USS Heath Hen

History
United States
NameUSS Heath Hen
NamesakeHeath hen
BuilderA. D. Storey, Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Launched1936, as Noreen
Acquired18 October 1940
Commissioned20 January 1941
ReclassifiedSmall Boat C-13538
FateTransferred to the Maritime Commission and sold, 10 May 1948
General characteristics
TypeCoastal minesweeper
Displacement270 long tons (274 t)
Length94 ft 4 in (28.75 m)
Beam22 ft (6.7 m)
Draft8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Speed9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Complement16

USS Heath Hen (AMc-6) was a wooden dragger (trawler), built in 1936 by A. D. Storey, Fairhaven, Massachusetts, as Noreen. Acquired by the United States Navy on 18 October 1940, she was converted to a coastal minesweeper and commissioned on 20 January 1941 as USS Heath Hen (AMc-6). The small ship served in the 5th Naval District until 16 March 1944 when she arrived Provincetown, Massachusetts, for duty with the Naval Mine Test Facility. Redesignated Small Boat C-13538, her name was dropped and she served in mine warfare experiments until damaged by an oil explosion on 16 March 1945. She was subsequently turned over to the Maritime Commission and sold on 10 May 1948.