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USS Staff (AM-114)
Encyclopedia
USS Staff (AM-114) was an acquired by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
Staff was laid down on 28 November 1941 by the American Ship Building Company
American Ship Building Company
The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio in 1898...
at Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
; launched on 17 June 1942; and commissioned on Veterans Day
Veterans Day
Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark...
(11 November) 1942, Lt. Comdr. R. T. McDaniel, USNR, in command.
North African operations
She completed fitting out at the Boston Navy YardBoston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
on 9 January 1943 and reported for shakedown
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
a few days later. In late March, she sailed in the screen of convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
UGS-6 bound for North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. The convoy arrived at Mers El Kébir on 13 April, and Staff remained there until the 20th. She joined other minesweepers in conducting antisubmarine patrols off the Gulf of Arzeu until the end of May. During the first three weeks in June, Staff swept mines off the Gulf of Oran, returning to the Mers El Kébir anchorage each night.
Vessel strikes a mine
Between 24 June and 1 July, she divided her time between patrols, exercises, and mine sweeps; then joined Task ForceTask force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
85 at anchor in Mers El Kébir. On the 5th, the task force sortied and headed for Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Staff sailed in the screen and arrived off the Sicilian coast on 9 July. During the invasion, the minesweeper was assigned patrol duties off Scoglitti
Scoglitti
Scoglitti is a small fishing village near the town of Vittoria on the south coast of Sicily.In addition to its fishing industry, the village derives a substantial part of its income from tourism...
. She patrolled, sank mines, and duelled with shore batteries between 9 and 16 July. On the 16th, during an engagement with shore batteries, Staff struck a mine and sustained extensive damage in the forward engine room and suffered a number of casualties. She entered Licata
Licata
Licata is a city and comune located on the south coast of Sicily, at the mouth of the Salso River , about midway between Agrigento and Gela...
on the 17th and remained there until 8 August when got underway with the minesweeper in tow. The two ships reached Bizerte
Bizerte
Bizerte or Benzert , is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 .-History:...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, on the 10th and Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, on the 16th.
Stateside repairs
Staff was docked at Oran on 31 August and was refloated on 23 September. On 18 October, towed her out of Oran, and they joined GUS-18 for the voyage to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She made Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, on 6 November and was soon docked again for battle repairs.
Invasion of France
On 25 March 1944 she sailed from New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Plymouth, England, for temporary duty with the U.S. 12th Fleet
United States Twelfth Fleet
The Twelfth Fleet was a unit of the United States Navy and was operational from October 1st, 1943. The fleet began demoblization in late 1945 was disestablished in 1946....
, supporting the invasion of Normandy.invasion.That assignment lasted from 15 April to 1 August. The "Staff" was the leading minesweeper of the minesweeping group that lead the invasion.
On 8 June 1944 off Utah Beach
Utah Beach
Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...
, Staff came to the assistance of the destroyer **, which had struck a mine, and grounded. Unable to tow the Glennon it took on board most of its vrew many of whom were injered some seriously. For this operation its Captain, Lieutenant J.H.NAPIER was awarded Bronze Star Metal*. During efforts to refloat the stricken ship, the destroyer escort also struck a mine which blew off a 50-foot section of her stern, followed by mine explosion under her forecastle. Rich sank within 15 minutes, and Glennon was eventually abandoned.
- "For meeritorious performance of duty as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S.STAFF during the assault of France , June 8, 1944. Lientenant Napier took his ship alongside the mined U.S.S.GLENNON, tried to tow her to a safe possition, but finding this impossible, took off the stricken vessel all the personnel he could safely carry. The prompt and decisive action of Lieutenant Napier con tribbted in large measure to keeping the loss of life to a minimum. His actions were in keeping with the best traditions of the Uniter States naval service." signed by Harold R. Stark, Admital, U.S.Navy, Commander U.S.Naval Forces in Europe.
- From the record of the U.S.S. Glennon, DD620, after the U.S.S. Staff left with as much of the crew it could carry The Gleenon was hit by shore batteries and 25 of its crew were killed.
