USS Auk ( AM - 38 ) USS " Auk " ( AM - 38 ) was an " Lapwing " - class minesweeper acquired by the U . S . Navy after World War I for the task of removing mines that had been placed during the war . The first ship to be named " Auk " by the Navy , " Minesweeper No . 38 " was laid down on 20 June 1918 at New York City by the Todd Shipyard Corp . ; launched on 28 September 1918 ; sponsored by Miss Nan McArthur Beattie daughter of a Todd Shipyard foremen , and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 31 January 1919 , Lt . Gregory Cullen in command . " Auk " between World War I and World War II , was converted into a survey ship for the Coast and Geodetic Survey , and was renamed USS Discoverer " ( ARS - 3 ) as well as USC & GS " Discoverer " . World War I - related service . Upon completion of her initial fitting out and dock trials , " Auk " proceeded to Tompkinsville , Staten Island , on the afternoon of 24 February . There , her commanding officer reported to the Commander , Minesweeping Division , 3d Naval District . On 2 March , " Auk " sailed for Newport , Rhode Island , in company with ( " Minesweeper No . 8 ) " and arrived there the next morning . At that port , Lt . Cullen attended a conference on board the Mine Force flagship , , on the 5th . Returning to the Mine Sweeping Base at New York on the morning of the 6th , " Auk " left New York waters the following afternoon , bound for Boston , Massachusetts . Surviving a savage North Atlantic storm . The minesweeper , rolling and pitching heavily as the winds and seas rose , was proceeding on her coastwise voyage when , in the predawn darkness of the 0000 - 0400 watch on 8 March , men in the crews ' compartment detected water entering their space at an alarming rate . While some of the crew bailed doggedly , others rigged a " handy billy " , and , later , a wrecking pump , in an effort to cope with the flooding . Lt . Cullen , seeing that " Auk " was taking water faster than it was humanly possible to pump it out or bail it , prudently decided to seek refuge for his ship . " Auk " accordingly altered course at 0905 and plunged through the rough seas and a veritable curtain of fog , while her foghorn blared its warning . She anchored that afternoon , but waves breaking over the after deck foiled attempts to rig the heavy - duty wrecking pumps into the after hold ( into which the water was coming , through the rudder stock ) since it was impossible to remove the hatch without allowing more water to get below in the process . Then just as the fog began to lift to the northward and the ship prepared to weigh anchor and get underway , the anchor engine jammed . Quick repairs enabled " Auk ' s " men to begin the process of hoisting up the hook , but the slow rate at which it was coming up caused some second thoughts about the whole business - water was gaining in the crew ' s quarters . Finally , forced to slip of chain and her starboard anchor , the minesweeper got underway and eventually reached a safe haven in the lee of Montauk Point . Trying to find her anchor . By the next day , the weather had moderated sufficiently to allow " Auk ' s " crew to pump out the flooded after compartments . While she was attempting to retrieve her lost anchor , the minesweeper received orders to discontinue the search and to proceed to her original destination . Underway as ordered , she reached the Boston Navy Yard at 1115 on the 11th and moored alongside sister ship ( " Minesweeper No . 7 " ) . " Auk " remained there for over a month , undergoing repairs and fitting out for her pending duty sweeping the North Sea Mine Barrage . During this time , paravanes ( " Burney Gear " ) were installed in the ship and she underwent necessary upkeep . She departed the yard late on the afternoon of 14 April , standing out of President Roads to anchor for the night off Provincetown , Massachusetts . Underway for mine clearance in the North Sea . On the morning of 15 April , after calibrating her compasses " Auk " got underway for the Orkney Islands , joining three of her sister ships : ( " Minesweeper No . 10 " ) , ( " Minesweeper No . 37 " ) , and " Oriole " . During their two - week passage the ships occasionally gained an extra knot or two by hoisting trysails to catch prevailing zephyrs . All went well until two days from their destination , when steering gear casualties briefly disabled first " Heron " , and then " Auk " , each time necessitating " Oriole ' s " towing them during their respective times of trouble . Ultimately , the four minesweepers reached Kirkwall , Orkney Islands , on 29 April 1919 , shortly after the Minesweeping Detachment flagship , the destroyer tender ( " Destroyer Tender No . 