 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSOracle (AM-103) |
| Builder | General Engineering & Dry Dock Company,Alameda, California |
| Laid down | 7 May 1942 |
| Launched | 30 September 1942 |
| Commissioned | 14 May 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 29 May 1946 |
| Reclassified | MSF-103, 7 February 1955 |
| Stricken | 1 December 1966 |
| Fate | Destroyed as a target, 1967 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Auk-class minesweeper |
| Displacement | 890 long tons (904 t) |
| Length | 221 ft 3 in (67.44 m) |
| Beam | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) |
| Speed | 18knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement | 100 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
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USSOracle (AM-103) was anAuk-classminesweeper built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. She wascommissioned in May 1943 and decommissioned in May 1946. She was placed in reserve and remained there until struck from theNaval Vessel Register in December 1966. She was sunk as a target in 1967.
Oracle was laid down by theGeneral Engineering & Dry Dock Company ofAlameda, California, 7 May 1942; launched 30 September 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Sadie L. Jones; and commissioned 14 May 1943.
Getting underway from Alameda, California on 27 June,Oracle steamed toAdak, Alaska, to spend the next five months in towing, escort, patrol, salvage, and survey operations in theAleutians area. She furnished minesweeping andantisubmarine screening support for the occupation ofKiska 15 to 22 August.
DepartingAdak 1 December,Oracle arrived atPearl Harbor the 10th. On her first operation in the centralPacific Ocean, the invasion ofMajuroAtoll,Marshalls, 31 January to 3 February 1944, she swept landing channels and took soundings for chart preparation. Oracle then proceeded toKwajalein, arriving the next day for antisubmarine patrol until the 14th. On 15 FebruaryOracle got underway in convoy forEniwetok, arriving two days later to mark the channel for the landing craft assault that same day. She again patrolled against enemysubmarines until she departed Eniwetok on 12 April for Pearl Harbor.
Following training from 20 April until 29 May for the invasion ofSaipan,Oracle returned to the Marshalls to join a task group off Eniwetok on 14 June. The minesweeper arrived offTanapag Harbor, Saipan, the next day for minesweeping and screening before moving on toMagicienne Bay. On 10 JulyOracle rescued two Japanese survivors on a makeshift raft off Saipan. By the 24th the ship was offTinian for the landings and mop-up operations to 4 August. She spent most of September patrolling off the southernMarianas before escorting the tankerGiraffe (IX-118) toGuam, arriving the 20th.
From 1 to 10 OctoberOracle was on emergency chemical smoke watch offApra Harbor, Guam, to protect shipping from Japanese air attack. She continued service off Guam and in operations toUlithi until proceeding toOkinawa. Patrolling there on 6 May she assisted in shooting down three Japanese planes. On 14 MayOracle departed Guam for theU.S. West Coast, via Pearl Harbor, arrivingSeattle, Washington, 6 July. Fighting stopped during overhaul.Oracle got underway for Pearl Harbor on 29 August, arriving 5 September. Reporting toSasebo,Japan, 5 November, she participated in the mine clearance of theFormosa Straits area, until 23 December when she reachedShanghai, China. On 3 January 1946Oracle departed Shanghai for Pearl Harbor, via Sasebo, arriving the 31st.
The minesweeperOracle steamed for home in the spring of 1946, arrivingSan Diego, California, to be decommissioned on 29 May and enter thePacific Reserve Fleet there. On 7 February 1955Oracle was redesignated MSF–103. On 1 December 1966 theOracle was struck from theNaval Vessel Register. The fleet minesweeper was stripped and used as a target for thePacific Fleet in the winter of 1967.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1967 | |
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| Other incidents |
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