USS Staunch ( AM - 307 ) USS " Staunch " ( AM - 307 ) was a steel - hulled Admirable Class Minesweeper built for the U . S . Navy during World War II . Her crew was quickly trained in the art of minesweeping and then sent to the Pacific Ocean to clear dangerous mine fields so that Allied troops could land on Japanese - held beaches . Because of her courageous work under fire , she was awarded four battle star s . She was laid down , 5 September 1943 by Associated Shipbuilders , Seattle , Washington ; launched , 15 February 1944 ; commissioned USS " Staunch " ( AM - 307 ) , 9 September 1944 ; and , reclassified as a Fleet Minesweeper ( Steel Hull ) , MSF - 307 , 7 February 1955 . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . Following shakedown training and antisubmarine warfare ( ASW ) training out of San Pedro and San Diego , California , " Staunch " was overhauled at Long Beach , California , and then headed for Hawaii at the end of November . She arrived in Pearl Harbor on 10 December , took on supplies and sweep gear , participated in amphibious exercises , and got underway for the Central Pacific on 22 January 1945 . The minesweeper stopped at Eniwetok for fuel and provisions from 3 to 5 February , before continuing on to the Marianas . She conducted ASW patrols for several days and took on fuel and supplies at Tinian ; then , on 13 February , sailed with Task Unit ( TU ) 52 . 3 . 18 in the screen of . " Staunch " arrived off Iwo Jima early on the 16th and made a sweep of the shoreline . On the 17th and 18th , she served as an antisubmarine picket and bombarded the shore on the eve of the assault . " Staunch " spent D - Day assisting in the refueling of the smaller minesweepers . All during her stay at Iwo Jima , she joined other minesweepers in screening " Terror " during nightly retirements to the transport area . Rescue operations . After the landings on the 19th " Staunch " remained in the Bonins until 7 March . While there she served on several patrol stations and helped rescue sailors who fell overboard during a collision between and . She cleared the Bonins on 7 March and reached Ulithi , in the western Carolines , four days later . After eight days of repairs provisioning , and fueling , " Staunch " exited Ulithi Lagoon on 19 March . She reached the Ryūkyūs on 25 March and immediately streamed her gear to sweep mines around Kerama Retto . Between 26 and 29 March " Staunch " and the other minesweepers swept mines from the approaches to the assault beaches on Okinawa fueled the smaller minesweepers , and periodically fought off air attacks . Each night she retired seaward . Invasion of Okinawa . Duty in the antisubmarine screen occupied her time on the day before the invasion . On 1 April , the assault troops stormed the Hagushi beaches on Okinawa , and " Staunch " settled into the routine of patrols and ASW screening . until 31 May , she came under frequent air attacks , though most were directed at the larger ships , particularly the radar pickets . During the night of 16 and 17 May , she picked up a small surface contact on her radar screen and found a large boat pulling a raft . " Staunch " opened fire on the strange enemy craft , and all but one of the Japanese took to the water . The remaining Japanese soldier blew himself up with a hand grenade . On 31 May , " Staunch " joined in a practice sweep in preparation for the occupation of Iheya Shima . At 0000 on the following day , she approached the objective , but the operation was called off , and she retired rapidly . On 2 June , she and her sister minesweepers swept the waters around the island , and the U . S . Marines stormed ashore . Then , after watching a Japanese " Val " splash , the minesweeper cleared the area for Okinawa . From then until 8 July , she concentrated on an offensive sweep off Sakishima Gunto , known as Operation Zebra , putting into Kerama Retto periodically for fuel , provisions , and availability . On two occasions while at the anchorage , she joined the other ships in fighting off an enemy aircraft or two . On the morning of 8 July , she put to sea and shaped a course to the Philippines and entered San Pedro Bay , Leyte four days later . " Staunch " was overhauled while her crew enjoyed liberty . End - of - War operations . The minesweeper was still at Leyte in mid - August when Japan ' s capitulation was announced , but instead of going home , she got underway on the 25th for Okinawa , reaching Buckner Bay on the 31st . After several days sweeping mines around Okinawa , she headed for Japan . " Staunch " spent the next three months participating in the extensive post - war sweep of the waters around the Japanese home islands . She swept the area around Nagasaki and Sasebo until 17 September then after two days of availability at Sasebo , she sailed off to sweep the area of the Bungo Suido until the 29th . Between 1 and 21 October , she continued sweeping mines in between typhoons . She returned to the Bungo Suido on the 30th . In November , " Staunch " joined the major sweep conducted in the Tsushima Strait . That operation continued into December with " Staunch " putting into Sasebo periodically for availability . At the completion of that operation , she put into Sasebo for fuel and provisions ; then got underway on 11 December for the United States , via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor . Return to Stateside . " Staunch " reached San Diego on 12 January 1946 and remained there for a month . On 11 February , she headed for the Panama Canal and transited it on the night of 21 and 22 February . She made Galveston , Texas , on the 28th and stayed there until 11 April when she moved to Orange , Texas . Post - War deactivation . There she joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . On 7 February 1955 , she was redesignated MSF - 307 . She remained there until 1 April 1967 , when her name was struck from the Navy List . Her hulk was sold on 9 October 1969 to Luria Bros . Co . , Inc . , for scrapping . Awards . " Staunch " earned four battle stars during World War II .