9 " ) , arrived to establish the headquarters there for the ensuing operations . Boatswain ' s Mate killed during first day of mine clearance . Among the last of the minesweepers to reach Orkney Islands " Auk " missed the first , experimental , mine clearance ( 29 April to 2 May ) that proved but a preliminary to the monumental task that lay ahead . However , before she actually started operations in the minefields , " Auk " suffered the first fatality of the operation when , at 0955 on 3 May , Boatswain ' s Mate 1st Class William McHaskell , while engaged in unreeling sweep wire from the drum of the anchor engine , was caught between the wrist pin bearing of the engine and the sweeping drum itself and sustained crushing pelvic injures . Although taken to " Black Hawk " within minutes , McHaskell died soon afterwards . That evening , a Naval Board of Inquiry which met to ascertain the particulars of the death of the boatswain ' s mate recommended that safety guards be installed on that equipment in all sweepers to prevent similar accidents . A difficult task of removing 55 , 000 North Sea mines . Over the next five months , " Auk " and her sister ships - together with a group of 110 - foot subchasers ( ( SC ' s ) ) supported by a truly Allied flotilla of British and American logistics and repair ships and loaned British Admiralty naval trawler s - carried out the dangerous task of sweeping some 55 , 000 mines sown in 1918 between the coasts of Scotland and Norway to bottle up the German U - boats in their North Sea lairs . " Auk " spent over 95 days on the minefields in the often " dirty " weather associated with the North Sea and , like her sister ships , encountered many frustrations that dogged the sweepers and their supporting craft as they carried out their unprecedented mission of clearing the sea lanes to permit a resumption of civilian commerce in the wake of World War I . Tow wire wraps around " Auk ’ s " prop . Underway from Kirkwall at 0600 on 10 May , " Auk " took " SC - 46 " in tow and proceeded to the minefields in company with her division mates , " Oriole " , Heron , and Sanderling , each in turn towing a chaser . Misfortune , however , seemed determined to stalk " Auk " . While she was passing sweep wire to " Oriole " , the line snagged in " Auk ' s " propeller . Slipping the troublesome wire failed to solve the problem , so " Oriole " took her sister ship in tow , but soon turned over the towing task to ( " Minesweeper No . 3 " ) , which took her disabled sister ship to Lerwick , in the Shetland Islands . There , British divers from the tender " Edna " removed the sweep on 13 May . Continued minesweeping after repairs . " Auk " returned to the minefields and teamed with " Oriole " to conduct a sweep on the afternoon of the 14th . During her first pass she cut loose three mines , one fouling the " kite " astern and the other two fouling the line itself . Over the next few days , " Auk " carried out the repetitious task of sweeping , again in company with " Oriole " . A mine exploding nearby " Auk " on the afternoon of the 15th shook the ship considerably but apparently did no damage . The minesweeper varied her daily routine in the minefields - which lasted into late May by escorting " SC - 356 " to Lerwick and back on 17 and 18 May . During the latter half of the month , " Auk " teamed with , on different occasions , " Oriole " , ( " Minesweeper No . 34 " ) , or ( Minesweeper No . 25 ) . Returning to Kirkwall on 29 May , " Auk " refueled there from the British tanker " Aspenleaf " . Damaged in third barrage clearance operation . During June , " Auk " participated in the third clearance operation on the barrage , getting underway from Kirkwall for the minefields on 5 June and returning to port on the 27th . She broke up the routine with brief visits to Kirkwall and Otterswick ( 9 and 12 June , respectively ) , but spent most of the month on the barrage . This time around , her sweeping partners included the familiar " Oriole " , " Robin " , and ( " Minesweeper No . 