USS Triumph (AM-323)

USS Triumph (AM-323)

USS Triumph (AM-323) was an Auk-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

The ship was laid down as HMS Espoir (BAM-23) for the Royal Navy on 27 October 1942 at Seattle, Washington, by the Associated Shipbuilding Corp.; taken over by the United States Navy in late 1942 or early 1943; named USS Triumph and designated AM-323 on 23 January 1943; launched on 25 February 1943; and commissioned on 3 February 1944, Lt. Comdr. Carl R. Cunningham, Jr., USNR, in command.