The USS Owl (AM-2) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper constructed for the United States Navy, designed to detect and remove naval mines to ensure safe passage for allied ships. Laid down on October 25, 1917, by Todd Shipbuilding Corporation in Brooklyn, New York, the vessel was launched on March 4, 1918, and commissioned on July 11, 1918. The ship measured approximately 187 feet in length, with a beam of 35 feet, and was armed and equipped for minesweeping operations, although specific armament details are not provided in the source. Initially, Owl's service involved towing operations from New York to Charleston, followed by her assignment to the 5th Naval District at Norfolk, Virginia, where she served as a minesweeper during the final months of World War I. After the war, she functioned as a light ship near Chesapeake Bay until July 1919. For much of the interwar period until 1936, Owl provided towing services along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean. Between June 1936 and January 1941, her role expanded to include seaplane tender duties, planeguard, and target and mooring buoy planting, supporting aircraft operations from New England to the Caribbean. During World War II, she was redesignated as Ocean Tug AT-137 on June 1, 1942, and was based in Bermuda, where she performed towing, salvage, rescue missions, and convoy escort duties. Notably, she assisted the submarine USS R-1 and the torpedoed Argentine tanker Victoria. In mid-1943, Owl operated from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, before sailing to Europe. She arrived at Falmouth, Cornwall, in March 1944 and participated in the Normandy invasion, towing construction materials to support the Allied invasion effort shortly after D-Day. Later, she transferred to the Pacific Fleet, arriving in San Diego in June 1944, and conducted target towing at Pearl Harbor until January 1946. She was decommissioned on July 26, 1946, and sold for scrap in June 1947. Throughout her service, USS Owl earned one battle star for her World War II operations, marking her as a versatile vessel contributing to mine-clearing, towing, salvage, and logistical support during both world wars.

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