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.^[1]

Three more ships, intended as Minesweepers No. 55 through 57, were never authorized.^[2]

Armament

As Built

^[3]

two 3-inch/50 caliber
two machine guns

Footnotes

↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 132.
↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 132.
↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 133.

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.