# Lapwing-class minesweeper

The Lapwing-class minesweeper, often called the Bird class, was an early "AM-type" oceangoing minesweeper of the United States Navy. Seven ships of the class were commissioned during World War I, and served well into the 1950s. A number were refitted to serve as ocean-going tugs, salvage vessels, seaplane tenders, or submarine rescue ships.
The propulsion system consisted of 2 Babcock & Wilcox 200psi boilers and a 1,400shp Harlan and Hollingsworth triple expansion reciprocating steam engine.

## Ships

The table makes no distinction between classification as "Minesweeper No. X" and "AM-X". This change affected all boats equally ca. 1920.
All boats reclassified as Fleet Tugs (AT) where later again reclassified as Fleet Tug, Old (ATO) (ca. 1944). The table treats them the same. Brant and Grebe were never reclassified as ATO.
| Ship name | Hull number | Builder | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
| Lapwing | AM-1 | Todd Brooklyn | 12 Jun 1918 | 11 Apr 1922 | Sold, 19 August 1946; fate unknown |
| Lapwing | AVP-1 | Todd Brooklyn | 1 Sep 1932 | 29 Nov 1945 | Sold, 19 August 1946; fate unknown |
| Owl | AM-2 | Todd Brooklyn | 11 Jul 1918 | | Sold for scrap, 27 June 1947 |
| Owl | AT-137 | Todd Brooklyn | 1 Jun 1942 | 26 Jul 1946 | Sold for scrap, 27 June 1947 |
| Robin | AM-3 | Todd Brooklyn | 29 Aug 1918 | | Sold for scrap, 1945 |
| Robin | AT-140 | Todd Brooklyn | 1 Jun 1942 | 9 Nov 1945 | Sold for scrap, 1945 |
| Swallow | AM-4 | Todd Brooklyn | 8 Oct 1918 | n/a | Ran aground, 19 February 1938; later sank |
| Tanager | AM-5 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 28 Jun 1918 | n/a | Sank, 4 May 1942 |
| Cardinal | AM-6 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 23 Aug 1918 | n/a | Ran aground, 6 June 1923; later sank |
| Oriole | AM-7 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 5 Nov 1918 15 Aug 1938 | 3 May 1922 | Sold 1947 |
| Oriole | AT-136 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 1 Jun 1942 | 6 Feb 1946 | Sold 1947 |
| Curlew | AM-8 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 7 Jan 1919 | n/a | Ran aground, 15 December 1925; later sank |
| Finch | AM-9 | Standard Shipbuilding Company | 10 Sep 1918 | n/a | Sank, 10 Apr 1942;salvaged later sunk 12 January 1945 |
| Heron | AM-10 | Standard Shipbuilding Company | 30 Oct 1918 18 Sep 1924 | 6 Apr 1922 | Sold for scrap, 25 July 1947 |
| Heron | AVP-2 | Standard Shipbuilding Company | 27 Jan 1936 | 12 Feb 1946 | Sold for scrap, 25 July 1947 |
| Condor | AM-11 | | never | never | Construction cancelled, 4 December 1918 |
| Plover | AM-12 | | never | never | Construction cancelled, 4 December 1918 |
| Turkey | AM-13 | Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation | 13 Dec 1918 | 12 Apr 1922 | Sold for scrap, 30 December 1946 |
| Turkey | AT-143 | Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation | 1 Jun 1942 | 6 Nov 1945 | Sold for scrap, 30 December 1946 |
| Woodcock | AM-14 | Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation | 19 Feb 1919 21 Feb 1924 | 5 May 1922 | Sold for scrap, 19 December 1947 |
| Woodcock | AT-145 | Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation | 1 Jun 1942 | 30 Sep 1946 | Sold for scrap, 19 December 1947 |
| Quail | AM-15 | Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation | 29 Apr 1919 | n/a | Scuttled to prevent capture, 5 May 1942 |
| Partridge | AM-16 | Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation | 17 Jun 1919 | n/a | Sank, 11 June 1944 |
| Eider | AM-17 | Pusey and Jones | 23 Jan 1919 | 18 Apr 1922 | Fate unknown |
| Eider | YNG-20 | Pusey and Jones | 7 Oct 1940 | 28 Nov 1945 | Fate unknown |
| Thrush | AM-18 | Pusey and Jones | 25 Apr 1919 | 3 Apr 1922 | Sold to a commercial interest, 21 August 1946; Sank, 10 March 1951 |
| Thrush | AVP-3 | Pusey and Jones | 31 Oct 1935 | 13 Dec 1945 | Sold to a commercial interest, 21 August 1946; Sank, 10 March 1951 |
| Avocet | AM-19 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 17 Sep 1918 8 Sep 1925 | 3 Apr 1922 | Sold for scrap, 12 December 1946 |
| Avocet | AVP-4 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 22 Jan 1936 | 10 Dec 1945 | Sold for scrap, 12 December 1946 |
| Bobolink | AM-20 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 28 Jan 1919 | | Fate unknown |
| Bobolink | AT-131 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 1 Jun 1942 | 22 Feb 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Lark | AM-21 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 12 Apr 1919 | | Fate unknown |
| Lark | AT-168 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 1 Mar 1944 | 7 February 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Widgeon | AM-22 | Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company | 27 Jul 1918 | | Sold for scrap, 5 March 1948 |
| Widgeon | ASR-1 | Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company | 22 Jun 1936 | 5 Feb 1947 | Sold for scrap, 5 March 1948 |
| Teal | AM-23 | Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company | 20 Aug 1918 | | Fate unknown |
| Teal | AVP-5 | Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company | 22 Jan 1936 | 23 Nov 1945 | Fate unknown |
| Brant | AM-24 | Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company | 5 Sep 1918 | | Fate unknown |
| Brant | AT-132 | Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company | 1 Jun 1942 | | Fate unknown |
| Brant | ARS-32 | Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company | 1 Sep 1942 | 19 Dec 1945 | Fate unknown |
| Kingfisher | AM-25 | Puget Sound Navy Yard | 27 May 1918 | | Fate unknown |
