USS Viking (ARS-1) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

USS Flamingo (AM-32) was a built for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

near the end of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. After service overseas clearing mines after the Armistice

Armistice

An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...

, the ship was laid up until 1922 when it was transferred to the Commerce Department for use by the United States Coast & Geodetic Survey. Renamed USC&GS Guide, the ship performed research duties on the West Coast of the United States

West Coast of the United States

West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

for nearly 20 years. In June 1941, Guide was transferred back to the Navy and was named repair ship

Auxiliary ship

An auxiliary ship is a naval ship which is designed to operate in any number of roles supporting combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliaries are not primary combatants, although they may have some limited combat capacity, usually of a self defensive nature.Auxiliaries are extremely...

USS Viking (ARS-1). She worked primarily from bases in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

until 1953, when she was sold for scrapping.

USS Flamingo

The first USS Flamingo (AM-32) was laid down 18 October 1917 by the New Jersey Drydock and Transportation Co., Elizabethport, New Jersey

Elizabethport, New Jersey

A neighborhood in the City of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Formerly home of the Singer Manufacturing Company, makers of Singer Sewing Machines....

; launched, 24 August 1918; Commissioned USS Flamingo, Minesweeper No. 32, 12 February 1919; Flamingo fitted out at the New York Navy Yard and later shifted to Tompkinsville, Staten Island

Tompkinsville, Staten Island

Tompkinsville is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. Though the neighborhood sits on the island's eastern shore, along the waterfront facing Upper New York Bay — between St...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, on 29 March. The minesweeper performed various towing jobs and carried stores locally in the 3d Naval District into the spring of 1919. On 10 April, she suffered damage in a collision with an unnamed Panama Railroad Co. tug

Tug

Tuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....

, and underwent repairs at Port Richmond, Staten Island

Port Richmond, Staten Island

Port Richmond is a neighborhood situated on the North Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States. It is along the waterfront of the Kill Van Kull, with the southern terminus of the Bayonne Bridge serving as the boundary between it and Mariners Harbor, the...

. Shifting to the New York Navy Yard soon thereafter, USS Flamingo began fitting out "for distant service."

Flamingo departed Tompkinsville

Tompkinsville, Staten Island

on 18 May, bound for the Orkney Islands

Orkney Islands

Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...

. Proceeding via Boston, Massachusetts, the minesweeper arrived at Kirkwall, Scotland, on 5 June, to begin her tour of duty with the United States Minesweeping Detachment, North Sea

North Sea Mine Barrage Sweep

The North Sea Mine Barrage, also known as the Northern Barrage, was a large minefield laid by the United States Navy between Scotland and Norway during World War I...

. Along with American subchasers, chartered British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

naval trawler

Naval trawler

A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...

s, and fellow Lapwing-class sweepers

Lapwing class minesweeper

The Lapwing-class minesweeper, often called the Bird class, was an early "AM-type" oceangoing minesweeper of the United States Navy. Forty-eight ships of the class were commissioned during World War I, and served well into the 1950s. A number were refitted to serve as salvage vessels, seaplane...

, Flamingo would participate in the clearing of the North Sea Mine Barrage

North Sea Mine Barrage Sweep

The North Sea Mine Barrage, also known as the Northern Barrage, was a large minefield laid by the United States Navy between Scotland and Norway during World War I...

.

Laid by the United States Navy

United States Navy

after America entered World War I

World War I

, the barrier had served as a formidable obstacle for German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

s based at North Sea

North Sea

In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...

ports. By 1919, however, the barrage hampered the resumption of peaceful commerce.

On 23 June, Flamingo transported officers and men from Kirkwall

Kirkwall

Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...

to Inverness, Scotland, and returned to her base in the evening carrying supplies for the detachment flagship, Black Hawk

USS Black Hawk (AD-9)

USS Black Hawk was launched in 1913 as by William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; purchased by the U.S. Navy on 3 December 1917; and commissioned 15 May 1918, Commander R. C...

(AD-9) (Destroyer Tender

Destroyer tender

A destroyer tender is a ship designed to provide maintenance support to a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships. The use of this class has faded from its peak in the first half of the 20th century as the roles of small combatants have evolved .Due to the increased size and automation of...

No. 9). The minesweeper then performed tugboat

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

duty at Kirkwall

Kirkwall

between 25 June and 7 July. Four days later, she sailed to assist in clearing group 11 of the mine barrage in the second phase of the fourth clearance operation conducted by the Minesweeping Detachment.

