USS Spectacle (AM-305)
USS Spectacle (AM-305) was a steel-hulled Admirable class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. A trained crew boarded the new vessel, practiced with her minesweeping gear, and then proceeded to the Pacific Ocean to clear mines from Japanese beaches so that Allied forces could invade. While performing this dangerous task of mine clearance, a Japanese plane strafed her, and another deliberately crashed into her. When she returned to the United States, her battle damage was so severe that the U.S. Navy decided to scrap, rather than to repair, her. She was awarded two battle stars.
Spectacle was laid down on 24 May 1943 by Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, Washington; launched on 10 October 1943; and, commissioned on 11 August 1944, Lt. G. B. Williams, USNR, in command.
Read more about USS Spectacle (AM-305): World War II Pacific Theatre Operations, Invasion of Iwo Jima Operations, Invasion of Okinawa Operations, Under Constant Attack and Hit By A Kamikaze, Returning Stateside in A Damaged Condition, Recommended For Scrapping, Awards
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—James Boswell (1740–1795)