USS Pigeon ( ASR - 6 ) The first USS " Pigeon " ( AM - 47 / ASR - 6 ) was a " Lapwing " - class minesweeper of the United States Navy . She was later converted to a submarine rescue ship . She was named for the avian ambassador , the pigeon . " Pigeon " was laid down by the Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co . , Baltimore , Maryland ; launched on 29 January 1919 ; sponsored by Mrs . Joseph B . Provance ; and commissioned in the Norfolk Navy Yard on 15 July 1919 , Lieutenant William C . Procknow in command . When hull classification symbol s and numbers were assigned to ships on 17 July 1920 , " Pigeon " was designated AM - 47 . Service history . Inter - war period . " Pigeon " departed Norfolk to serve the Pacific Mine Force at San Diego , California ; transited the Panama Canal on 7 December 1919 ; and reached San Diego on 25 December . Pearl Harbor became her new base of operations on 18 June 1920 and she decommissioned there on 25 April 1922 . Converted to a gunboat , she recommissioned at Pearl Harbor on 13 October 1923 , Lieutenant Commander Elwin F . Cutts in command . Still classified a minesweeper , " Pigeon " departed Pearl Harbor on 7 November 1923 and joined the Yangtze River Patrol Force at Shanghai , China on 26 November . For five years , she served in the famous patrol protecting American citizens and commerce during the revolution that swept China . She began serving Submarine Division 16 ( SubDiv 16 ) , U . S . Asiatic Fleet in September 1928 . After ranging from the Philippines to the China coast , she fitted out as a “ Submarine Salvage Vessel ” at the Cavite Naval Station April – July 1929 . She sailed from Manila Bay on 13 July to cruise with Asiatic Fleet Submarines along the China Coast until returning to Manila on 11 September . The following day , she was reclassified a Submarine Rescue Vessel ( ASR - 6 ) . As a Submarine Rescue Vessel , " Pigeon " s primary mission was to salvage and aid submarine s in distress . She had a complement of divers and was equipped with deep sea diving equipment . There was a McCann rescue chamber for rescuing men from sunken submarines . " Pigeon " also had a helium mixing tank for aiding divers in making deep dives . Her recompression chamber was a complete “ divers hospital ” to prevent the dreaded “ bends ” in divers subjected to sudden ascents from deep depths . " Pigeon " continued duty with the Submarine Force of the Asiatic Fleet in waters ranging from the Philippines to the coast of China . She departed Shanghai for Manila on 19 August 1940 , arriving on the 24th , and remained in the Philippines as the Japanese gained control of the coastal ports of China . World War II . 1941 . In November 1941 , the 4th Marines evacuated Shanghai and ships of the Yangtze River Patrol were withdrawn from China . " Pigeon " was one of the ships ordered to escort the American gunboats from Chinese waters . She departed Cavite for Formosa Straits 28 – 29 November 1941 . " Pigeon " rendezvoused near midnight of 30 November - 1 December 1941 with the gunboats and ( flagship ) and minesweeper . A Japan ese seaplane circled the formation on the morning of 1 December 1941 . For about eight hours , beginning at noon , seven Japanese warship s encircled the American gunboats . One transport — loaded with troops ( apparently bound for the Malayan expedition ) — held gunnery exercises on the gunboat formation . The episode ended about 19 : 00 when a Japanese transport hoisted an International signal translated : " Enemy escaping on course 180 . " On 4 December , " Pigeon " sighted Corregidor Light and the convoy entered Manila Bay . On receiving word of the attack on Pearl Harbor , Lt . Comdr . Richard E . Hawes immediately prepared to get " Pigeon " underway and stood by to evacuate the Cavite Navy Yard . While waiting for the enemy to appear , he crammed the ship with stores and salvage and repair supplies and equipment . " Spittin ’ Dick " Hawes had already become a legend among submariners . He had a reputation of superb loyalty to subordinates and was known for his ingenuity with men and the materials at hand . A special act of Congress elevated him to officer rank on 18 February 1929 in recognition of his salvage feats on submarines and . He had entered the Navy as a Fireman in 1917 and had earned the Navy Cross for distinguished service in salvaging " S - 51 " in 1925 – 1926 . He later served in several " S - boats " , at the New London Submarine Base , became a Master Diver , then joined the staff of SubDiv 4 . He commanded submarine salvage ship from 1935 – 1938 , served as Officer in Command of the Submarine Escape Training Tank at the Submarine Base in Hawaii , then took command of " Pigeon " on 12 February 1940 . " Pigeon " was moored in a five - ship nest at the Cavite Navy Yard on 10 December 1941 when Japanese bombers launched massive raids . But Commander Hawes had relieving tackle s rigged , steam at throttle , and men ready for action . His foresight saved " Pigeon " and submarine . " Pigeon " s four machine guns — two and two — were no match for Japan ’ s high - altitude bomber s , but she could outsmart them . She cleared the dock lashed to then cut loose and both ships maneuvered clear of bombs which fell close astern . Soon Cavite Navy Yard was engulfed in explosions and flames . In the nest which " Pigeon " had occupied lay submarine — her pressure hull pierced by bomb hits and beyond salvage — and " Seadragon " , damaged and without power to get underway . With them were the minesweeper with a gasoline lighter as well as another lighter moored astern . While " Pigeon " maneuvered to save " Seadragon " , Machinist Rollin M . Reed and Watertender Wayne E . Taylor jumped in a surf boat to haul the burning lighter clear , got the gasoline lighter out of reach of flames , then assisted another small boat in hauling " Bittern " off from the dock and to safety . Soon , the flames and explosions reached the torpedo overhaul shop exploding torpedo warheads which hurled fiery missiles over " Pigeon " . Nevertheless , " Pigeon " calmly placed her stern across the end piling and ran a line some to " Seadragon " and hauled the submarine clear of the dock . " Seadragon " s hull was already scorched from flames that swept the wharf . Just as " Pigeon " pulled the submarine backward to the channel , a big fuel tank exploded and spewed a horizontal wave of fire that blistered the hulls of both ships . Once " Seadragon " reached the channel , her skillful crew worked her out into the Bay . Her leaks were plugged and her pressure hull was patched by submarine tender when she departed for Soerabaja , Java on 16 December . " Pigeon " received the first Presidential Unit Citation awarded a ship of the United States Navy for her heroism in saving " Seadragon " . But " Pigeon " had " not yet begun to fight " . By the end of the month , her sailors had earned a second Presidential Unit Citation for fighting ability not expected of men in a little support craft . Lt . Comdr . Hawes reported : " The courage , spirit , and efficiency of the " Pigeon " crew is believed unsurpassed by past , present , or any future crews of any vessel of any nation . " While the Navy Yard was still in flames , her crew was attempting to secure heavier armament for their ship . She armed herself with a gun from fire - damaged " Bittern " and another from " Sealion " . Sheets of boiler plate were fashioned into gun and splinter shields for six machine guns which circled the bridge . " The " Pigeon " is well armed , " wrote Hawes , " and is believed to be the best equipped vessel of her type and tonnage in existence . " Not content to fend for herself , " Pigeon " worked tirelessly to help her sister ships and the other defenders of the Philippines . She replaced the gun on minesweeper . She fed an average of 125 men daily , and salvaged valuable equipment from submarine " Sealion " . She also salvaged and transported deck loads of torpedoes to " Old Lady " " Canopus " to keep the Asiatic Fleet submarines armed . When Manila was declared an " open city " , she towed " Bittern " to Mariveles . She made underwater repairs to submarine , supplied submarine with both fresh and battery water ; and , towed all manner of supply - laden barges and small craft between Manila , Corregidor , Bataan , and Mariveles . She even charged air flasks for the torpedoes of PT boat s . During a bombing attack on Corregidor , her gunners blasted away at three twin - engined aircraft winging over the eastern end of the island . One exploded between Manja Island light and Corregidor , and the other two crashed just beyond the minefield . " Pigeon " scored again the following day when an enemy observation plane made the mistake of passing overhead , then turned back for a closer look . Shells from " Pigeon " ripped into the enemy aircraft which sideslipped , lost altitude , and headed out to sea . By the end of December , Manila Bay was no longer a suitable area for submarines . Only those just back from patrol remained . These evacuated highly - trained submariners to new Pacific bases in Java and Australia where they formed the nucleus maintenance crews that kept the American submarine forces on patrol . 