Robin I

Robin I

(Minesweeper No. 3: dp. 1,009 (f.), 1. 187'10", b. 35'6"
dr. 10'4"; s. 14 k.; cpl. 78; a. 2 3"; cl. Lapwing)

The first Robin (minesweeper No. 3) was laid down 4 March 1918 by the Todd Shipyard Corp., NTew York; launched 17 June 1918, sponsored by Miss Bessie Veronica Callaghan; and commissioned 29 August 1918, Lt. (jg.) Lewis H. Cutting in command.

Commissioned at New York, Robin operated in the area \Vit]l one run to Hampton Roads, until 23 February 1919. By that time the necessity of improving sweeping methods to expedite the clearing of the North Sea Mine Barrage had beeome very apparent. Robin, with two other minesweepers tested the feasibility of using sweeps of greater breadth than 500-600 yards. The tests were conducted off Newport in late February and early March.

In mid-March, Rohin proceeded to Boston. On 6 April, she got underway for Scotland. On the 20th, she arrived at Inverness and joined the North Sea Mining Detachment. Based at Kirkwal1 she participated in the seven operations conducted to clear tee barrage of its more than 70,000 mines between the Orkneys and Norway.

With the conclusion of the final sweep, 19 September, Rohin returned to Kirkwal1 for a brief rest after the difficult assignment, made more hazardous by the strong winds, rough seas, and poor visibility of the North Sea. She departed Scotland 1 October ancl arrived at INew York 19 November.

Designated AM-3, 17 July 1920, she operated along the east coast for the next 11 years, with winter deployments to the Caribbean. After winter maneuvers in 1932, she continued on to the west coast and from her arrival, 6 March, until 9 April 1934 she operated in the San Pedro-San Diego area. During the summer, 1934, she returned to Norfolk, but by the end of November was back at San Diego. She remained on the west coast, ranging from Mexico to Alaska and as far west as Hawaii, for the remainder of the decade.

On 7 December 1941 Robin uas en route to Elawaii from Johnston Island. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 10th and until the end of February 1942 served as a salvage and minesweeping vessel. In February, she shifted to smal1 craft and target towing, torpedo retrieving, and passenger and cargo transportation duties. On 1 June 1942, she was officially redesignated AT-140.

In June 1943, after an extensive overhaul, she joined a convoy for Samoa. She arrived on the 10th and reported for duty as station vessel, Naval Station, Tutuila. Reclassified ATO140 on 13 April 1944, she operated out of Tutuila until 1945 on towing and salvage assignments which took her to the Ellice and Fiji Islands as wel1 as among the Samoan group. Then from January to March 1945, she operated among the MarsLalls and Gilberts.

On 21 March, Robin departed Majuro for the United States. She arrived at San Diego 21 April and two days later shifted to Long Beach for overhaul. Stil1 in the shipyard at the end of the war, she was designated for disposal. She was decommissioned 9 November and struck from the Navy list on the 28th.