USS Auk
Index of Allied warships during Operation Neptune
History, technical sheet and photo
USS Auk history
The USS Auk was launched on 26 August 1941 and entered service on 15 January 1942. After training at sea along the Atlantic coast of the United States, the minesweeper traveled to the Mediterranean sea to participate in Operation Torch: on November 8, 1942, it operated off Morocco and assaulted the Vichy corvette.
Until April 19, 1944, the Auk made several crossings of the Atlantic Ocean during which it escorted convoys and then joined Plymouth in preparation for Operation Neptune. Integrated with the U naval force, it opened the way to the allied armada heading towards Utah Beach in search of possible underwater mines. It operates off the Cotentin Peninsula beaches on D-Day on June 19th before continuing its demining missions in the English Channel, notably in front of Cherbourg on June 25th when it was targeted by German artillerymen: it left the shooting zone until the Allied warships silenced the enemy batteries.
The minesweeper USS Auk was deployed in July in the Mediterranean Sea and participates in the landing of Provence (Operation Dragoon). It returned to the United States only on May 31, 1945, and was retired from active service on July 1, 1946.
USS Auk technical sheet
Creator/User: United States of America
Denomination: AM 57 – U.S.S. Auk
Class: Auk-class minesweeper
Crew: 100 sailors
Armament (1944): 1x 76 mm gun, 2x 40 mm guns, 8x 20 mm anti-aircraft guns
Displacement: 904 tons
Speed: 18 knots
Length: 67,44 m
Beam: 9,8 m
Draught : 3,28 m