1942 . On 5 January 1942 , Lt . Comdr . Hawes turned over command of " Pigeon " to Lt . Comdr . Frank Alfred Davis , USNR , and became first lieutenant of submarine tender . Under Davis , another leader of heroic stock , " Pigeon " continued her fearless struggle . Since Japanese warships outside Manila Bay made it impossible for her to escape , " Pigeon " remained behind with " Canopus " , a few old gunboats , and small craft to fight with the Army of Bataan . She again fought off enemy aircraft , towed between Mariveles and Corregidor ; conducted diving operations for salvage , scuttled equipment and destroyed munitions that might fall to the enemy ; and established a lookout station at Gorda Point , Bataan . On the night of 5 January , she slipped off Japanese - occupied Sangley Point , Cavite , and snatched a barge of submarine mine s from under the nose of the enemy . Men armed to the teeth stepped quickly and quietly from a whaleboat , made a towline fast , and returned to " Pigeon " . As an added act of defiance the landing party ignited several barrels of aviation gasoline . " Pigeon " kept up her energetic pace of support in the Philippines defense . In February 1942 , she deprived the enemy of two ammunition lighters and salvaged some 160 , 000 gallons ( 605 , 600 l ) of fuel oil from merchantman S . S . " Don Jose " enabling gunboats to stay on patrol . She also repelled six enemy dive bomber s , knocking down one and crippling another which later crashed on Bataan . She set up a repair base at Saseaman Dock , using a submarine repair barge to tend small craft of the inshore patrol and for Philippine " Q boats " . She also fueled a submarine at South Dock , Corregidor . In March 1942 , " Pigeon " salvaged and concealed gasoline drums ashore in Saseaman Cove , fueled a submarine and gunboats , and towed several lighters between Corregidor and Bataan . She also salvaged and repaired S . S . " Floricita " and towed her from the beach at Corregidor to Mariveles . In April she dueled with enemy artillery at Cab Cabin and again fought off enemy aircraft . Bataan fell on 9 April , and — rather than surrender to the enemy — " Canopus " backed away from the dock and sank at the hands of her own crew . That night , " Pigeon " made rendezvous with fleet submarine under the enemy guns in the south channel off Corregidor . " Snapper " had brought of food and stores for beleaguered Corregidor and " Pigeon " hurried to load the cargo before the start of night bombing raids . Fate . After the fall of Bataan , " Pigeon " s crew spent the days on shore and returned to their ship for night operations that included dumping Philippine currency in the channel south of Corregidor . She continued to serve until the afternoon of 4 May , when a bomb from a dive bomber exploded on her starboard quarter . She sank in eight minutes but her crew was on shore . The Japanese later captured these brave sailors but many survived the war . Lt . Comdr . Frank Alfred Davis carried on the fighting tradition and valor of his command while interned at the infamous prisoner - of - war camp at Cabanatuan , Philippine Islands . He built a powerful underground organization to obtain food , medicines and communications of all kinds . He volunteered for command of a firewood detail , and despite the constant surveillance of Japanese guards , succeeded in smuggling into camp tremendous amounts of food and other necessities to his fellow prisoners . His great personal valor and grave concern for others at a great risk to his own life contributed to the welfare and morale of all prisoners on Luzon and saved countless lives before he died on 14 December 1944 . Lt . Comdr . Davis received the Navy Cross for his intrepid fight on " Canopus " and " Pigeon " and was posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit for his courageous and dedicated service to fellow prisoners . See also . See for other ships of the same name .