# USS Chickadee

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Minesweeper of the United States Navy

History United States Name USS Chickadee Namesake chickadee Builder Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan Laid down 1942 Launched 20 July 1942 Commissioned 9 November 1943 Decommissioned 15 May 1946 Reclassified MSF-59, 7 February 1965 Honours and awards 2 battle stars (World War II) American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (2) World War II Victory Medal Fate Transferred to Uruguay, 18 August 1966 Stricken 1 August 1976 History Uruguay Name ROU Comandante Pedro Campbell Acquired 18 August 1966 Decommissioned 18 March 2003 Stricken 12 December 2003 Fate Scrapped, 2005 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 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) Complement 100 officers and enlisted Armament 1 × 3"/50 caliber gun 2 × 40 mm guns 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons 2 × depth charge tracks

**USS *Chickadee* (AM-59)** was an [*Auk*-class](/source/Auk-class_minesweeper) [minesweeper](/source/Minesweeper) of the [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy), named after the [chickadee](/source/Chickadee), the name given to several small [passerine](/source/Passerine) [birds](/source/Bird) which appear in [North America](/source/North_America).

*Chickadee* was launched on 20 July 1942 at the [Defoe Shipbuilding Company](/source/Defoe_Shipbuilding_Company) in [Bay City, Michigan](/source/Bay_City%2C_Michigan); sponsored by Mrs. George Buchanan Coale (Mary Woolfolk Rule Coale). She was commissioned on 9 November 1942 and reported to the [Atlantic Fleet](/source/United_States_Fleet_Forces_Command).

## Service history

### World War II

Between 15 February and 4 May 1943, *Chickadee* voyaged from [Naval Station Norfolk](/source/Naval_Station_Norfolk), [Virginia](/source/Virginia), to [Casablanca](/source/Casablanca), [Morocco](/source/Morocco) on [convoy](/source/Convoy) escort duty, then participated in [anti-submarine warfare](/source/Anti-submarine_warfare) against German [U-boats](/source/U-boat) and escorted [Allied](/source/Allies_of_World_War_II) coastal [convoys](/source/Convoy) along the African and Mediterranean coasts until 19 June. *Chickadee* sailed out of Norfolk and the [Brooklyn Navy Yard](/source/Brooklyn_Navy_Yard), [New York City](/source/New_York_City) as an escort for vessels sailing to [Iceland](/source/Iceland) or the [Caribbean](/source/Caribbean) between 7 July 1943 and 2 March 1944.

*Chickadee* cleared [Naval Station Charleston](/source/Charleston_Navy_Yard), [South Carolina](/source/South_Carolina), on 7 April for [Milford Haven, Wales](/source/Milford_Haven%2C_Wales), arriving there on 12 May. For the remainder of the month, the [minesweeper](/source/Minesweeper_(ship)) engaged in training exercises for the coming invasion of Europe. Arriving off [Normandy](/source/Normandy) on 5 June 1944, *Chickadee* swept fire support channels into [Baie de la Seine](/source/Baie_de_la_Seine) and throughout the various assault areas along the French coast in support of [Operation Overlord](/source/Operation_Overlord), [the Normandy Invasion](/source/Operation_Overlord). She performed her hazardous duties under enemy shore fire on several occasions, but escaped with only minor damage from [shrapnel](/source/Shrapnel_shell) and no casualties. The ship assisted in the rescue of survivors from [*Osprey* (AM-56)](/source/USS_Osprey_(AM-56)) and [*LST-133*](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_LST-133&action=edit&redlink=1), and towed the damaged [LST](/source/Landing_Ship%2C_Tank) to safety.

*Chickadee* continued to operate off the coast of France, with frequent visits to British ports, until 1 August 1944 when she departed [Plymouth, England](/source/Plymouth%2C_England), for [Naples](/source/Naples), Italy. After arriving in [Italian](/source/Italy) waters on 12 August, she swept in the [Strait of Bonifacio](/source/Strait_of_Bonifacio) until 23 August when she sailed to [Cavalaire Bay](/source/Cavalaire-sur-Mer), France, for sweeping operations during [Operation Dragoon](/source/Operation_Dragoon), [the invasion of southern France](/source/Operation_Dragoon). Between 29 August and 2 October, she swept the [harbor](/source/Harbor) of [Marseille](/source/Marseille), and conducted anti-submarine patrols off that port.

During October and November 1944, *Chickadee* carried out a visual search for [mines](/source/Naval_mine) south of [Sanremo, Italy](/source/Sanremo%2C_Italy), temporarily becoming the [flagship](/source/Flagship) of [COMINRON SEVEN](/source/COMINRON_SEVEN). After a brief overhaul at [Palermo, Sicily](/source/Palermo%2C_Sicily), she returned to sweeping duty throughout the [Mediterranean](/source/Mediterranean), operating out of [Cannes](/source/Cannes), [Nice](/source/Nice), [Livorno](/source/Livorno), Palermo, [Malta](/source/Malta), and [Corsica](/source/Corsica). On 31 May 1945, she cleared [Oran](/source/Oran), Algeria, for Norfolk, arriving there on 15 June.

