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History | |
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Name: | USS Ortolan |
Builder: | Staten Island Shipbuilding Co., New York City |
Laid down: | 9 July 1918 |
Launched: | 30 January 1919 |
Commissioned: | 17 September 1919, as Minesweeper No.45 |
Decommissioned: | 18 March 1947 |
Reclassified: |
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Struck: | 10 June 1947 |
Honours and awards: |
1 battle star (World War II) |
Fate: | Sold, 20 August 1947 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | Lapwing-class minesweeper |
Displacement: | 1,009 long tons (1,025 t) full load |
Length: | 187 ft 10 in (57.25 m) |
Beam: | 35 ft 6 in (10.82 m) |
Draft: | 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) |
Propulsion: | Harlan and Hollingsworth vertical triple expansion steam engine, 1 shaft |
Speed: | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
Complement: | 72 |
Armament: |
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The first USS Ortolan was a Lapwing-class minesweeper in the United States Navy. She was later converted to a submarine rescue ship. She was named after the ortolan, a European bunting.
Ortolan was laid down 9 July 1918 by the Staten Island Shipbuilding Co., New York City, United States; launched 30 January 1919; sponsored by Miss Theresa M. Finn; and commissioned 17 September 1919, Lt. William A. James in command.
Assigned to the Pacific Fleet, Ortolan got underway for the west coast 10 November 1919. Following stops at east and U.S. Gulf coast ports, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, she arrived at San Diego, California, 13 June 1920. Nine days later she sailed north to Bremerton, Washington, where she remained, with a caretaker crew, until 23 March 1921.
Then returning to Southern California, she served as a tugboat for a year and on 3 May 1922 decommissioned at Mare Island, California. Recommissioned 11 July, she assumed the duties of tender at the Submarine Base, San Pedro, California. From 9 June to 25 August 1923 she conducted cold weather operations off Alaska in her first extended cruise as flagship, Commander, Composite Submarine Squadrons Pacific in company with USS Beaver and four S-class submarines. While in Anchorage, Alaska on 17 July 1923 the submarine USS S-38 was accidentally sunk alongside Ortolan during maintenance, but was quickly raised and there was no loss of life though the submarine's motors were damaged requiring tow by Ortolan.