The USS Ortolan (AM-45/ASR-5) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper constructed for the United States Navy, later converted into a submarine rescue vessel. Laid down on July 9, 1918, by the Staten Island Shipbuilding Company in New York City, she was launched on January 30, 1919, and commissioned on September 17, 1919. The ship was named after the European bunting, the ortolan. Initially assigned to the Pacific Fleet, Ortolan departed for the West Coast in November 1919, making stops along the U.S. Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, and Cuba before arriving in San Diego in June 1920. She then moved to Bremerton, Washington, where she remained with a caretaker crew until March 1921. After returning to Southern California, she served briefly as a tugboat before decommissioning at Mare Island in May 1922. Recommissioned in July 1922, she assumed duties as a tender at the Submarine Base in San Pedro, Los Angeles. Ortolan participated in notable operations, including cold weather cruises off Alaska in 1923, during which she served as flagship for Commander, Composite Submarine Squadrons Pacific. During this cruise, she was involved in the rescue and salvage efforts following the sinking of USS S-38 during maintenance in Anchorage. She also helped salvage destroyers wrecked in the Honda Point Disaster and conducted various patrols along the west coast from Panama to Oregon, with a brief stint in the Caribbean in 1924. In September 1929, she was redesignated as ASR-5, shifting her focus to submarine rescue operations. Throughout the 1930s, she continued her area of operations, including a four-month tour at Pearl Harbor in 1936. Notably, in 1939, she assisted in the recovery of the USS Squalus off Portsmouth, New Hampshire. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Ortolan arrived at Pearl Harbor to support salvage operations, including floating the wrecked USS Oglala. During World War II, she conducted salvage missions, assisted in repairing damaged cruisers, and gathered intelligence by salvaging Japanese submarines off Guadalcanal, including a midget submarine and the I-1. She also supported submarine exercises along the California coast and trained Navy divers. In 1944, she returned to the Far East, operating in the Solomon Islands and New Hebrides, performing salvage and intelligence gathering. Decommissioned on March 18, 1947, and struck from the Navy List in June of that year, Ortolan was sold in August 1947. She earned one battle star during World War II, marking her significant contribution to U.S. naval operations and salvage efforts during her service history.

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