The USS Ibis (AM-134) was a Hawk-class minesweeper employed by the United States Navy during World War II. Originally constructed as a steel-hulled fishing trawler, she was built in 1937 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, for the General Sea Foods Corporation of Boston. Under the name M/V Tide, she served as a commercial fishing vessel before her acquisition by the U.S. Navy on January 1, 1942. Following her acquisition, the vessel underwent conversion into a minesweeper at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in East Boston, beginning on January 8, 1942. She was renamed USS Ibis on January 21, 1942, and completed her conversion by May 23, 1942, when she was officially commissioned into Navy service. As a minesweeper, she was assigned to the Woods Hole Section Base in Massachusetts, primarily serving as a training ship until early 1943. In 1943, USS Ibis shifted her operational duties to minesweeping activities out of Newport, Rhode Island, contributing to the vital task of clearing naval minefields along the northeastern coast of the United States during the war. Her service was relatively short-lived; she was decommissioned on May 1, 1944. Following decommissioning, her name was struck from the Navy List on September 16, 1944, and she was transferred to the Maritime Commission. Subsequently, she was sold back to her original owners, the General Foods Corporation. The USS Ibis's service highlights her role in wartime naval operations, particularly in mine countermeasures along the U.S. East Coast, demonstrating the adaptability of civilian vessels for military purposes during World War II. Her transition from a commercial fishing vessel to a minesweeper underscores the strategic importance of such ships in ensuring safe naval and merchant marine operations during wartime.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.