Oriole III AM-7

Oriole III
(AM-7: dp. 950 (f); 1. 187'10"; b. 35'6"; dr. 10'3", s. 14.0 k.; cpl. 62; a. 2 3", 2 mg.; cl. Lap~ing)

The third Oriole (AM-7) was laid down by Staten Island Shipbuilding Co., Port Richmond, N. Y., 6 March 1918 Launched 3 July 1918; and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard 5 Xovember 1918.

Assigned to the Pacific Fleet, Oriole served in the 14th Naval District for the next 4 years, patrolling and sweeping the coastal waters out of Pearl Harbor. With the postwar naval reduction called for by the Washington Treaty 6 February 1922~ she decommissioned at Pearl Harbor 3 May of that year.

On 2 May 1938 the mine sweeper was placed in ordinary commission at Mare Island Navy Yard to replace Swllow (AM-4) in the 13th Naval District. Oriole commissioned in full 15 August, Lt. Albert J. Wheaton in command, and spent the next 3 years operating out of Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Wash., along the upper West Coast

Oriole cruised north from Seattle 22 October 1941 for duty off Alaska. She arrived Dutch Harbor 3 November to begin support operations that continued into late 1945. She was assigned to the Northwest Sea Frontier Force 15 July 1942 following her reelassification to AT-136 on 1 June. From 22 October to 11 January 1943 the ship conducted rescue, then salvage service for Russian SS Turksib aground off Unimak Island. On 3 October Oriole got underway from Dutch Harbor for the West Coast, arriving Seattle with mine-disabled Abner Read (DD-526) in tow 3 days later.

Reassigned to the Alaska Sea Frontier 15 April 1944, Oriole returned north for her last year of service as an ocean tug, eruising from Adak to Kodiak to Kiska, Alaska. On 15 May 1944 she was redesignated ATO-136.

By the end of November 1945 Oriole had reported to the 13th Naval District for her decommissioning 6 February 1946

Struck from the Navy List 12 March, she was delivered to the Maritime Commission 6 January 1947. On that same day Oriole was sold to M. E. Baker, who took possession of the ship 2 days later at Kilisut Harbor, Wash.