USS Finch (AM-9)

Last updated

USS Lapwing - NH 44903.jpg
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS Finch
BuilderStandard Shipbuilding Co., New York
Launched30 March 1918
Commissioned10 September 1918, as Minesweeper No.9
ReclassifiedAM-9, 17 July 1920
Stricken8 May 1942
Honours and
awards
1 battle star (World War II)
Fatedamaged by Japanese bomb, 10 April 1942
Notessalvaged by Japanese
History
Naval ensign of the Empire of Japan.svgJapan
NamePB-103
FateSunk by United States bombs, 12 January 1945
General characteristics
Class and type Lapwing-class minesweeper
Displacement950 long tons (965 t)
Length187 ft 10 in (57.25 m)
Beam35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)
Draft10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement78
Armament2 × 3 in (76 mm) guns

USS Finch (AM-9) was a Lapwing-class 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. Finch was named for the finch, and is strictly speaking the only U.S. vessel named for such.

Contents

Finch was launched 30 March 1918 by Standard Shipbuilding Co., New York; sponsored by Mrs. F. G. Peabody; and commissioned 10 September 1918.

North Atlantic operations

After training and operations with a submarine bell, Finch sailed from New York 9 August 1919 for Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland. Here she based for two months of duty removing the vast number of mines laid in the North Sea during World War I. Finch returned to Charleston on 29 November 1920, and on 3 January 1920 sailed for San Pedro, California, where from 1 March to 29 August she was in reduced commission.

Pacific Ocean operations

Modernized, she sailed from San Francisco on 20 August 1921 for duty with the Asiatic Fleet, and for the next 20 years, served in the Philippines in the winter and out of the China base at Chefoo in the summer. Her duties were varied, and included towing and salvage work, as well as participation in the Yangtze River Patrol. She joined in fleet exercises, and as war tension heightened, played a part in protecting American citizens and interests in the Far East.

In 1937, Finch was commanded briefly by LCDR (later VADM, permanent rank) Hyman G. Rickover, future commander of Naval Reactors and the longest-serving active duty U.S. Naval officer. [1] Rickover commanded Finch from 17 July to 5 October 1937 and it was the only command at sea Rickover ever held. The ship was primarily operating at Shanghai, China, to protect American interests during the Battle of Shanghai.

World War II operations

In 1941, she began work in intensive development exercises with submarine and mine groups in the Philippines, and as war came closer, spent December on patrol in the Taiwan Straits. According to an account given by Yeoman 3C A. Glenn Pratt, a crewmember aboard the Finch, she was assigned, along with the Heron, a sister vessel with a diving bell, to escort two US Navy river gunboats back to Manila Harbor from their station in China since the Japanese had sunk one such vessel, the Panay, in 1937. During the return leg of this mission, the vessels were temporarily surrounded by Japanese naval vessels headed toward the Philippines. The gunboats scouted the Japanese column, then pulled ahead to report the naval activity to Washington, while the Finch and Heron stayed behind, eventually being left by the Japanese as well. The two vessels returned to Manila Bay on 6 December 1941.

As the Japanese began aerial bombardment of bases in the Philippines, the Finch continued her task of sweeping for mines to keep the channel into the harbor open for incoming shipping. Yeoman Pratt reported that machine gunners on board the Finch downed one Japanese aircraft during an air raid, and though the Captain congratulated them, he asked them not to repeat the feat so that they would not become a special target and be able to continue mine sweeping operations. After running out of fuel in March, Finch was anchored in shallow water and her crew taken to shore defense positions.

Sunk by a Japanese bomb

On 9 April 1942, while moored at the eastern point of Corregidor, Finch was damaged by the near miss of a Japanese bomb, her seams opening and fragments of the bomb piercing her hull. The entire crew landed safely, and Finch was abandoned to sink the next day, 10 April 1942.

Many of the Finch's crew served during the siege of Corregidor, though her captain was evacuated to Australia via submarine. The survivors of Corregidor were the first prisoners to arrive at Cabanatuan prison camp. Many were later removed to camps in Japan or Taiwan. Yeoman Pratt, held in three camps in Taiwan, was evacuated aboard the destroyer escort USS Finch, and was startled at seeing the name, thinking it had been named for his old vessel, but that ship was named in honor of Lt.(j.g.) Joseph W. Finch, who died aboard the USS Laffey during the battle of Guadalcanal.

According to Japanese records [2] the Finch was salvaged and designated IJN Patrol Boat 103 in April 1943. The PB 103 served as a convoy escort in the Philippines and Indochina. On 12 January 1945, off Cape Padaran in the South China Sea (11°10'N, 108°55'E), Finch was attacked and sunk by aircraft from the USS Lexington (CV-16) , USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Hornet (CV-12) which were part of Vice Admiral John S. McCain, Sr.'s Task Force 38 that had entered the South China Sea to raid Japanese shipping. [3]

Awards

Notes

  1. Polmar, Norman (1982). Rickover . New York: Simon and Schuster. pp.  86-89. ISBN   0-671-24615-1.
  2. IJN Patrol Boat No. 103: Tabular Record of Movement
  3. "Chapter VII: 1945". The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II. 2006. Retrieved 19 January 2012.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Asiatic Fleet</span> Military unit

The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by February 1942, after which it was dissolved, and the remnants incorporated into the naval component of the South West Pacific Area command, which eventually became the Seventh Fleet.

