>Rail
Rail
A small wading bird, related to the cranes.
(Minesweeper No. 26: dp. 840; 1. 187'10"; b. 35'6", dr. 10'4 s. 14 k.; cpl. 72; a. 2 mg.; cl. Laywing)
The first Rail, a single-screw, steel "bird"-class minesweeper, was laid down on 15 December 1917 by the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Wash., launched 25 April 1918; sponsored by Mrs. Rohert Morgan; and commissioned on 5 June 1918, Ens. R. E. Allen, USNRF, in command.
Assigned to the Atlantic, Rail departed Bremerton on 25 June reaching Key West on 11 August, she continued on to Norfolk where she conducted minesweeping operations and training exercises into 1919. In March of that year, she sailed north tn Boston, then east to Inverness, Scotland, where on 20 April she joined the North Sea Minesweeping Detachment. Eight days later the detachment began the first of seven operations, which, during the summer, cleared the barrage laid down by the U.S. and Royal Navies between the Orkneys and the ~ coast of Norway to block the entry of German ships into the Atlantic.
On 2 May, the detachment completed the first sweep and put into Kirkwall, Scotland, its new base of operations for the remaining six sweeps. Damaged on 8 July and 29 August by mines which fouled her kite and exploded, Rail remained with the detachment through the completion of the 7th sweeping operation on 19 September. The detachment then prepared to return to the United States. On 15 October, Rail with others of her class departed Davenport and, after several stops en route, arrived at Tompkinsville N.Y. on 20 November 1919. ' '
Within the week the North Sea MinesweeDing Detachment was disbanded and Rail moved south, to Norfolk, for overhaul Then, reassigned to duty in the North Sea, she returned to Scotland in March 1920 and operated from Rosyth during April, May, and June. On 17 June she sailed for home.
Designated AM-26 on 17 July, Rail remained active with Mine Foree, Atlantic, after her return. Based at Norfolk, she conducted sweeping exercises off the east coast and in the Caribboan, during annual doployments, until 1925. III midFebruary 1925, she returned to the PacifiG. Until 12 March, she participated in Fleet Problem V, then into June operated in Hawaiian waters. On 8 June she headed back to the Atlantic to continue her previous operating schedule, spending several months of each year in the Caribbean, through the decade. In 1932 she redeployed to the Pacific.
Transiting the Panama Canal in Februarv, she steamed north to San Francisco and, into 1934, conducted training exercises and participated in maneuvers off the west coast. On 9 April 1934, she departed San Francisco and returned to the east coast, only to retransit the Panama Canal late in the year to participate in Fleet Prohlem XVI, a fivc-phase exercise to test the fleet's ability to secure advanced bases in the Pacific.
After hrief operations out of Pearl Harbor, Rail shifted to San Diego in June 1935. Based there for almost 3 years, she deployed westward only once, to Pearl Harbor for Fleet Problem XVIII in the spring of 1937. In late 1)eeember 1938, she steamed south to the Panama Canal Zone; operated there for 4 months, and returned to San Diego in May 1939. She was transferred to Pearl Harbor 11 months later.
On 7 December 1941, Rail was tied up to thc Coal Dock at Pearl Harbor. Within minutes of the start of the Japanese attack, her crew had the enemy under fire with .50 caliber machine guns. Rescue and salvage work soon commenced, but shortly after noon was interrupted for sweeping operations in the North Channel. On the 8th she resumed salvage operations and continued them until the 21st. From that day to 19 January 1942, she underwent engine repairs; then, 3 days later, she stood out of Pearl Harbor as an escort for a ship bound for Johnston Island.
Reclassified as a tug (AT-139) on 1 June 1942, Rail remained in the Hawaiian area, serving on ASW patrol and conducting experimental minesweeping operations in addition to completing salvage and towing assignments
On 26 January 1943, Rail with two barges in tow, headed for Samoa. Arriving on 11 February, she continued on to Noumea, New Caledonia, and the New Hebrides. In March she moved up to the Solomons to participate in the Russeli Islands offensive, and, through the New Georgia campaign, towed gasoline, oil, and ordnance barges; retrieved landing craft from the beaches, assisted in rescue and salvage operations, and brought damaged merchant and naval ships and craft into Tulagi for repairs.
In mid-September, Rail returned to Noumea and assumed towing duties in the New Caledonia area. Assignod a tow to the New Hebrides in early January 1944, she spent the latter half of the month en route to and from New Zealand and in February resumed towing operations out of Espiritu Santo.
On 1 June, Rail, now ATO-139 (effeotive 15 May 1944) departed the Solomons New Hebrides area and shifted to Nev. Guinea. Arriving at Milne Bay on the 4th, she operated along t~t coast from Millle Bay to Biak through the summer. In ( )etfThel she visited Cairns, Australia, then resumed operations along the New Guinea coast, in the Admiralties, and, in November, in~the Halmaheras. In late November and early December, she towed harges to Leyte, Philippines. Then, toward the end of the year, she departed Manus with the Luzon attack force.
On 5 JanuarN 1945, Rail transited Surigao Strait. On the 7th, she entered the South China Sea where Japanese aircraft attempted to turn the Allied force. On the 9th, the ships entered I,ingaN~en Gulf and Rail took up station to give assistance where needed. Through the 14th she provided retrieving, salvage, and towing services. On the 18th, aiter completing an intelligence and salvage inspection of a sunken Japanese submarine, she moved south, to Leyte, whence she returned to Luzon for operation "Mike VII"—the assaults on Zambales province at the end of the month. With no opposition in the San Antonio area, she moved around to Grande Island at the entrance to Subie Bav; assisted the damaged transport Caralier; then returned to Leyte, arriving in San Pedro Bay on 4 FehruarN-.
Two weeks later, the tug returned to N'ew Guinea, underwent overhaul at Hollandia; and, late in April, hrought more barges to the l'hilippines. Arriving at Leyte on l May, she remained in the Philippines—operating primarily in the Samar, Leyte, and Luzon areas—until mid-December. On the 26th, she departed Guiuan and arrived at San Francisco on 5 February 1946 to begin inactivation. Decommissioned on 29 Aprii 1946, Rail was transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal on 17 January 1947.
Rail earned six battle stars during World War II.