| Kingfisher | AT-135 | Puget Sound Navy Yard | 1 Jun 1942 | 6 Feb 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Rail | AM-26 | Puget Sound Navy Yard | 5 Jun 1918 | | Fate unknown |
| Rail | AT-139 | Puget Sound Navy Yard | 1 Jun 1942 | 29 Apr 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Pelican | AM-27 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 10 Oct 1918 | | Sold for scrap, November 1946 |
| Pelican | AVP-6 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 22 Jan 1936 | 30 Nov 1945 | Sold for scrap, November 1946 |
| Falcon | AM-28 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 12 Nov 1918 | | Fate unknown |
| Falcon | ASR-2 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 12 Sep 1929 | 18 Jun 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Osprey | AM-29 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 7 Jan 1919 | 12 Dec 1920 | Sold for scrap, 1952 |
| Osprey | ARS-2 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 17 Sep 1941 | 13 Feb 1947 | Sold for scrap, 1952 |
| Seagull | AM-30 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 7 Mar 1919 | | Fate unknown |
| Seagull | AT-141 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 1 Jun 1942 | 5 Sep 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Tern | AM-31 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 17 May 1919 | | Fate unknown |
| Tern | AT-142 | Gas Engine and Power Company | 1 Jun 1942 | 23 Nov 1945 | Fate unknown |
| Flamingo | AM-32 | New Jersey Dry Dock and Transportation Company | 12 Feb 1919 | 17 Mar 1953 | Sold for scrap, 22 July 1953 |
| Penguin | AM-33 | New Jersey Dry Dock and Transportation Company | 21 Nov 1918 | n/a | Scuttled to prevent capture, 8 December 1941 |
| Swan | AM-34 | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | 31 Jan 1919 | | Fate unknown |
| Swan | AVP-7 | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | 22 Jan 1936 | 13 Dec 1945 | Fate unknown |
| Whipporwill | AM-35 | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | 1 Apr 1919 | | Fate unknown |
| Whipporwill | AT-169 | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | 1 Mar 1944 | 17 Apr 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Bittern | AM-36 | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | 28 May 1919 | n/a | Scuttled following incapacitating damage, 10 December 1941 |
| Sanderling | AM-37 | Todd Brooklyn | 4 Dec 1918 | 2 May 1922 | Accidentally sank while under tow, 26 June 1937 |
| Auk | AM-38 | Todd Brooklyn | 31 Jan 1919 | 28 Jan 1947 | Transferred to Venezuela, 9 June 1947; decommissioned in 1962 and abandoned as of 2019 |
| Chewink | AM-39 | Todd Brooklyn | 9 Apr 1919 | 4 Feb 1947 | Sunk as a target, 31 July 1947 |
| Chewink | ASR-3 | Todd Brooklyn | 9 April 1919 | 4 February 1947 | Sunk as a target, 31 July 1947 |
| Cormorant | AM-40 AT-133 | Todd Brooklyn | 15 May 1919 | 29 March 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Cormorant | AM-40 AT-133 | Todd Brooklyn | 15 May 1919 | 29 March 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Gannet | AM-41 | Todd Brooklyn | 10 July 1919 | n/a | Sunk, 7 June 1942 |
| Gannet | AVP-8 | Todd Brooklyn | 10 July 1919 | n/a | Sunk, 7 June 1942 |
| Grebe | AM-43 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 1 May 1919 | n/a | Ran aground, 6 December 1942; destroyed by hurricane, 1–2 January 1943 |
| Grebe | AT-134 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 1 May 1919 | n/a | Ran aground, 6 December 1942; destroyed by hurricane, 1–2 January 1943 |
| Mallard | AM-44 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 25 Jun 1919 | 10 Dec 1946 | Sunk as a target, 22 May 1947 |
| Mallard | ASR-4 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 25 Jun 1919 | 10 Dec 1946 | Sunk as a target, 22 May 1947 |
| Ortolan | AM-45 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 17 Sep 1919 | 18 Mar 1947 | Fate unknown |
| Ortolan | ASR-5 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 17 Sep 1919 | 18 Mar 1947 | Fate unknown |
| Peacock | AM-46 | Staten Island Shipbuilding Company | 27 Dec 1919 | n/a | Sunk, 24 August 1940 |
| Pigeon | AM-47 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 15 July 1919 | n/a | Sunk, 4 May 1942 |
| Pigeon | ASR-6 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 15 July 1919 | n/a | Sunk, 4 May 1942 |
| Redwing | AM-48 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 17 October 1919 | n/a | Sunk, 29 June 1943 |
| Redwing | ARS-4 | Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding | 17 October 1919 | n/a | Sunk, 29 June 1943 |
| Sandpiper | AM-51 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 9 October 1919 | 10 December 1945 | Fate unknown |
| Sandpiper | AVP-9 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 9 October 1919 | 10 December 1945 | Fate unknown |
| Vireo | AM-52 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 16 October 1919 | 18 April 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Vireo | AT-144 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 16 October 1919 | 18 April 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Warbler | AM-53 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 22 December 1919 | 29 March 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Warbler | ARS-11 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 22 December 1919 | 29 March 1946 | Fate unknown |
| Willet | AM-54 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 29 January 1920 | 1 December 1947 | Sold for scrap 2 November 1948 |
| Willet | ARS-12 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 29 January 1920 | 1 December 1947 | Sold for scrap 2 November 1948 |