The first days were uneventful. On 15 July, Flamingo anchored for the night, as was usual practice, to the northward of the minefield. During the ensuing evening hours, strong winds and currents caused the ship to drag her anchor

Anchor

An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...

. She slowly worked southward from her original position. The next morning, when Flamingo weighed her anchor to get underway, she discovered that she had drifted into the minefield and had fouled one of the horned spheres in her anchor cable. The deadly device was trailing just beneath the fantail

Fantail

Fantails are small insectivorous birds of southern Asia and Australasia belonging to the genus Rhipidura in the family Rhipiduridae...

of the ship.

The mine exploded beneath Flamingo's stern. The underwater blast badly damaged the rudder, disabled the capstan

Capstan (nautical)

A capstan is a vertical-axled rotating machine developed for use on sailing ships to apply force to ropes, cables, and hawsers. The principle is similar to that of the windlass, which has a horizontal axle.- History :...

and generator

Electrical generator

In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...

, and dished in the ship's stern plating in several places. Eider

USS Eider (AM-17)

USS Eider was a of the United States Navy.Laid down on 25 September 1917 by the Pusey and Jones Company of Wilmington, Delaware, Eider was launched on 26 May 1918, and commissioned as USS Eider, on 23 January 1919, LT Arthur E...

(AM-17) (Minesweeper No. 17) lent assistance and towed Flamingo to Invergordon

Invergordon

Invergordon is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:The town is well known for the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931. More recently it was also known for the repair of oil rigs which used to be lined up in the Cromarty Firth on which the town is situated...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, for drydocking and repairs on 17 July.

Flamingo was ready to return to the base at Kirkwall

Kirkwall

by early in the next month. She transported a cargo of steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

and lumber

Lumber

Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....

to Black Hawk

USS Black Hawk (AD-9)

on her return voyage, arriving at Kirkwall

Kirkwall

on 13 August. Two days later, the minesweeper towed her crippled sister ship Pelican

USS Pelican (AM-27)

USS Pelican was an acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing....

(AM-27) (Minesweeper No. 27) to South Shields

South Shields

South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, for drydocking and repairs in the wake of her mining the previous month.

Later in August, Flamingo resumed her minesweeper duties with the detachment, working out of the Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

ports of Lervic, Stavanger

Stavanger

Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...

, and Haugesund

Haugesund

is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²...

before returning to Kirkwall

Kirkwall

via Otters Wick, Orkney, on 7 September. She subsequently participated in the final sweep of the mine barrage—the climactic sweep which detonated five mines, cut loose 47, and destroyed 50—into late September. Once the arduous and dangerous job was complete, Flamingo and her sister ships could head home to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

for a well-earned rest. Flamingo departed Kirkwall

Kirkwall

on 1 October and— after a voyage which took the minecraft

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

via Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

and Devonport, England

England

; Brest, France

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

; Lisbon, Portugal; the Azores

Azores

The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...

; and Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

—eventually arrived at Tompkinsville

Tompkinsville, Staten Island

on 20 November.

The pause at Tompkinsville

Tompkinsville, Staten Island

was a brief one, however, for Flamingo was underway five days later—on 25 November—bound for the Portsmouth Navy Yard

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard located in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is used for remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships...

in Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. She arrived on the 28th and soon commenced an overhaul. Assigned to the 1st Division, 2d Mine Squadron, Atlantic Fleet

United States Fleet Forces Command

The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...

, on 1 July 1920, Flamingo received the classification AM-32 on 17 July, as the Navy adopted its modern system of alphanumeric hull numbers. The minesweeper operated with the 2d Mine Squadron into the autumn of 1920, until placed in reserve at the Portsmouth Navy Yard on 18 November.

USC&GS Guide

Flamingo remained inactive for almost a year and one-half before an executive order of 25 March 1922 authorized the Navy to transfer the vessel to the Commerce Department, and she was accordingly decommissioned on 5 May 1922. Turned over to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey for use as a survey vessel, at Portsmouth

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...

, on 23 January 1923, the erstwhile minecraft was renamed USC&GS Guide, first ship of the name, on 1 March 1923.

After she had been converted and fitted out on the United States East Coast, USC&GS Guide departed New London, Connecticut

New London, Connecticut

New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....

, bound for her new duty station, San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

. On her voyage to the west coast, the ship made history by using—for the first time by a vessel of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey—a sonic depth finder

Sonar

Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...

to measure and record the depth of the sea at points along her course. Before she reached San Diego, California

San Diego, California

—the date of her arrival has not been found, but she transited the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

on 8 December— USC&GS Guide had accumulated much data beneficial to the study of the movement of sound waves through water and measuring their velocity under varying conditions of salinity

Salinity

Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...

