USS Coucal was an Accentor‑class coastal minesweeper of the United States Navy that served during World War II.
Construction
- Builder: Greenport Shipbuilding Company, Greenport, New York.
- Laid down: 30 March 1941.
- Launched: 27 July 1941.
- Sponsor: Miss [Name not documented].
- Commissioned: 6 November 1941.
Design and specifications
- Class & type: Accentor‑class coastal minesweeper (AMc).
- Displacement: Approximately 185 long tons (standard).
- Length: 97 ft 2 in (29.6 m).
- Beam: 22 ft 0 in (6.7 m).
- Draft: 9 ft 6 in (2.9 m).
- Propulsion: One diesel engine driving a single screw, delivering about 600 shaft hp.
- Speed: 10 knots (approximately).
- Complement: 17 officers and enlisted men.
- Armament: Typically equipped with one 20 mm anti‑aircraft gun and small‑arms for self‑defence.
Operational history
- Initial assignment: 1st Naval District, operating out of Boston, Massachusetts. Coucal performed coastal minesweeping, patrol, and escort duties along the New England shoreline, helping to protect harbors and shipping lanes from enemy mines.
- Later service: Transferred to the 5th Naval District, based at Norfolk, Virginia, where she continued minesweeping and harbor‑clearance operations throughout the war.
- Pacific theater: Records indicate no deployment to the Pacific; Coucal remained in the Atlantic coastal waters for the duration of hostilities.
Decommissioning and fate
- Decommissioned: 16 June 1946, at Norfolk, Virginia.
- Stricken: 19 June 1946, from the Naval Vessel Register.
- Disposal: Delivered to the War Shipping Administration for disposal on 29 July 1946; subsequent commercial use or scrapping details are not documented.
Legacy
USS Coucal’s service exemplified the vital but often overlooked role of coastal minesweepers in maintaining safe navigation channels for Allied shipping during World War II. Her name follows the U.S. Navy tradition of naming minesweepers after birds; a coucal is a tropical, ground‑dwelling cuckoo.
No further notable actions or awards have been recorded for USS Coucal.