History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Valor |
Builder | Snow Shipyards, Inc. |
Laid down | 27 May 1941 |
Launched | 8 November 1941 |
Commissioned | 24 March 1942 |
Fate | Accidentally rammed and sunk, 29 June 1944 |
Stricken | 14 October 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Accentor-class minesweeper |
Displacement | 303 long tons (308 t) |
Length | 98 ft 5 in (30.00 m) |
Beam | 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) |
Draft | 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) |
Propulsion | 1 × Fairbanks-Morse 35F14 diesel engine, 450 bhp (336 kW), 1 shaft |
Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
Complement | 17 officers and enlisted men |
Armament | 2 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns |
USS Valor (AMc-108) was an Accentor-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Valor was laid down on 27 May 1941 at Rockland, Maine by the Snow Shipyards, Inc.; launched on 8 November 1941; co-sponsored by Misses Jane and Noreen Brannan; and placed in service on 24 March 1942 at the Boston Navy Yard.
Although records are sketchy and inconclusive, the coastal minesweeper appears to have operated in the waters of the 1st Naval District, primarily out of Boston, throughout her brief career. She also served for some time out of the Woods Hole Section Base.
She was attached to the Northern Group, Eastern Sea Frontier, at the time of her loss on 29 June 1944. Late that day, she was patrolling the southern approaches to the Cape Cod Canal, alert to the possible presence of enemy intruders on this highly traveled coastal route. Minutes before 22:00, as she patrolled north of Cuttyhunk Island in Buzzards Bay, Valor was struck by USS Richard W. Suesens. Within three minutes, the small ship sank in the shallow waters off Mishaum Point at the western entrance of Buzzard's Bay. The destroyer escort rescued seven survivors; but, although five other vessels joined in the search which continued until sunrise, the seven remaining men on board were never found. The following day, the survivors were transferred to facilities at the Naval Operating Base, Newport, Rhode Island.
Salvage operations began the day after the collision. On 14 October, her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register. In January 1945 her hull was sold to the Newport Shipyard, Inc.
The Accentor-class minesweeper, sometimes called the Accentor/Acme-class minesweeper, was a small minesweeper used by the United States Navy during World War II. The Accentor-class minesweeper was designed for the sweeping of mines in harbors, bays, and other littoral waters.
USS Bateleur (AMc-37) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper in the U.S. Navy. She was named after the bateleur, a short-tailed eagle common to eastern Africa.
USS Adamant (AMc-62) was an Accentor-class minesweeper in the United States Navy during World War II.
USS Acme (AMc-61) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper in the United States Navy. Acme was laid down while still unnamed on 31 March 1941 by the Greenport Basin and Construction Company in Greenport, New York. AMc-61 was named USS Adamant on 17 May 1941; renamed USS Acme on 23 May 1941; launched on 31 May 1941; sponsored by Mrs. John Q. Adams, the wife of the president of the contractor; and commissioned on 11 September 1941, Lt. Marcus L. Whitford in command.
USS Turaco (AMc-55), an Accentor class coastal minesweeper was named by the U.S. Navy after the turaco. The ship was laid down on 17 January 1941 by the Snow Shipyards of Rockland, Maine, launched on 28 July 1941, and was decommissioned on 30 November 1945.
USS Longspur (AMc-10) was a coastal minesweeper of the United States Navy. Built by the Martinac Shipbuilding Co., Tacoma, Washington, as New Ambassador in 1935, the ship was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 30 October 1940; converted by South Coast Shipyard, Newport Beach, California; and placed in service on 11 April 1941.
USS Waxbill (AMc-15) was a coastal minesweeper of the United States Navy. The ship was built as a commercial wooden-hulled purse seiner at Fulton Shipyard in Antioch, California in 1936.
USS Mockingbird (AMc-28) was a coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for use in World War II. Her task was to clear minefields in coastal waterways.
USS Victor (AMc-109) was an Accentor-class 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.
USS Vigor (AMc-110) was an Accentor-class 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.
USS Trident (AMc-107) was an Accentor-class 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.
USS Merit (AMc-90) was an Accentor-class 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.
USS Bulwark (AMc-68) was an Accentor-class 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.
USS Blue Jay (AMc-23) was a coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
USS Puffin (AMc-29) was a 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.
USS Barbet (AMc-38) was an Accentor-class 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.
USS Brambling (AMc-39) was an Accentor-class 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.
USS Ostrich (AMc-51) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy.
USS Skimmer (AMc-53) was an Accentor-class 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.
USS Tapacola (AMc-54) was an Accentor-class 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.