 1942
ASR-6 15 July 1919 n/a
Redwing AM-48 17 October 1919 n/a Sunk, 29 June 1943
ARS-4 17 October 1919 n/a
Sandpiper AM-51 Philadelphia Navy Yard 9 October 1919 10 December 1945 Fate unknown
AVP-9 9 October 1919 10 December 1945
Vireo AM-52 16 October 1919 18 April 1946 Fate unknown
AT-144 16 October 1919 18 April 1946
Warbler AM-53 22 December 1919 29 March 1946 Fate unknown
ARS-11 22 December 1919 29 March 1946
Willet AM-54 29 January 1920 1 December 1947 Sold for scrap 2 November 1948
ARS-12 29 January 1920 1 December 1947

References
  1. service history not reflected in the table
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