USS Gull (AM-74)
| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | as Boston College |
| Laid down: | date unknown |
| Launched: | 1928 |
| Acquired: | 30 August 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 3 December 1940 |
| Decommissioned: | 25 July 1944 |
| Struck: | 22 August 1944 |
| Fate: | May 1946 as a commercial vessel |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 410 tons |
| Length: | 124 ft 3 in (37.87 m) |
| Beam: | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Draft: | 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) |
| Speed: | 9 knots (17 km/h) |
| Armament: | one 3” gun mount |
USS Gull (AM-74) was a minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
Gull, formerly trawler Boston College, was built by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, in 1928; acquired 30 August 1940; converted at the Boston Yards of the Bethlehem Steel Corp. 30 September 1940; and commissioned 3 December 1940, Lt. Comdr. Ernest L. Posey, USNR, in command.
World War II service
Attached to the Inshore Patrol, Gull conducted minesweeping operations in Massachusetts Bay until 28 March 1941 when she sailed for Norfolk, Virginia, via Yorktown, Virginia. Homeported at Norfolk 6 April to 26 August 1941, she operated along the Atlantic coast as far north as Boston, Massachusetts, until sailing the latter date for Argentia, Newfoundland, where she put in 4 September.
Gull continued her exacting duties as a minesweeper at Argentia until the summer of 1944, calling at Boston for repairs as needed.
Decommissioning
She decommissioned at Quincy, Massachusetts, 25 July 1944. Stricken from the Navy List 22 August 1944, she was transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 15 May 1946. She was sold the same month and served commercially as Gudrun.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
Monday, 15 January 1951 Dragger Gudrun Lost With Crew of 17
Gloucester Men Aboard
Harry W. O’Connell, Jr. 28 years, married Alphonse Sutherland, 51 years, married, nine children Wilfred J. Mello, 36 years, married, two sons August E. Hill, 45 years, married, one son Daniel Williams, 40 years, married, two stepdaughters James J. Cavanaugh, 45, married, five children
Others believed to be Crew Members
Capt. Johan Axel Johannsson, 46, West Medford, owner-master, married two children Matthew L. Whalen, 46 years, mate, Somerville, married, 11 children Daniel Meagher, 42 years, first engineer, Saugus, married, two children Albert Moulden, 63 years, second engineer, Sharon, married Frank B. Nickerson, 49 years, Braintree, married, one child John Johnson, 68 years, Boston John Kozlowski, 62 years, Tolland, Conn.
Last contact made with the Gudrun was at 3.24 o’clock yesterday morning when her owner-skipper Capt. Johan Axel Johannsson, 46 years, of West Medford, sent out a frantic "SOS" to the effect that "We are sinking" and then gave his position as being some 200 miles south of Cape Race, N. F. The Gudrun gave her position as being in longitude 33 degrees, 45 minutes, and latitude 42 degrees, 38 minutes. According to the Coast Guard, that would have placed her at some 200 miles south of Cape Race, Newfoundland. That message was received at Boston at 3.24 o’clock that morning. Monday, 2 January 1951
Coast Guard Abandons Dragger Gudrun Search
No Trace of Missing Boat, Men Large Flotilla of Planes and Surface Craft Had Scoured Thousands of Square Miles in Grand Bank Area For Six Days