Lapwing Class Minesweeper (1918)

Forty-nine Bird class mineseepers (also called the Lapwing class) were completed for the U.S. Navy from 1918 through 1920. Five more were cancelled.

Overview of fifty-four vessels
Citations for this data available on individual ship pages
Name	Hull No.	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Lapwing	AM-1	Todd	25 Oct, 1917	14 Mar, 1918	12 Jun, 1918	Sold 19 Aug, 1946
Owl	AM-2	Todd	25 Oct, 1917	4 May, 1918	11 Jul, 1918	Sold 27 Jun, 1947
Robin	AM-3	Todd	4 Mar, 1918	17 Jun, 1918	29 Aug, 1918	Sold c. 1946
Swallow	AM-4	Todd	18 Mar, 1918	4 Jul, 1918	8 Oct, 1918	Wrecked 19 Feb, 1938
Tanager	AM-5	Staten Island SB	28 Sep, 1917	2 Mar, 1918	28 Jun, 1918	Sunk 4 May, 1942
Cardinal	AM-6	Staten Island SB	11 Oct, 1917	29 Mar, 1918	23 Aug, 1918	Wrecked 6 Jun, 1923
Oriole	AM-7	Staten Island SB	6 Mar, 1918	3 Jul, 1918	5 Nov, 1918	Sold 6 Jan, 1947
Curlew	AM-8	Staten Island SB	1 Apr, 1918	29 Aug, 1918	7 Feb, 1919	Wrecked 15 Dec, 1925
Finch	AM-9	Standard SB	22 Aug, 1917	30 Mar, 1918	10 Sep, 1918	Sunk 10 Apr, 1942
Heron	AM-10	Standard SB	26 Aug, 1917	18 May, 1918	30 Oct, 1918	To China 25 Jul, 1947
Condor	AM-11	Gas Engine and Seabury	23 Nov, 1918	—	—	Cancelled
Plover	AM-12	Gas Engine and Seabury	—	—	—	Cancelled
Turkey	AM-13	Chester SB	19 Oct, 1917	30 Apr, 1918	13 Dec, 1918	Sold 30 Dec, 1946
Woodcock	AM-14	Chester SB	19 Oct, 1917	12 May, 1918	19 Feb, 1919	Sold 19 Dec, 1947
Quail	AM-15	Chester SB	14 May, 1918	6 Oct, 1918	29 Apr, 1919	Scuttled 5 May, 1942
Partridge	AM-16	Chester SB	14 May, 1918	6 Oct, 1918	29 Apr, 1919	Torpedoed 11 Jun, 1944
Eider	AM-17	Pusey & Jones	25 Sep, 1917	27 May, 1918	23 Jan, 1919	To Maritime Commission 1 Jul, 1947
Thrush	AM-18	Pusey & Jones	27 May, 1918	15 Sep, 1918	25 Apr, 1919	Sold 21 Aug, 1946
Avocet	AM-19	Baltimore DD&S	13 Sep, 1917	9 Mar, 1918	17 Sep, 1918	Sold 12 Dec, 1946
Bobolink	AM-20	Baltimore DD&S	29 Oct, 1917	15 Jun, 1918	28 Jan, 1919	Sold 5 Oct, 1946
Lark	AM-21	Baltimore DD&S	11 Mar, 1918	6 Aug, 1918	12 Apr, 1919	To Maritime Commission 15 Jan, 1947
Widgeon	AM-22	Sun Shipbuilding	8 Oct, 1917	5 May, 1918	28 Jul, 1918	Sold 5 Mar, 1948
Teal	AM-23	Sun Shipbuilding	8 Oct, 1917	25 May, 1918	20 Aug, 1918	Sold 19 Jan, 1948
Brant	AM-24	Sun Shipbuilding	8 Dec, 1917	30 May, 1918	5 Sep, 1918	To Maritime Commission 19 Aug, 1946
Kingfisher	AM-25	Puget Sound NYd	15 Dec, 1917	30 Mar, 1918	27 May, 1918	Sold 3 Jun, 1947
Rail	AM-26	Puget Sound NYd	15 Dec, 1917	25 Apr, 1918	5 Jun, 1918	To Maritime Commission 17 Jan, 1947
Pelican	AM-27	Gas Engine and Seabury	10 Nov, 1917	15 Jun, 1918	10 Oct, 1918	Sold 22 Nov, 1946
Falcon	AM-28	Gas Engine and Seabury	14 Nov, 1917	7 Sep, 1918	12 Nov, 1918	Sold 12 Mar, 1947
Osprey	AM-29	Gas Engine and Seabury	14 Nov, 1917	19 Nov, 1918	7 Jan, 1919	Sold c. mid-1947
