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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive

Condor (AMc 14)

Call sign:
Nan - Able - Roger - William

Coastal Minesweeper:

Built in 1937 as New Example by the Martinolich Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma, WA for the New Example Fishing Co. of Terminal Island, CA

Acquired by the Navy 24 October 1940 for conversion to a Coastal Minesweeper and renamed Condor

Placed in service as USS Condor (AMc 14), 18 April 1941 under the command of ENS Monroe H. Hubbell, USNR

Placed out of service 17 January 1946

Struck from the Naval Register 7 February 1946

Transferred 24 July 1946 to the Maritime Commission for disposal

Acquired in 1946 by the Van Camp Sea Food Co., Inc. of San Diego, CA for use as a fishing and renamed New Example

Acquired in 1947 by Sam Zamberlin of San Pedro, CA and renamed Veteran

Operated in 1952 under the El Salvadorian flag

Fate unknown.

Specifications:

Displacement 195 t.

Length 77' 9"

Beam 21' 10"

Draft 9' 4"

Depth of Hold 10'

Speed 9 kts.

Complement 17

Armament: One .50 cal. machine gun

Propulsion: One 200bhp Enterprise DMW-6 diesel engine, one shaft.

Size	Image Description	Source
66k	Namesake: *Condor* is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua kuntur. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: The Andean *condor* (Vultur gryphus), which inhabits the Andean mountains. The California *condor* (Gymnogyps californianus), currently restricted to the western coastal mountains of the United States and Mexico and the northern desert mountains of Arizona in the United States	Tommy Trampp Photo added 11 December 2021
66k		janesoceania.com
98k	c. 1941, probably off San Diego, CA National Archives photo 19-N-24615	Naval Historical Center

View the Condor (AMc-14)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway website

The First Shots of World War II

Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941

In the early morning of 7 December 1941 Condor was on routine minesweeping patrol duty offshore near the island of Oahu.

At about 0345 men of her crew spotted a submarine in the restricted waters near the entrance to Pearl Harbor. Condor's skipper signalled to the destroyer Ward [DD 139], which was also on patrol close by, giving the Condor's position and what they had seen.

As the Condor was only equipped for minesweeping, and the Ward was armed with guns and depth charges, she proceeded into Pearl Harbor as their patrol duty time was over. The anti-submarine nets in the channel had been opened for the Condor as she was scheduled to come in at that hour.

The USS Ward responded to the message from the Condor by speeding to the area named but could not locate the submarine. Both the Condor and the Ward considered the idea that one of their own submarines might be in the restricted area by error. The Ward went to battle stations anyway but found nothing.

In the daylight at about 0700, the Ward sighted a submarine and again went to battle stations. They sank the midget Japanese submarine near the Pearl Harbor channel entrance and the commanding officer of the Ward sent the following tense message to the commandant of the 14th Naval District in Pearl Harbor.

"We have attacked, fired upon, and dropped depth charges upon a submarine operating in defensive sea area."

Neither the text nor the implications of this message were distributed to the fleet in time to warn them of the impending Japanese attack.

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