USS Penguin

[Walt's Daughter]

A friend of ours dropped over last night and brought a friend along with him. He brought up the subject of the USS Penguin and wondered if I could drum up some data on it. So while he was still here, I dug up some precursory info and told him I will find out more as I go along.

 

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-p/am33.htm

 

USS Penguin (Minesweeper # 33, later AM-33), 1918-1941

 

USS Penguin, a 1009-ton Lapwing class minesweeper, was built at Elizabeth, New Jersey, as part of the World War I ship construction effort. Commissioned in November 1918, ten days after the Armstice brought an end to the fighting, she operated out of New York for several months and, in May 1919, crossed the Atlantic to participate in clearing the wartime mine barrage across the North Sea. Penguin was twice damaged by mine explosions while engaged in this work, with the second incident, in August, causing serious injury. Returning to the U.S. in November, she soon was transferred to the Pacific, operating there until laid up at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, at the beginning of June 1922.

 

Penguin recommissioned in October 1923 and was employed for the rest of the decade as a gunboat on China's Yangtse River. She spent the 1930s and early 1940s at Guam, performing a variety of duties in support of the local government. When Japan began the Pacific War on 7 December 1941 (8 December at Guam), Penguin helped resist enemy air attacks. She was badly damaged by bomb near misses, and was scuttled later that day in deep water near the island.

 

 

 

He had stated a friend tried to look up info and couldn't come up with anything. They told him, "It's like it never existed!"

 

Well obviously they didn't try very hard, (like try typing it into a Google Search Engine!!!).

 

 

He is also looking for specific info on one of the men who served on the Penguin; George Farmer.