USS Humming Bird (AMc-26)
USS Humming Bird (AMc-26) was a unique coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
| History | |
|---|---|
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| Ordered | as Whaling City |
| Laid down | 1936 |
| Launched | 1936 |
| Acquired | 30 October 1940 |
| In service | 12 June 1941 |
| Out of service | 18 February 1945 |
| Stricken | c. 1945 |
| Fate | Sold, fate unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 180 tons |
| Length | 90 ft 5 in (27.56 m) |
| Beam | 19 ft 10 in (6.05 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Speed | 9 k |
The first ship to be named Humming Bird by the Navy was a wooden dragger, built as Whaling City in 1936 by Morse Shipyard, Thomaston, Maine; acquired by purchase 30 October 1940 from her owner, William Hayes of New Bedford, Massachusetts; converted to Navy use at Geo. Lawley & Son, Neponset, Massachusetts, and placed in service 12 June 1941.
Humming Bird operated throughout the war as a minesweeper and minesweeping training vessel, largely in the vicinity of Mine Warfare Training School, Yorktown, Virginia.
She was reclassified Small Boat C-13548, 12 June 1944 and placed out of service at New York 18 February 1945. Delivered to the Maritime Commission, the craft was eventually sold.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.