Wreck of USS Tide (AM-125)

France / Basse-Normandie / Reville /
 Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, United States Navy, minehunter / minesweeper (ship)
Laid down as an Auk Class Minesweeper in March 1942, USS Tide commissioned into US Navy service in May 1943 as a member of the US Atlantic Fleet. Following training and shakedown in the Caribbean, the Tide and her crew began convoy escort duty and crossed the Atlantic to North Africa, where she performed further convoy escort work and minesweeping duty through the Summer of 1943.

Tide's time in North African waters was cut short after an accidental collision with the USS LCI-267 damaged the Minesweeper enough to warrant her return to the US in August where she was under repair at the New York Navy Yard for two weeks. Resuming operations as a convoy escort in the Eastern Sea Frontier into 1944, the Tide and her crew received orders while provisioning at Charleston to escort an Eastbound convoy to the United Kingdom, and stood out for the European Theatre on January 25th, 1944.

Arriving at Milford Haven, Wales in early March, the Tide began convoy escort work around the British Isles to screen merchant shipping building up supplies for the planned Invasion of Europe scheduled for that summer. As winter gave way to spring, the Tide was pulled off convoy duty and began intensive training with both US and British minesweeper groups which lasted until late May. Dropping anchor at Torbay with fellow minesweepers to provision in advance of the assault, the Tide was assigned to Minesweeper Squadron "A" and her crew briefed on their area of operation; Utah Beach.

Departing in convoy with fellow minesweepers on June 5th to clear sea lanes for the invasion force, the Tide and her crew arrived off Normandy before dawn on June 6th, 1944 and began sweeping out the mine-infested waters off the landing beaches under the cover of darkness. As day broke and the invasion got underway, Tide and her crew continued their duty under heavy fire, providing clear pathways in the German minefield for Allied ships providing fire support for the troops on the beach. As night fell, the Tide steamed South to Carentan to block the harbor entrance and prevent any German E-Boats from getting out to attack the Allied landing force.

Resuming her minesweeping work before dawn on June 7th, the Tide returned to the Northern edge of Utah Beach and began sweeping the waters inshore of the Îles Saint-Marcouf to provide more clear water for the mass of landing craft delivering supplies ashore. After completing her sweeps, the Tide's crew set about recovering her paravanes when the 890 ton ship was lifted completely out of the water by a mine blast directly beneath her keel. Dozens of her crew were injured by the sudden blast from being thrown about the ship as she slammed back onto the surface with her back broken, and within minutes she began to settle as water poured into her hull from huge holes opened up by the mine. The extent of the damage to the Minesweeper was fatal, though Tide was not the only one with mortal wounds; Lt. Cdr. Allard B. Heyward, Tide's Captain, was mortally wounded by the blast and soon passed command to his Executive Officer before succumbing on the bridge. As the Tide settled lower and lower into the water, several ships came to her aid, including her sisterships USS Threat (AM-124), USS Swift (AM-122) and USS Pheasant (AM-61) along with the USS PT-509. Tides XO supervised the removal of all non-essential and wounded crew from his ship and then mounted an effort to get the Tide under tow so she could be pulled out of harm’s way and possibly salvaged. As the USS Swift got her towline secured and began to pull at the Tide's water-filled hull, the strain proved to be too great and the Tide's hull parted ahead of her #2 funnel and the ship quickly began to sink. Staying afloat only long enough to allow her skeleton crew time to abandon ship, the USS Tide sank at this location on June 7th, 1944.

For her actions off Normandy, USS Tide received her first and final Battle Star for World War Two service.

www.navsource.org/archives/11/02125.htm
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tide_(AM-125)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   49°36'59"N   1°4'59"W

Comments

  • My Uncle Jack When was below deck when the Tide struck the mine and he was lost. I wish I hand known him.
  • My dad, Cushing Mudge, served on the Tide and had his back broken in the explosion. He survived and had a long and happy life...
  • My beloved great uncle was Lt. Commander George Crane, Executive Officer of the USS Tide. My uncle died in 1970 and never spoke, at least to me, about the wreck of the Tide except when I asked about his crooked neck and hump on his back to which he always responded that he hurt it in "the war." On the last day of his life, when I was 15, I sat with him in the hospital day room while my parents went to talk to the surgeon about his aneurism. He spoke at length about his long recovery at a hospital near London and how very kindly he was treated by the nurses. He also spoke about the nightly sight of bright explosions over London which were "both beautiful and terrifying," taking the lives of thousands of British civilians. A year ago, when cleaning a closet, I found a framed picture of the Tide. I was surprised when I searched the internet. On June 7th my sweet Uncle George had his commanding officer die in his arms and then led some 90 men, most injured, to the safety of another ship. Uncle George was the last survivor off the Tide. The Tide sank 2 minutes later. It is hard for me to understand how Uncle George did all of this with a severely broken neck. I only now realize that my uncle was a hero. Uncle George never married nor had children but I am honored to carry his name within my own, Sarah Crane Swisher, and my 11 year old grand daughter is Gabriella Crane Lee.
  • Hi, did your Dad talk about his experience ? I am working on the ship nd I would like to know of was the life aboard the ship. Thank you
This article was last modified 12 years ago