, density

Density

The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...

, and temperature

Temperature

Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...

.

Based at San Diego, California

San Diego, California

, and surveying off the west coast of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, USC&GS Guide performed her important duties for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey for nearly two decades. Meanwhile, as war clouds gathered and tension mounted in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

and the Far East in the late 1930s, the United States Navy

United States Navy

expanded to meet the emergency—especially after the outbreak of hostilities following the German

Germany

invasion of Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

in September 1939.

On 27 June 1941, USC&GS Guide was transferred back from the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to the U.S. Navy.

USS Viking

Viking (ARS-1), a conversion of USC&GS Guide, was required for the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

war effort.

On 25 July 1941, work to convert the ship to a salvage vessel began at the San Diego Marine Construction Co. During the reconfiguration, on 5 August, the U.S. Navy renamed the ship Viking, third ship of the name, and classified her ARS-1. While the alterations were still in progress, Japanese

Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...

aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

on 7 December 1941 plunging the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

into World War II

World War II

. Placed "in service" on 3 January 1942, Viking was pronounced ready for duty on 12 February.

Manned by a civilian crew and operated from San Diego, California

San Diego, California

, by the Merritt, Chapman, and Scott salvage firm—a civilian company working under a contract let by the Bureau of Ships

Bureau of Ships

The United States Navy's Bureau of Ships was established by Congress on June 20, 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the Bureau of Engineering. The new Bureau was to be headed by a Chief and Deputy-Chief, one selected from the engineering...

—Viking stood ready to perform salvage and rescue tasks in the 11th Naval District.

Between 3 and 6 July 1942, Viking assisted two local patrol craft, YP-267 and YP-269, which had run aground off San Diego, towing them both back to port for repairs. From the ship's movement reports, Viking appears to have spent an uneventful autumn and winter at her home port.

She shifted to San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

, briefly in January 1943, en route to Guadalupe

Guadalupe

Guadalupe, or Guadeloupe was originally a Spanish toponym that derives from the Arabic word for river and the Latin word lupus, meaning wolf...

to perform emergency salvage operations under the aegis of the Commander, Western Sea Frontier

Western Sea Frontier

The Western Sea Frontier, headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA, was responsible for the sea defense of the Pacific coast of the United States and Mexico during World War II. The Western Sea Frontier was composed of many forces and commands, including the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth...

. Returning to San Diego, California

San Diego, California

, in February, the salvage vessel operated there into 1944.

On 27 October, Viking sailed for San Pedro for refit and returned to San Diego later in November. On the last day of 1944, Viking departed her home port in company with Tenino (ATF-115), bound for Clipperton Island

Clipperton Island

Clipperton Island is an uninhabited nine-square-kilometre coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean, southwest of Mexico and west of Central America, at...

. There, the two vessels joined Seize

USS Seize (ARS-26)

-Ship's history in U.S. Navy:USS Seize was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned in the United States Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels....

(ARS-26) to free the grounded LST-563. During the rescue operation, Viking suffered damage from heavy seas and put into San Diego for repairs soon thereafter.

The salvage vessel subsequently operated out of San Diego and San Pedro, California through the end of World War II

World War II

in mid-August 1945. She performed tug

Tug

Tuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....

and tow services with ships ranging in size from destroyers to LST's into the 1950s. In December 1949, she aided the grounded steamer off the south point of Santa Rosa Island

Santa Rosa Island, California

Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 53,195 acres . Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block 3009, Block Group 3, Census Tract 29.10 of Santa Barbara County, California, the 2000 census showed an official population of 2 persons. It is part of...

.

Eventually, Viking's area of operations embraced Long Beach and Port Hueneme, California

Port Hueneme, California

Port Hueneme is a small beach city in Ventura County, California surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Pacific Ocean. The name derives from the Spanish spelling of the Chumash wene me, meaning "Resting Place". The area was discovered by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in the mid 16th century...

, as well as the San Diego locale.

Relieved by Gear

USS Gear (ARS-34)

USS Gear was an Diver-class rescue and salvage ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels....

(ARS-34) as salvage vessel for the 11th Naval District, Viking was returned to Navy custody by the Merritt, Chapman, and Scott salvage firm. On 17 March 1953, she was authorized for disposal; and her name was struck from the Navy list

Navy List

A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....

on 19 April 1953.

She lay at the Naval Supply Depot, San Pedro, California, until sold on 22 July 1953 to Nathan Cohen and Son, Inc., of Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

. The veteran of service in the United States Navy

United States Navy

, as well as of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, was scrapped soon thereafter.

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