After a lengthy overhaul, *Chickadee* sailed from Norfolk on 18 September 1945 for the [Pacific](/source/Pacific), reaching [San Pedro, California](/source/San_Pedro%2C_California), on 10 October. On 26 November, she sailed for Naval Station [Astoria, Oregon](/source/Astoria%2C_Oregon), where she was placed out of commission in reserve with the Astoria Reserve Fleet on 15 May 1946. Her classification was changed to ***Fleet Minesweeper*** (***Steel Hull***) (**MSF-59**) on 7 February 1955.

*Chickadee* received two battle stars for [World War II](/source/World_War_II) service.

### Uruguayan Navy

On 18 August 1966, with the pending closure of Naval Station Astoria, Oregon and the disestablishment of the Astoria Reserve Fleet, *Chickadee* was transferred to the [Uruguayan Navy](/source/National_Navy_of_Uruguay) and was renamed **ROU *Comandante Pedro Campbell* (MSF-1)**, in honor of [Peter Campbell](/source/Peter_Campbell_(naval_officer)), the founder of the Uruguayan Navy. It arrived in Uruguay on 3 October 1966. The *Campbell* was later renumbered MS-31, and on 23 November 1979 was reclassified as a corvette with a pennant number/hull number of C-4. The ship commenced a major overhaul on 1 October 1986, which was completed by December 1989. With her armament removed, the ship was redesignated as an Antarctic and Oceanographic Support Vessel, pennant number/hull number A-24, in May 1990, beginning her first Antarctic cruise on 15 January 1991.

Decommissioned on 18 March 2003, the ship was struck from the Uruguayan Navy Register on 12 December 2003, and was used as a training hulk at the Navy's *Escuela de Especialidades* training facility at [Montevideo](/source/Montevideo) for damage control training and abandon ship drills. She was finally scrapped in 2005 with over 63 years of service. In coordination with the US naval attache to Uruguay, her steel was recycled for construction of a new Uruguayan naval vessel.

## References

- *This article incorporates text from the [public domain](/source/Public_domain)*[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships](/source/Dictionary_of_American_Naval_Fighting_Ships)*. The entry can be found [here](http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c8/chickadee.htm).*

## External links

- [Photo gallery](http://www.navsource.net/archives/11/02059.htm) of USS *Chickadee* (AM-59/MSF-59) at NavSource Naval History

v t e Auk-class minesweepers United States Navy Ardent Auk Broadbill Champion Chickadee Chief Competent Defense Devastator Dextrous Gladiator Heed Herald Impeccable Minivet Motive Murrelet Nuthatch Oracle Peregrine Pheasant Pigeon Pilot Pioneer Pochard Portent Prevail Ptarmigan Pursuit Quail Redstart Requisite Revenge Roselle Ruddy Sage Scoter Seer Sentinel Sheldrake Shoveler Skill Skylark Spear Speed Sprig Staff Starling Steady Strive Surfbird Sustain Swallow Sway Swerve Swift Symbol Tanager Tercel Threat Tide Token Toucan Towhee Triumph Tumult Velocity Vigilance Waxwing Wheatear Zeal Transferred to the RN Elfreda ex-USS Overseer (AM-321) Strenuous ex-USS Vital (AM-129) Tourmaline ex-USS Usage (AM-130) Royal Navy Catherine class Catherine Cato Chamois Chance Combatant Cynthia Elfreda ex-USS Overseer (AM-321) Fairy Florizel Foam Frolic Gazelle Gorgon Grecian Jasper Magic Pique Pylades Steadfast Strenuous Tattoo Tourmaline Retained by the USN Champion ex-HMS Akbar Chief ex-HMS Alice Competent ex-HMS Amelia Defense ex-HMS Amity Devastator ex-HMS Augusta Gladiator ex-HMS Blaze Impeccable ex-HMS Brutus Overseer ex-HMS Elfreda Spear ex-HMS Errant Triumph ex-HMS Espoir Vigilance ex-HMS Exploit Post WWII transfers Republic of China Navy Chien Men Chu Yung Mo Ling Wu Sheng Republic of Korea Navy Koje Shin Song Sunchon Mexican Navy Valle class Francisco Zarco (P112) Ignacio de la Llave (P107) Ignacio L. Vallarta (P113) Ignacio Miguel Altamirano (P111) Jesús González Ortega (P114) Juan Aldama (P116) Juan de la Barrera (P102) ex-Guillermo Prieto (G02) Juan N. Álvarez (P108) Leandro Valle (P101) Manuel Doblado (P104) Manuel Gutiérrez Zamora (P109) ex-Melchor Ocampo (G10) Mariano Escobedo (P103) Mariano Matamoros (G17) Mariano Matamoros (P117) ex-Hermenegildo Galeana (G19) Felipe Xicoténcatl (P115) ex-Melchor Ocampo (G16) ex-Gutiérrez Zamora (C84) Ponciano Arriaga (G04) Santos Degollado (P106) Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada (P105) Valentin Gómez Farías (P110) Royal Norwegian Navy Gor class Brage Gor Tyr Uller Peruvian Navy Diez Canseco Galvez Philippine Navy Rizal class Rizal Quezon Turkish Navy Çandarlı Çardak Çarşamba Çeşme Edincik Edremit Erdemli Ereğli National Navy of Uruguay Comandante Pedro Campbell List of mine warfare vessels of the United States Navy List of minesweepers of the Royal Navy

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [USS Chickadee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Chickadee) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Chickadee?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.