Renewed Mediterranean operations
Prom there, she moved to the Mediterranean for another temporary duty assignment, this time with the U.S. 6th Fleet. She was at Oran from 6 to 10 August and, by 15 August, was off the Mediterranean coast of FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for the invasion there. She supported the invasion until mid-November, then returned to Oran. From there, she headed back to the United States on 24 November. She reached Norfolk, Virginia, on 11 December and did not leave until 15 February 1945, when she sailed south to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. Staff transited the canal 10 days later and arrived in Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 19 March. She remained at Pearl Harbor until 9 May, first in overhaul, then conducting exercises with submarines off Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
.
Pacific Ocean Theatre operations
On 9 May, she got underway in the screen of a westward-bound convoy. The ships reached Eniwetok on 18 May; and, two days later, Staff sailed for the MarianasMariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
with and SC-727. They entered Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, on the 22nd. Almost a week later, on the 28th, she got underway for Okinawa. The minesweeper escorted a convoy of LST's to Nakagusuku Wan (Buckner Bay), Okinawa, then put into Kerama Retto
Kerama Retto
The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....
on 6 June. For the remainder of the month, Staff operated out of the anchorage at Kerama Retto, patrolling and screening around Okinawa. She cleared the area on 30 June and returned to Guam the following day. She remained in the Marianas, visiting both Guam and Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, until 2 August. She arrived off Okinawa again on 7 August and took part in Operation Skagway
Operation Skagway
Operation Skagway was a post-World War II U.S. Navy operation which required clearing the minefields in the East China Sea-Ryukyus area....
, a minesweeping operation in the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
, from 13 to 25 August.
On the 25th, Staff returned to Buckner Bay and, on 1 September, sailed in company with six other mine-craft and four smaller vessels to conduct the initial sweep of the Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
approaches. On the 9th, she departed Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for Okinawa and reentered Buckner Bay on the 11th. Staff stood out again on 21 September and headed for Bungo Suido to conduct further sweeps in the Japanese home islands, this time in the waters between Kyūshū and Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
. She continued minesweeping operations through the fall and into winter.
Post-World War II operations
In late December, she visited ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
; then headed for the United States. She stopped at Pearl Harbor early in February 1946 and reached San Pedro, California, on the 14th. There, she reported to the 19th Fleet and began inactivation overhaul at Terminal Island, California.
First Decommissioning
Staff was retained in commission, in reserve, until 15 January 1947, when she was decommissioned and berthed at San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
Reactivation
On 14 January 1952, Staff was recommissioned at San Diego, California and sailed - via Acapulco, Mexico, the Panama CanalPanama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, and Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
- to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, and Norfolk, Virginia. She was assigned to Mine Squadron 6 and operated along the U.S. East Coast until 26 August when she sailed for Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Staff visited Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
and the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
in September and returned to Charleston, South Carolina, on 12 October. She resumed operations along the eastern seaboard during the winter of 1952 and 1953; then, on 21 April 1953, put to sea to join the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. Staff cruised with the U.S. 6th Fleet until October, visiting most of the major ports on the Mediterranean. She reentered Charleston on 26 October, and she was moored until the new year.
On 4 January 1954, she embarked on a cruise to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, and the British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
. She returned to Charleston on 2 April and operated from there until September. Staff rejoined the 6th Fleet in mid-September and cruised the "middle sea" until January 1955. The minesweeper returned to Charleston on 29 January.
Decommissioning
On 7 February, she was redesignated MSF-114; and, on 28 March, she reported to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet for inactivation. She was placed out of commission, in reserve, at Green Cove Springs, FloridaGreen Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs is a city in Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,908. It is the county seat of Clay County....
, on 15 August 1955. Her name was struck from the Navy List
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 March 1967 and her hulk sold to Southern Scrap Metals Co. of New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, on 17 November 1967.
External links
- Online Image Library : USS Staff (AM-114/MSF-114), 1942-1967
- USS Staff
- HyperWar: Naval Forces, Northwest African Waters and the Eighth Fleet