4 " ) . Highlighting this operation was the shaking - up suffered by the ship when a mine exploded on 21 June . At 1827 , an explosion 50 yards astern sent out shock waves that tripped the generators ( plunging the engine and fire rooms into darkness ) and knocked down part of the brick walls in her two boilers . Fortunately , the damage was not serious enough to incapacitate the ship , and she resumed sweeping operations the next day . " Auk " serves as flagship . During the next two minesweeping operations that followed " Auk " served as the flagship for the detachment commander , Capt . Roscoe C . Bulmer , a highly regarded man , revered by the men he commanded . Capt . Bulmer embarked for the first time at Kirkwall on 7 July 1919 when he broke his broad pennant in " Auk " shortly before she proceeded to sea . That day , she teamed with her old consort " Oriole " in sweeping a portion of the field that had been laid on 13 October of the previous year and , on the following day , swept in company with ( " Minesweeper No . 17 " ) . Mine damage to several ships . A chronicler of the North Sea Mine Barrage clearance wrote about 9 July : " . . . misfortune did not rain ; it poured " . Mines damaged three minesweepers , the tug , , and a subchaser . Again sweeping in company with Eider , " Auk " hit a mine at 0925 that detonated another mine off her starboard bow in a chain reaction ; there was also a third explosion ( probably caused by the second ) 30 yards astern , carrying away the sweep and resulting in the loss of a " kite " and of wire . " Auk " tries to rescue " Pelican " , damaged by mines . At 1000 , an upper level mine exploded beneath ( " Minesweeper No . 27 " ) , which in turn triggered five simultaneous countermines around her . The little ship disappeared in a veritable cloud of spray that , when it subsided , revealed " Pelican " heavily hit , battered , and holed , assuming a list before beginning to settle . As the apparently sinking minesweeper wallowed in the swells , " Auk " , with Capt . Bulmer directing the rescue operations , immediately altered course to close with her sister ship . Passing a line at 1008 , within 10 minutes of the explosions , she drew alongside " Pelican " . After one hose line parted , " Auk " passed another to aid " Pelican " in pumping out the rapidly rising water below - decks . However , the rough seas repeatedly slammed the ships together , damaging lines and hoses and forcing their replacement . At 1054 , ( " Minesweeper No . 23 " ) passed a towline and began moving ahead with the crippled " Pelican " , in turn tethered to " Auk " , astern . " Eider " fell in with the group as it labored ahead , securing to " Pelican ' s " starboard side , " Eider " and " Auk " acting much in the fashion of waterwings , keeping their sister ship afloat between them . Difficulties soon arose , however , as the ships struggled toward the Orkney Islands . A head sea sprang up , tossing the minecraft about and straining moorings and hose lines . Pump lines were carried away and " Pelican " began to settle further by the bow . The pressure of the water in the flooded forward compartments in the damaged ship now buckled and distorted the forward fireroom bulkhead , the only barrier that could save " Pelican " from sinking . The battle to keep " Pelican " afloat . At 2300 , Capt . Bulmer ordered most of " Pelican ' s " crew transferred to " Eider " . A dozen volunteers chosen from the crew ( all had stepped forward when asked to hazard staying on board ) all that was absolutely necessary " to care for the ship " remained on board " Pelican " . Gradually , however , the pumps of " Auk " and " Eider " , working full capacity after the lines had been repaired and again placed in operation , succeeded in lowering " Pelican ' s " waterline . The battle to keep " Pelican " afloat continued on into the night and into the predawn darkness , men standing by with axes to chop through the mooring lines should " Pelican " give any indication of imminent sinking . Finally , on the morning of 10 July , the valiant little flotilla limped into Tresness Bay where " Auk ' s " pumps continued to help lower her sister ship ' s waterline even further . Underway to return to Kirkwall at 1726 , " Auk " reached her destination a little over four hours later and Capt . Bulmer ( whose seamanship many credited with having saved " Pelican " ) disembarked . The next day " Auk " took Rear Admiral Elliott Strauss , Commander , Mine Force , from Kirkwall to Inverness , Scotland , before she returned to Kirkwall , ready