USS Curlew (AM-69)

The third USS Curlew (AM-69/IX-170) was a Catbird-class minesweeper in the United States Navy during World War II.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Curlew.

History
Name: USS Curlew
Builder: Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Charleston, South Carolina
Launched: as MV Kittiwake, 1938
Acquired: 6 August 1940
Commissioned: 7 November 1940
Decommissioned: 5 December 1945
Renamed: USS Curlew, 14 August 1940
Reclassified: IX-170, 1 June 1944
Identification:
Fate: Transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal, 27 September 1946. Converted to fishing vessel.
General characteristics
Class and type: Catbird-class minesweeper
Displacement: 570 long tons (579 t)
Length: 147 ft 10 in (45.06 m)
Beam: 28 ft 8 in (8.74 m)
Draft: 12 ft (3.7 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Armament: 1 × 3"/23 caliber gun

Curlew was built in 1938 by Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Charleston, South Carolina, as Kittiwake; purchased by the U.S. Navy on 6 August 1940; and commissioned 7 November 1940, Lieutenant (junior grade) W. T. Patrick, USNR, in command.

East Coast assignments

Clearing Boston 10 May 1941, Curlew swept mines off Staten Island, New York, until 4 October when she put out for Cristóbal, Canal Zone. While it protected the Panama Canal, the ship was commanded by Joe Rollins, later a prominent attorney in Houston, Texas. She served in the 15th Naval District until 10 February 1944 when she reported to Section Base, Little Creek, Virginia, for patrol and minesweeping operations until the end of the war. Re-classified Unclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary IX-170 on 1 June 1944, she arrived at Newport, Rhode Island 14 November 1945.

Decommissioning

Curlew was decommissioned there 5 December 1945, and transferred to the Maritime Commission 27 September 1946 for disposal.

Curlew was converted into a civilian fishing vessel following her decommissioning, and still serves this role as of 2017, under the name Clipper Express.[1]

References
  1. "CLIPPER EXPRESS". ShipSpotting. Retrieved 4 October 2017.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.


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