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USN Submarine Rescue Ship 1,009 Tons 174' | 187' 10" | 35' 6" 2 x 3" guns 2 x 20mm AA USN June 1943 |
Ship History Built by the Staten Island Shipbuilding Company in New York, New York. Laid down July 9, 1918. Launched January 30. 1919 by Miss Theresa M. Finn. Commissioned September 17, 1919 into the U.S. Navy (USN) as USS Ortolan (AM-45) or Mine Sweeper 45 with Lieutenant William A. James in command. Named Ortolan for the European bunting-type bird. This vessel was capable of a maximum speed of 14 knots with economical crusing speed of 6 knots. On November 10, 1919 assigned to the Pacific Fleet and departed New York via ports on the east coast then via Puerto Rico and Cuba then via the Gulf of Mexico to cross the Panama Canal before reaching San Diego on June 13, 1920. Nine days later departed northward to Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton where she remained, with a caretaker crew, until March 23, 1921. Then, returned to southern California and used as a tug boat for a year. On May 3, 1922 decommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard. Recommissioned on 11 July 1922, she assumed the duties of submarine tender at the submarine base at San Pedro. From 9 June to 25 August 1923, USS Ortolan conducted an extended cruise off Alaska. Early in September 1923, USS Ortolan assisted in the salvage of the seven destroyers that ran aground and were wrecked in the Navy's greatest peacetime disaster, at Point Honda, California. Following that effort, the ship resumed her submarine tender duties out of San Pedro. Operating from San Pedro until 1927, USS Ortolan ranged along the west coast of from Oregon to Panama. During January to April 1924 participated in fleet maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea. During July of 1927, Ortolan steamed westward, accompanying USS Holland (AS-3) (Submarine Tender-3) and two divisions of S Class submarines to Pearl Harbor. During the following month, she assisted in the search for competitors lost during the "Dole Race," the first flight linking the west coast of the United States and the Hawaiian Islands. In September of 1927, USS Ortolan resumed her submarine tender duties along the west coast of the United States, and, for another two years, ranged the eastern Pacific Ocean areas as submarines conducted training exercises in those waters. On September 12, 1929, her designation was changed to Submarine Rescue Ship 5 (ASR-5). Although her mission was now different, she continued to operate, primarily, in, and in the vicinity of, California, throughout the 1930s. Brief exceptions occurred when she participated in fleet problems, and, in 1936, when she had a four-month deployment to Pearl Harbor. During 1939, USS Ortolan was assigned to Submarine Squadron 6 at San Diego. Wartime History On November 20, 1942 arrived at Espiritu Santo. For the next ten days, she salvaged needed war supplies from the sunken SS President Coolidge. Next, USS Ortolan steamed to Tulagi to provide temporary repairs to cruisers damaged during the Battle of Tassafaronga. The cruisers departed twelve days later. Then the ASR commenced a busy two months assisting vessels ranging from patrol torpedo boats to destroyers and transports and undertaking salvage and repair jobs.
On April 7, 1943 after the Japanese air raid on Tulagi Ortolan and tug USS Vireo (AT-144) attempts to tow damaged USS Aaron Ward (DD-483) so the destroyer can be beached, but it sinks off Tulagi. Contribute
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