to resume operations Captain Bulmer killed in an auto accident . Shortly after midnight on 22 July , Capt . Bulmer transferred his command pennant from " Black Hawk " to " Auk " and wore it in the ship as she teamed with " Oriole " during the detachment ' s fifth mine clearance operation . Capt . Bulmer disembarked for the last time at 0017 on 1 August and , tragically , just three days later suffered severe injuries in an automobile accident . He died on 5 August , and his loss was felt tremendously throughout the detachment , since his intrepid personality had stamped itself on the force and inspired it during his time in command . " Auk " loses another Boatswain ' s Mate to the sea . Auk subsequently took part in two additional minesweeping operations that lasted through late September , drawing her participation in this epic venture to a close when she anchored at Kirkwall on 26 September 1919 . During the first of these missions ( mid - to - late August ) , " Auk " ranged as far as the coast of Norway , touching at the ports of Stavenger and Hangeand , and Bommel Fjord . During this operation , " Auk " suffered her second fatality : at 0715 on 31 August a kite wire , jumping out of a chock , knocked Boatswain ' s Mate 1st Class Lee A . Singleton over the side . " Auk " immediately commenced maneuvering to pick him up , cutting the sweep wire , throwing over a life buoy , and hoisting the man overboard signal , but a one - hour search failed to find the missing man . Repaired at Invergordon from mine damage . Drydocked at Invergordon on 2 and 3 September to repair damage suffered when mines exploded close aboard on 30 August , " Auk " performed local tug and towing duties at Kirkwall in mid - September before resuming operations in the minefields later that month . European tour after completion of North Sea work . After completing her work in the North Sea , " Auk " , her sister ships , and the support craft that had serviced them headed for home . Underway from Kirkwall on 1 October , " Auk " reached Plymouth , England , on the 5th , and underwent voyage repairs there until the 16th , when she left the British Isles and headed for the coast of France reaching Brest on the morning of the 17th . After steaming from there to Lisbon , Portugal , for a brief period of upkeep alongside " Black Hawk " , " Auk " began her homeward voyage on the afternoon of 24 October . " Auk " refueling at sea from " Black Hawk " while approaching Bermuda on 11 November , an event necessitated by the discovery two days before that the after peak tank had leaked salt water , thus contaminating the oil . Reducing speed to conserve fuel , " Auk " was taken in tow by " Swallow " later that day , the former hoisting sail to help in keeping on course . On the morning of the 10th , " Auk " went alongside " Black Hawk " in an attempt at underway replenishment , only to have the fuel hose carry away and foul the minesweeper ' s propeller . " Black Hawk " then towed " Auk " throughout the night . In another attempt at refueling between 0925 and 1115 the next morning , " Auk " took on board 20 tons of oil and reached Grassy Bay , Bermuda , six hours later . The Secretary of the Navy welcomes minesweeps back to the States . " Auk " reached Tompkinsville , Staten Island , on 19 November . Anchoring in the North River on 21 November , near her old sweeping partner , " Oriole " , " Auk " lay in that waterway when Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels reviewed the assembled mine force sweepers , chasers , and tenders . On the 24th , from the deck of ( " Destroyer No . 165 " ) . Daniels reported : " Upon their return to the United States they [ the ships of the Minesweeping Detachment ] were given a welcome as genuine as when our dreadnoughts returned from service abroad " and " voiced the country ' s appreciation of the magnificent and successful completion of that most hazardous and strenuous operation . " Between the wars activity and inactivity . The Minesweeping Detachment was demobilized , and its ships scattered throughout the fleet . " Auk " departed Tompkinsville on the morning of 27 November and , with ( " Minesweeper No . 