USS <i>Ward</i> Wickes-class destroyer

USS Ward was laid down as a 1,247-long-ton (1,267 t) Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I, later converted to a high speed transport in World War II. She was responsible for the first American-caused casualties in the Pacific in World War II when she engaged and sank a Japanese midget submarine before Japanese aircraft arrived in the attack on Pearl Harbor, killing both crewmen on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yangtze Patrol</span> Naval operation to protect Americans interests in China, 1854–1949

The Yangtze Patrol, also known as the Yangtze River Patrol Force, Yangtze River Patrol, YangPat and ComYangPat, was a prolonged naval operation from 1854–1949 to protect American interests in the Yangtze River's treaty ports. The Yangtze Patrol also patrolled the coastal waters of China where they protected U.S. citizens, their property, and Christian missionaries.

HMAS <i>Bendigo</i> (J187)

The first HMAS Bendigo (J187/B237/A111) was a Bathurst-class minesweeper, a group commonly known as corvettes and including escort and patrol duties along with minesweeping.

USS <i>Isabel</i> Patrol vessel of the United States Navy

USS Isabel (SP-521), later PY-10, was a yacht in commission in the United States Navy as a destroyer from 1917 to 1920 and as a patrol yacht from 1921 to 1946.

USS <i>Velocity</i> (AM-128) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Velocity (AM-128) was an Auk-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. She was the second warship to bear the name.

USS <i>Quail</i> (AM-15) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Quail (AM-15) was a U.S. Navy Lapwing-class minesweeper, named after the quail, a migratory game bird. It was laid down 14 May 1918 by the Chester Shipbuilding Co., Chester, Pennsylvania; launched 6 October 1918; and commissioned 29 April 1919.

USS <i>Tanager</i> (AM-5) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Tanager (AM-5) was an Lapwing-class 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.

USS <i>Pigeon</i> (ASR-6) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

The first USS Pigeon (AM-47/ASR-6) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper of the United States Navy. She was later converted to a submarine rescue ship. She was named for the avian ambassador, the pigeon.

USS <i>Tulsa</i> (PG-22) Gunboat of the United States Navy

USS Tulsa (PG-22), nicknamed the Galloping Ghost of the South China Coast, was an Asheville-class gunboat of the United States Navy that was in commission from 1923 to 1946. She was named after the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the county seat of Tulsa County.

USS <i>Oahu</i> (PR-6) Gunboat of the United States Navy

The first USS Oahu (PR-6), a Yangtze River gunboat, was laid down by Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai, China, 18 December 1926; launched as PG–46 on 26 November 1927; sponsored by Mrs. Bryson Bruce, wife of Comdr. Bruce; and commissioned 22 October 1928, Lt. Comdr. A. C. Thomas in command.

USS Saunter (AM-295) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters.

USS <i>Luzon</i> (PG-47) Gunboat of the United States Navy

The first USS Luzon (PG-47) was laid down 20 November 1926 by the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai, China; launched 12 September 1927; sponsored by Miss Mary C. Carter, daughter of Commander Andrew F. Carter, USN; and commissioned 1 June 1928.

Japanese destroyer <i>Shiokaze</i> Destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Shiokaze was a Minekaze-class destroyer, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.

Japanese destroyer <i>Namikaze</i> Destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Namikaze was the second ship of the Nokaze sub-class, an improvement to the Minekaze-class 1st class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War. Following the war, the ship was transferred to the Republic of China as a prize of war and renamed Shen Yang.

Japanese minelayer <i>Hatsutaka</i>

Hatsutaka was the lead vessel in the Hatsutaka-class of medium-sized minelayers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was in service during World War II. She was designed as an improved version of Shirataka anti-submarine netlayer. However, during the Pacific War, due to the critical shortage of escort patrol ships, she was fitted with depth charge racks, her minelaying rails were removed, and she was used primarily for convoy escort duties.

Japanese minelayer <i>Aotaka</i>

Aotaka was the second vessel in the Hatsutaka class of medium-sized minelayers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was in service during World War II. She was designed as an improved version of the netlayer Shirataka. However, during the Pacific War, due to the critical shortage of patrol ships for convoy escort duties, she was fitted with depth charge racks and her minelaying rails were removed.

Japanese escort ship <i>No.17</i>

CD-17 was a C Type class escort ship (Kaibōkan) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War.

CD-19 was a C Type class escort ship (Kaibōkan) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War.

CD-43 was a C Type class escort ship (Kaibōkan) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War. She was laid down by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at their Kobe Shipyard on 10 April 1944, launched on 22 June 1944, and completed and commissioned on 31 July 1944. During the war CD-43 was mostly busy on escort duties.

References

Coordinates: 14°22′N120°35′E / 14.367°N 120.583°E / 14.367; 120.583