USS Starling ( AM - 64 ) USS " Starling " ( AM - 64 ) was an acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing . " Starling " was named after the starling , which is any passerine bird of the genus Sturnus or of the family , Sturnidae . The second " Starling " to be so named by the Navy , " AM - 64 " was laid down on 1 July 1941 by the General Engineering and Drydock Co . , Alameda , California ; launched on 11 April 1942 ; and commissioned on 21 December 1942 . World War II Pacific operations . After fitting out and a short shakedown period , " Starling " sortied from San Francisco , California , on 22 January 1943 with a convoy bound for Hawaii and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 1 February . On 16 April , she sailed for the South $ 3 . From 25 April to early July , the minesweeper shuttled between Fiji , Samoa , New Zealand , the New Hebrides , and New Caledonia . She escorted a convoy from Noumea to Guadalcanal on 2 July and , from the 5th to the 16th , patrolled in the Solomon Islands between Lunga and Tulagi . She then resumed inter - island convoy duty which occupied her until mid - October . " Starling " , with and , swept the Ferguson Passage off Kolombangara from 23 to 27 October , and they destroyed 135 mines . From , 29 October to 1 November , they cleared the minefield in Kula Gulf and then swept Vella Gulf from 3 to 6 November . " Starling " next sailed for New Zealand and arrived at Auckland on 30 November 1943 . " Starling " resumed convoy duty until 10 May 1944 , when she was assigned to assist in transporting the V Amphibious Corps from the Guadalcanal staging area . This was the Southern Attack Force for the amphibious assault against Guam . Later in the month , the force held practice landings off Cape Esperance and finally departed on 4 June for the Marshall Islands . The minesweeper left Kwajalein on 17 July with Task Group ( TG ) 53 . 9 , the Minesweeping and Hydrographic Unit , for Guam . She performed antisubmarine and patrol duty and remained in the Marianas until sailing for Eniwetok on 19 September . " Starling " steamed from Eniwetok to Hawaii and departed Pearl Harbor on 7 October for the U . S . West Coast and a yard overhaul . She arrived at San Francisco , California on 14 October 1944 and remained on the west coast until 1 February 1945 when she sailed , via Pearl Harbor , for the Marshall Islands . The minesweeper arrived in the Marshall Islands on 28 February and was assigned to Minesweeper Group I , TG 52 . 4 , for the invasion of the Ryukyus . She operated off Okinawa from 6 April to 4 May and then sailed for the Philippines . From Leyte , the ship moved to Iwo Jima and back to Okinawa which she reached on 18 August , three days after hostilities ended . " Starling " swept mines in the Chu Shan archipelago , off the China coast , from 7 September to 30 October before calling at Shanghai . She sailed from that port on 17 November for Japan and arrived at Sasebo , Japan , two days later . The ship operated in Japanese waters until 28 December 1945 when she steamed for the U . S . west coast via Saipan , Eniwetok , Johnston Island , and Pearl Harbor . She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 5 February 1946 and at San Diego , California , nine days later . Decommissioning . " Starling " was placed in reserve , out of commission , on 15 May 1946 . In October 1948 , she was towed to a berthing area at Long Beach , California . On 7 February 1955 , the ship was reclassified MSF - 64 . She was struck from the Navy list on 1 July 1972 and sold to the government of Mexico on 16 February 1973 , renamed ARM " Valentín Gómez Farías " ( C79 ) . Her pennant number was later changed to G11 , and changed again in 1993 to P110 . , " Valentín Gómez Farías " was in active service with the Mexican Navy . Awards . " Starling " received three battle stars for World War II service .