USS Turkey ( AM - 13 ) USS " Turkey " ( AM - 13 ) was an acquired by the U . S . Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing . " Turkey " ( Minesweeper No . 13 ) was laid down on 19 August 1917 at Chester , Pennsylvania , by the Chester Shipbuilding Co . ; launched on 30 April 1918 ; sponsored by Mrs . W . T . Smith ; and commissioned on 13 December 1918 , Lt . John H . McDonald in command . Clearance of World War I mines . Although completed too late to see service during World War I , " Turkey " took part in the gigantic operation to clear the mine barrage which had been laid in the North Sea during this conflict . This system of minefields constituted a formidable obstacle to the resumption of trade in the aftermath of the war . After steaming across the Atlantic Ocean , the new minesweeper arrived at Kirkwall , Scotland , on 20 April 1919 and joined the American forces massing there to begin clearing the shipping lanes between Scotland and Norway . " Turkey " strikes a mine . Soon thereafter , " Turkey " got underway for mine - sweeping operations in the North Sea . During her second operation ( which ran from 8 to 29 May ) , a mine exploded directly beneath " Turkey " on 16 May . The disabled minesweeper crept to Lyeness , at Scapa Flow , where she was drydocked for repairs . Her damage was corrected in time for " Turkey " to take part in the project ' s fifth operation , commencing on 22 July . Eight days later , the minesweeper suffered a condenser failure . After receiving a cannibalized unit from the disabled , she resumed operations in mid - August . Fair weather conditions , unusual for the North Sea , enabled the ships to make excellent progress . While thus engaged , " Turkey " fouled a mine in her sweep gear ; and it exploded close aboard , causing minor damage . However , the ship effected quick repairs at sea and continued operations without missing the proverbial step . By the 16th , " Turkey ' s " group had swept a record 1 , 373 mines . " Oriole " damaged by a mine . Deteriorating weather conditions , however , hampered the clearing of group 13 , in an operation begun on 5 September . After delaying putting to sea due to heavy fog , the ships got underway to carry out their assignment but seemed dogged with misfortune and bad luck from the beginning . snared a mine which exploded in one of her " kites " , damaging both kite and ship and forcing her to limp home . closed " Turkey " to obtain more sweep wire to replace her depleted stock , but the capricious sea slammed the two ships together , forcing " USS Swan " out of action and back to port for repairs . Completion of North Sea mine clearance . By November 1919 , the colossal job of sweeping the barrage had been completed . On 25 November , " Turkey " and her 34 sister ships received orders detaching them from duty in the North Sea . Taking on fuel at Brest , France , " Turkey " departed European waters but soon ran into bad weather off the Azores . Bucking heavy seas and high winds , the ship used a large amount of her fuel and exhausted it completely , long before she reached Bermuda . Destroyer tender passed a towline to the minesweeper and eventually brought her to Bermuda . Assignment to the Pacific Fleet . Following her return to the United States , " Turkey " began operating out of New York in the waters of the 3rd Naval District . On 17 July 1920 , the minesweeper was designated AM - 13 when the U . S . Navy adopted its modern alphanumeric system of hull numbers . In 1921 , the ship shifted to the Pacific Ocean to join the Pacific Fleet Train . Based at Pearl Harbor , she operated as part of Mine Division 4 and Mine Division 6 until decommissioned there on 12 April 1922 . After 15 years in reserve , " Turkey " returned to the U . S . West Coast in September 1937 and was fitted out at the Mare Island Navy Yard , Vallejo , California . Recommissioned there on 15 August 1938 , " Turkey " subsequently operated out of San Pedro , California , through 1939 . As the Fleet shifted to Pearl Harbor in late 1939 and early 1940 , " Turkey " followed and operated out of Pearl Harbor into 1941 . On 7 December of that year , she lay moored in a nest of her sister ships at the Coal Docks at Pearl Harbor , when Japanese planes launched a surprise attack on the unsuspecting Pacific Fleet . Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor . A Naval Reserve ensign , who had experienced only six months of sea duty , led the ship ' s defense until her commanding officer could return to the ship . The crew tumbled to battle stations at the sound of the general quarters alarm and quickly manned the main battery of two 3 - inch guns . In addition , two Lewis guns atop the tall pilot house went into action . A number of riflemen armed with Springfield 1903 bolt - action rifles roamed the decks looking for good vantage points from which to fire at the attacking planes . Twenty minutes after the raid began , " Turkey " backed clear of the next ship to improve her field of fire and continued the fight . When all Japanese planes had departed the area , " Turkey " and her sister ships labored to salvage the critically damaged battleships which were partially sunk in the mud and oily waters off Ford Island . " Turkey " remained engaged in these operations until 1 April 1942 , when she departed Pearl Harbor for Samoan waters . Pacific Theatre operations . Relieving as station ship at Samoa , " Turkey " operated in Samoan waters through the end of the year and into 1943 . She conducted minesweeping patrols , provided local escort services , and towed targets for the U . S . Marines shore batteries on Samoa . On 1 June 1942 , she was reclassified as an ocean - going tug and given the designation AT - 143 . She also supported Marine raider landing exercises . Discovering castaways . On 14 April 1943 , " Turkey " visited Bowditch Island on an inspection and discovered two castaway s who had been there for nearly a month . The two had been treated well by the local populace and were in good shape . After receiving repairs from 21 to 30 April , the minesweeper became station ship at Tutuila . She returned to Pearl Harbor in June and thence proceeded to the U . S . West Coast and a major overhaul at Mare Island , California . Following trials off the west coast , she headed for Hawaii and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 20 October . Operating out of the Fleet ' s Hawaiian base , " Turkey " towed targets for naval aircraft and recovered practice torpedo es through January 1944 . Operating as a unit of Service Squadron 6 , she conducted these activities through late February , after which she underwent more repair work at Pearl Harbor from 1 March to 24 April . Following post - repair trials and practice torpedo - recovery operations in Hawaiian waters , she headed for the Marshalls on 10 May 1944 – in company with and towing barges " YOGL - 7 " and " YW - 68 " — and arrived at Majuro on 25 May . Five days later , " Turkey " headed for Kwajalein with " YF - 412 " and " YF - 383 " in tow and in company with " ATR - 46 " , making port there on 1 June . Upon delivering her tows , she proceeded back to Majuro . Meanwhile , on 15 May 1944 , she had been reclassified as an old ocean tug and redesignated ATO - 143 . Providing ammunition for the larger ships . On 4 June , she commenced ammunition replenishment operations at that base for cruisers , , and . For the remainder of the summer , " Turkey " operated in the Marshalls , towing small barges between Majuro , Kwajalein , and Eniwetok , undergoing a brief overhaul alongside at Majuro from 29 August to 2 September and conducting harbor operations . Then , on 5 October , she headed for Ulithi . After harbor duty there , she sailed for Ngulu Atoll on 17 October to assist in salvage operations for , which had been damaged by a mine explosion earlier that day . She returned to Ulithi on the 23rd and , four days later , assisted the torpedo - damaged into the harbor after the cruiser had been struck off Formosa by a Japanese aircraft - launched torpedo . Sinking of the " Mississinewa " . While " Turkey " was towing " YOG - 21 " alongside , the minesweeper ' s foremast caught in one of the carrier ' s flight deck radio antenna braces and was broken in three places . On 21 November , " Turkey " went to the assistance of the tanker which had been struck by a Japanese manned torpedo . The minesweeper closed to help put out the fires . Despite valiant firefighting efforts , the oiler rolled over and sank some three hours later , the war ' s first victim of Japan ' s Kaiten . Following a short overhaul period at Ulithi in December 1944 , " Turkey " commenced assisting in fueling operations of Fleet carriers there early in January 1945 ; and , but for a brief drydock period from 9 to 13 January , she continued the task through the end of the month . Iwo Jima operations . In early February , she assisted in preparations for the Iwo Jima landings before proceeding , via Kossol Roads in the Palaus , to San Pedro Bay , off Leyte . " Turkey " then continued operations as part of the Service Squadron , South Pacific Forces , in harbor activities at Ulithi in March through May 1945 . After getting underway again for Leyte on 7 May , she served as a retriever for a tow convoy , keeping a lookout for barges and other craft which might slip their tows en route . Arriving in San Pedro Bay on 13 May , she commenced harbor operations and continued them until 7 June , when she began 10 days of upkeep alongside . End - of - war activity . She operated between Leyte and Ulithi through the end of hostilities in mid - August before stopping at Kwajalein on the 24th . On 30 August , she got underway for Hawaii and reached Pearl Harbor on 11 September . From there , she proceeded to San Francisco . Decommissioning . " Turkey " was decommissioned on 6 November 1945 ; struck from the Navy list on 28 November 1945 ; and sold and delivered to the Hawley Forge and Manufacturing Co . , of San Francisco on 30 December 1946 . Awards . " Turkey " received one battle star for her World War II service .