15 " ) , proceeded up the eastern seaboard , reaching Portsmouth , New Hampshire , on the afternoon of the 28th . During a year in which she remained inactive at Portsmouth , " Auk " was given the alphanumeric hull designation " AM 38 " on 17 July 1920 . She was placed " in ordinary , " with no crew on board , on 28 December 1920 . Although still inactive , " Auk " was assigned to Division 1 Minesweeping Squadron , on 8 January 1921 . United States Coast and Geodetic Survey career . While " Auk " lay in reserve , the Coast and Geodetic Survey found itself in urgent need of ships to replace those which , for reasons of age or unsuitability for the work to be performed , had been disposed of . Under the terms of the Executive Order of 12 October 1921 , " Auk " and - renamed USC & GS " Discoverer " and USC & GS " Pioneer " , respectively - were taken to the Boston Navy Yard and transferred to the Coast and Geodetic Survey on 7 April 1922 . " Discoverer " served in the Coast and Geodetic Survey as a survey ship until the summer of 1941 , primarily in the waters of the Territory of Alaska . World War II operations . With the expansion of the American Navy during this time between the outbreak of war in Europe and the entry of the United States in the conflict ( 1939 to 1941 ) , that service cast about for auxiliary vessels to support the growing number of combatant ships . " Discoverer " converted into a salvage ship . One of the ships the Navy now sought was USC & GS " Discoverer " , and the Executive Order of 19 June 1941 authorized the Navy to take her over for service as a salvage ship . The ship concluded her last operations with the Coast and Geodetic Survey in the summer of 1941 having worked out of Dutch Harbor , Cold Bay , Women ' s Bay , and Kodiak since the previous spring — and departed Ketchikan on 22 July 1941 , bound for Seattle and turnover to the Navy . Pearl Harbor under attack . Arriving at Seattle on 25 July , " Discoverer " — the retention of her name by the Navy approved on 5 August 1941 — shifted to pier 41 , Seattle , Washington , on the afternoon of 26 August . There , at 1440 , Lt . Comdr . E . Froberg accepted custody of the ship . Assigned to the Lake Union plant , at Seattle , in October 1941 for degaussing and conversion , " Discoverer " classified as " ARS " - underwent a metamorphosis over the next few months , the work was still in progress when the Japanese attacked the U . S . Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 . " Discoverer " transferred to civilian crew . Delivered to the well - known salvage firm of Merritt , Chapman and Scott , Inc . , who were to operate the vessel under a contract let by the Bureau of Ships , on 16 February 1942 , " Discoverer " was based in familiar waters throughout hostilities with Japan , her ports of call including Kodiak , Dutch Harbor , Cold Bay , Nome , and Women ' s Bay . Wartime activity . Highlighting this duty was the assistance rendered to the U . S . Coast Guard - manned transport which had run aground while rescuing survivors from the wrecked which had previously run aground herself at Amchitka on 12 January 1943 . Ironically , after bearing an almost charmed life while in the Coast Survey , operating in the tricky waters of the Alaska coastline , " Discoverer " sustained serious bottom damage when she grounded off the coast of Prince Rupert Island on 20 November 1943 and required assistance from the Navy tug . Post - World War II activity . Following repairs , " Discoverer " remained with Merritt , Chapman , and Scott into 1946 . After it had been recommended on 18 November 1946 that the ship be struck from the Navy list and turned over to the Maritime Commission for " disposal as a usable vessel , " indicating that to some , the venerable minesweeper / survey ship / salvage vessel still had some years left - " Discoverer " was withdrawn from service the day after Christmas of 1946 and her name was struck from the Navy list on 28 January 1947 . An uncertain disposition . Exactly what happened next is not clear . One source indicates that the ship was accepted by the Maritime Commission at Port Nordland , Washington , and delivered to her purchaser , J . W . Rumsey , on 9 June 1947 . Another source , however , gives 9 June 1947 date , but lists the ship as sold to the government of Venezuela . In any event , " Felipe Larrazabal " ( R - 11 ) , ex - " Discoverer " , ex - " Auk " , appeared in contemporary naval publications into the 1960s . Eventually decommissioned around 1962 , the erstwhile minecraft was reportedly still afloat in a back channel , in a " non - operable condition " as late as 1968 . Her ultimate disposition , however , is not known .