USS Threat (AM-124) - Operation Overlord

Operation Overlord

On 2 June 1944, the ship was sealed and briefing commenced. On 5 June 1944, Threat departed Tor Bay with a minesweeping unit to take part in Operation Neptune, the assault phase of Operation Overlord. Threat helped clear the channels to be used by fire support ships in the Baie de la Seine. In the days that followed, Threat witnessed the sinking by mines of Glennon (DD-620), Tide (AM-125), and Rich (DE-695). On 8 June, while aiding the disabled USS Rich, Threat narrowly missed becoming the victim of a mine that sank the destroyer escort off Cardonet Bank.

A shore battery fired on Threat as she was running acoustic and magnetic sweeps off Cherbourg on 9 June. The doughty minesweeper returned the fire with her 3-inch gun, silencing two shore gun employments and exploding a small ammunition dump. Commander, Mine Squadron 7, later commended Threat for her performance that day and gave special praise to the smart ship-handling operations that those operations had entailed.

Throughout June 1944, Threat continued to sweep waters off the French coast, occasionally drawing fire from German guns but escaping unscathed. While she swept channels for fire support ships in preparation for the bombardment of Cherbourg, she came under heavy fire from enemy emplacements. In July, Threat conducted daily sweeps of the Baie de la Seine, necessitated by the delayed action and time-release settings of mines left by the German forces.