Seagull	AM-30	Gas Engine and Seabury	15 Jun, 1918	24 Dec, 1918	6 May, 1919	To Maritime Commission 2 May, 1947
Tern	AM-31	Gas Engine and Seabury	7 Sep, 1918	22 May, 1919	17 May, 1919	Sold c. 1948
Flamingo	AM-32	New Jersey DD&T	18 Oct, 1917	24 Aug, 1918	12 Feb, 1919	Sold 22 Jul, 1953
Penguin	AM-33	New Jersey DD&T	17 Nov, 1917	12 Jun, 1918	21 Nov, 1918	Scuttled 8 Dec, 1941
Swan	AM-34	Alabama DD&S	10 Dec, 1917	4 Jul, 1918	31 Jan, 1919	To Maritime Commission 12 Oct, 1946
Whippoorwill	AM-35	Alabama DD&S	12 Dec, 1917	28 Jan, 1919	1 Apr, 1919	To Maritime Commission 5 Nov, 1946
Bittern	AM-36	Alabama DD&S	12 Dec, 1917	15 Feb, 1919	28 May, 1919	Scuttled 8 Apr, 1942
Sanderling	AM-37	Todd	27 Mar, 1918	2 Sep, 1918	1 Apr, 1919	Foundered 26 Jun, 1937
Auk	AM-38	Todd	20 Jun, 1918	28 Sep, 1918	31 Jan, 1919	To Venezuela 9 Jun, 1947
Chewink	AM-39	Todd	8 Jul, 1918	21 Dec, 1918	9 Apr, 1919	Expended 31 Jul, 1947
Cormorant	AM-40	Todd	1 Oct, 1918	19 Mar, 1919	15 May, 1919	Sold 8 Jan, 1947
Gannet	AM-41	Todd	1 Oct, 1918	19 May, 1919	10 Jul, 1919	Torpedoed 7 Jun, 1942
Goshawk	AM-42	Todd	—	—	—	Cancelled
Grebe	AM-43	Staten Island SB	25 May, 1918	17 Dec, 1918	1 May, 1919	Wrecked 2 Jan, 1943
Mallard	AM-44	Staten Island SB	25 May, 1918	17 Dec, 1918	25 Jun, 1919	Expended 22 May, 1947
Ortolan	AM-45	Staten Island SB	9 Jul, 1918	30 Jan, 1919	17 Sep, 1919	Sold 20 Aug, 1947
Peacock	AM-46	Staten Island SB	31 Aug, 1918	8 Apr, 1919	27 Dec, 1919	To U.S. Shipping Board 14 Feb, 1920
Pigeon	AM-47	Baltimore DD&S	15 Jun, 1918	29 Jan, 1919	15 Jul, 1919	Sunk 4 May, 1942
Redwing	AM-48	Baltimore DD&S	5 Aug, 1918	7 Jun, 1919	17 Oct, 1919	Sunk 27 Jun, 1943
Raven	AM-49	Baltimore DD&S	—	—	—	Cancelled
Shrike	AM-50	Baltimore DD&S	—	—	—	Cancelled
Sandpiper	AM-51	Philadelphia NYd	15 Nov, 1918	28 Apr, 1919	9 Oct, 1919	To Maritime Commission 12 Oct, 1946
Vireo	AM-52	Philadelphia NYd	20 Nov, 1918	28 Apr, 1919	9 Oct, 1919	Sold 4 Feb, 1947
Warbler	AM-53	Philadelphia NYd	28 Apr, 1919	30 Jul, 1919	22 Dec, 1919	Sold 12 Aug, 1947
Willet	AM-54	Philadelphia NYd	26 May, 1919	11 Sep, 1919	29 Jan, 1920	Sold 2 Nov, 1948

Construction

Designed as dual-role ships for duties as both minesweepers and fleet tugs. Design work began in late 1916.

Three more ships, intended as Minesweepers No. 55 through 57, were never authorized.

Armament

As Built

• two 3-inch/50 caliber
• two machine guns

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• Gray, Randal (editor) (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
• Silverstone, Paul H. (2006). The U.S. Navy Warship Series: The New Navy 1883-1922. New York: Routledge.
• Silverstone, Paul H. (2008). The U.S. Navy Warship Series: The Navy of World War II, 1922-1947. New York: Routledge.