USS Gannet ( AM - 41 ) USS " Gannet " ( AM - 41 ) was an built for the United States Navy near the end of World War I . " Gannet " was laid down 1 October 1918 by the Todd Shipyard Corp . , New York ; launched 19 March 1919 ; sponsored by Miss Edna Mae Fry ; and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard 10 July 1919 , Lt . J . E . Ann - strong in command . Post - World War I operations . " Gannet " departed New York 11 August 1919 and reached San Diego , California , 2 November after training out of Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . A unit of the Train , Pacific Fleet , she based at San Diego and was subsequently assigned to Aircraft Squadron , Battle Fleet , and later to Base Force , U . S . Fleet . Serving primarily as a tender to aircraft squadrons , she also performed towing , transport , and passenger service along the western seaboard , and made periodic cruises as tender to aircraft units participating in Army - Navy exercises , fleet problems , and maneuvers off Hawaii , the Panama Canal , and in the Caribbean Sea . She spent the summer months of 1926 , 1929 , and 1932 - 35 as tender to aerial survey expeditions to Alaska and the Aleutian Islands . On 30 April 1931 " Gannet " was designated a minesweeper for duty with aircraft . She was reclassified " AVP - 8 " , 22 January 1936 . U . S . East Coast operations . " Gannet " departed San Diego , California , 18 August 1937 and based at Coco Solo , Panama , as tender for aircraft squadrons of the Scouting Force until 1 June 1939 . Arriving Norfolk , Virginia , 9 June , she then became tender to Patrol Wing 5 , Aircraft Scouting Force . In a series of cruises from Norfolk , she tended Navy patrol planes based at Key West , Florida , Bermuda , Santa Lucia , and Trinidad ; then steamed north 22 September 1941 to establish an advance seaplane base at Kungnait Bay , Greenland ( 6 October – 23 October ) . She served on plane guard station in the Davis Strait for an Iceland - Argentia ferry flight before returning to Norfolk 11 November . World War II Atlantic Theatre operations . " Gannet " was tending patrol planes at Hamilton , Bermuda , when the Japan ese struck Pearl Harbor . She returned to Norfolk , Virginia , 12 December and sailed 21 January 1942 for Bermuda to serve as tender to Patrol Squadron 74 , which provided air patrol and coverage in approaches to that base . " Gannet " also was communication center for all aircraft operations in that area . Torpedoed by German submarine . Departing Bermuda 2 June , " Gannet " joined British ship " HMS Sumar " the next day in an unsuccessful search for the torpedoed merchantman . Ordered back to base the afternoon of 6 June , the two warships became separated during the night . Before dawn 7 June , northwest of Bermuda , " Gannet " was hit by submarine torpedoes from " U - 653 " . She went down so rapidly that her decks were awash within 4 minutes , and she carried 14 of her crew down with her . Her commanding officer , Lt . Francis E . Nuessle , fought free of the suction , joined other survivors , and ordered the life rafts tied together in the heavy seas with wounded hoisted on board and the uninjured hanging on the sides . Twenty - two men were rescued by two planes of Patrol Squadron 74 which made the daring landing in heavy seas . , led to the scene by one of the same planes , rescued 40 others . " Gannet " was removed from the Navy List , but the date is not known .