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Bullfinch (AM-66)

1940-1944 

A European finch. The male of the species displays rosy red underparts, a blue gray back, and black on its cap, chin, tail, and wings.

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Bullfinch (AM-392)—, a projected Admirable class minesweeper—, was laid down on 24 August 1945 at Bay City, Mich., but her construction was cancelled on 1 November 1945.

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(AM-66: displacement 425; length 136'4¼"; beam 24'; draft 11' (mean) (full load); speed 10 knots (maximum); armament 1 3-inch; class Bullfinch)

Villanova a steel hulled trawler constructed in 1937 at Bath, Maine, by the Bath Iron Works was purchased by the Navy from J. F. O'Hara & Sons, Inc., on 6 August 1940; renamed Bullfinch and designated a minesweeper AM-66 on 14 August 1940; placed in commission, in ordinary, on 16 August 1940; overhauled, converted, and fitted out at the Norfolk Navy Yard; and placed in full commission there on 22 October 1940, Lt. John A. Webster in command.

Bullfinch was assigned to special duty with the Mine Warfare School at Yorktown, Va. She spent her entire career operating under the auspices of the Commandant, 5th Naval District. Except for one cruise up Chesapeake Bay to visit Baltimore, Md., the minesweeper restricted her operations to the waters around Norfolk and Yorktown. She continued minesweeping and mine warfare training duties until decommissioned at Yorktown on 15 September 1944. Bullfinch's name was struck from the Navy list on 23 September 1944.

Apparently, the former minesweeper was berthed somewhere in the Norfolk-Yorktown area for about 11 months. On 28 August 1945, she was transferred to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration at Little Creek, Va., for disposal.

Raymond A. Mann

23 November 2005

Published: Mon Sep 12 00:19:16 EDT 2016