Vessel Strikes A Mine
Between 24 June and 1 July, she divided her time between patrols, exercises, and mine sweeps; then joined Task Force 85 at anchor in Mers El Kébir. On the 5th, the task force sortied and headed for Sicily. Staff sailed in the screen and arrived off the Sicilian coast on 9 July. During the invasion, the minesweeper was assigned patrol duties off Scoglitti. She patrolled, sank mines, and duelled with shore batteries between 9 and 16 July. On the 16th, during an engagement with shore batteries, Staff struck a mine and sustained extensive damage in the forward engine room and suffered a number of casualties. She entered Licata on the 17th and remained there until 8 August when Hopi got underway with the minesweeper in tow. The two ships reached Bizerte, Tunisia, on the 10th and Oran, Algeria, on the 16th.
Read more about this topic: USS Staff (AM-114)
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