"Chimo" sailed from Norfolk on 13 May 1944 for Plymouth and the Normandy beaches. She lay at anchor off Utah Beach from 7 to 19 June as flagship of Commander Minesweepers West, providing tender services to British and United States minesweeping forces as they kept lanes open for the movement of supplies vital to the invasion buildup. Between 20 June 1944 and 5 March 1945, "Chimo" operated from Plymouth along the coast of France at Cherbourg, bay of Saint-Brieuc, and Brest. She cleared Plymouth on 5 March for overhaul in the States and on 11 June, departed Norfolk arriving at San Diego on 3 July for voyage repairs and training.