USS Albatross ( AM - 71 ) USS " Albatross " ( AM - 71 ) was an of the United States Navy during World War II . Originally laid down on 25 October 1930 as the steel - hulled fishing trawler M / V " Illinois " by the Bath Iron Works , Bath , Maine , she was launched on 19 March 1931 and delivered on 30 March 1931 to the Booth Fisheries Company , Boston , Massachusetts . Acquired by the U . S . Navy on 9 August 1940 and renamed " Albatross " on 14 August 1940 , conversion to a minesweeper began on 6 September 1940 by the General Ship and Engine Works , East Boston , Massachusetts . The ship was commissioned as USS " Albatross " ( AM 71 ) on 8 November 1940 at the Boston Navy Yard . Conversion was completed on 8 November 1941 . She was reclassified as an Unclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary , IX - 171 , 1 June 1944 . Service history . World War II North Atlantic operations . Following her conversion for naval service as a minesweeper " Albatross " was assigned to duty in the 5th Naval District . In early May 1941 , she sailed to Bermuda , arriving at Port Royal Bay on 9 May . The ship operated in Bermudan waters until 15 August , when she got underway for Norfolk , Virginia . After a period of upkeep , she returned to her minesweeping activities in the Hampton Roads area . On 12 December , she set sail for Newfoundland , arriving at Argentia , Newfoundland , on 23 December 1941 . Iceland Area operations . " Albatross " left that port on 4 January 1942 in company with to join a British convoy bound for Iceland . En route to the rendezvous , the ships encountered heavy weather which forced them to change their course ; and they reached Derry , Northern Ireland , on 16 January . Although " Albatross " had sustained minor damage , she was sent to Iceland via northern Scotland , Orkney , Shetland , and Faroe Islands . The minesweeper finally returned to the United States in July , when she arrived at the Boston Navy Yard . She left Boston as an escort for a convoy on 1 October and reached Greenland on 21 October . " Albatross " spent the remainder of the year in waters around Greenland . Albatross strikes an iceberg . USS " Albatross " struck an iceberg on 7 January 1943 , causing minor damage . Then an ice pack formed astern of the ship , blocking the ship ' s path until shifting winds cleared the ice , enabling her to leave Greenland on 12 January . She touched at Newfoundland on 3 February and then proceeded on to Boston , Massachusetts , arriving on the 8th . " Albatross " reached Norfolk , Virginia , on the 11th . After a month ' s overhaul , she got underway for Canada . Collision with another ship . On 11 April , while operating out of Nova Scotia , " Albatross " was struck by another ship and suffered damage which caused her to return to Boston , Massachusetts , for a drydock period . When this was completed , the minesweeper returned to Greenland to resume her convoy duties . Stranded in Greenland . " Albatross " spent the first six months of 1944 moored to the pier at Narsarssuak , Greenland , awaiting repairs to her main engine which were held up for lack of spare part s . While she was thus immobilized , she provided repairs and services to other ships . On 1 June , " Albatross " was redesignated IX - 171 . When her engine was finally back in working order , she headed home and arrived at Boston , Massachusetts , on 14 July . Then the minesweeper reported to the 1st Naval District for inactivation . End - of - War decommissioning . Stripped of her military equipment , she was decommissioned on 11 September , and her name was struck from the Navy list on 23 September 1944 . " Albatross " was transferred to the Maritime Commission on 15 November 1944 for disposal . She then resumed the name M / V " Illinois " , but no record of her subsequent career has been found .