History
The Auk class was a series of Allied minesweepers that served in both the United States Navy and the Royal Navy during World War II. A total of 93 Auk-class minesweepers were built. These ships bore a visual resemblance to the earlier Raven class but introduced diesel-electric propulsion, which enabled them to power magnetic minesweeping gear effectively.
USS Auk (AM-57) was the second ship to bear the name Auk, named after the diving bird native to the cold northern regions of the globe. She was laid down on April 15, 1941, at Portsmouth, Virginia, launched on August 26, 1941, and commissioned on January 15, 1942. After commissioning, USS Auk conducted training operations along the US Atlantic coast until November 1942.
That month, she was deployed as part of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. During this operation, she engaged Vichy French patrol forces, including a corvette, a trawler, and merchant vessels, in the waters off Casablanca, French Morocco. Following this, Auk served as a convoy escort in the region until April 1943, when she returned to the United States for overhaul.
In June 1944, Auk took part in Operation Overlord, supporting the landings at Utah Beach, Normandy, where she conducted escort and minesweeping operations from the start of the invasion through August. On June 25, 1944, she performed sweeping operations off Cherbourg, France, in advance of a major naval bombardment by the battleships USS Arkansas (BB-33), USS Texas (BB-35), and USS Nevada (BB-36). During this operation, Auk and other Allied minesweepers came under fire from German coastal batteries. She narrowly avoided being hit, and sweeping operations were suspended until after the battleships had completed their bombardment.
Later, Auk also participated in Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France. While clearing mines off Toulon, she again came under fire from coastal defenses. She continued to serve in the Mediterranean, conducting patrol and minesweeping duties through the end of the war.
For her service in World War II, USS Auk earned three battle stars. She was decommissioned on 1 July 1946, and her ultimate fate remains unknown.
