HMCo #412p Ostrich Amc-51

"With the launching Saturday [March 29, 1941] of the last of two heavily constructed mine sweepers being built here for the United States Navy, the ways in the shop of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company have been cleared for setting up two of the four 160-footers for which the local concern has already received contracts.
As has been the custom since the Herreshoff Company started in on its government work, the launching Saturday was devoid of pomp or ceremony and only a few outside of officials and workers knew that the boat was to go down the ways.
While details of the launching, as well as of the dimensions and information are naval secrets, it was learned that the vessel launched Saturday is still in an uncompleted state, only the hull being finished. The engine installation and erection of the superstructure will be carried put while the boat is in the water, it was said. [The identity of the four 160-footers mentioned above is unclear. The two largest WWII vessels built by HMCo, #416p YMs 19 and #415p YMs 18, were 145ft LOA.]" (Source: Anon. "Herreshoff Launches Last Of Mine Sweepers." Bristol Phoenix, April 1, 1941, p. 1.)

"One hundred and ninety-nine war vessels, ranging from battleships to submarine chasers and mine sweepers, were under construction or contracted for in New England shipyards as of March 31, it was announced today by the New England Council.
The cost of these ships in the aggregate is placed at $1,156,109,000, the Council said. ...
Rhode Island's part in the vast shipbuilding program is represented by contracts for two minesweepers [apparently #411p Marabout and #412p Ostrich] to be built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol. They are valued at $304,000." [Note: The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company's share in the early warship building efforts was thus 0.026%.]" (Source: Anon. "New England Yards to Build 199 Warships." Christian Science Monitor, May 24, 1941, p. 11.)

"1941. ... THE first of 1941 ushered in the 'hush-hush' era. The country wasn't at war but warlike preparations were under way. In January Herreshoff was building some 94-foot vessels, supposed to be on government orders. Shop windows were covered with whitewash and nobody knew anything about them except everybody in Bristol and adjoining towns. ..." (Source: Davis, Jeff. Yachting in Narragansett Bay. Providence, 1946, p. 99.)

"Ostrich (AMc 51)
Accentor Class Coastal Minesweeper: Laid down, 6 February 1941 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., Bristol, RI; Launched, 29 March 1941; Placed in service 14 July 1941; Placed out of service, 27 December 1945 at Norfolk, VA; Struck from the Naval Register, 21 January 1946; Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 21 March 1947 for disposal. Fate unknown.
Specifications: Displacement 200 t.; Length 97' 1"; Beam 22'; Draft 9'; Speed 10 kts.; Complement 17; Armament two .50 cal. machine guns; Propulsion one 400bhp Superior K. N. B. diesel engine, one shaft." (Source: http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/03051.htm, retrieved March 16, 2007.)

"[Item Description:] Printed letter beginning with 'With reference to your inquiry of December 31st addressed direct to our Home Office at Ampere, New Jersey, and forwarded to this office for attention concerning DC motor drives and control for operation of cable reel of U. S. Navy Mine Sweepers [probably #411p MARABOUT AMC-50, #412p OSTRICH AMC-51, #413p COURIER AMC-72, and #414p DEFIANCE AMC-73], when the writer recently called at your office concerning this inquiry we were advised that the motor capacity had been decreased to 5 HP and that the use of brakes was unlikely. We are accordingly pleased to quote you now (and will forward supplementary quotation shortly on control) on suitable motors conforming in full to specifications as we interpret them and offering motors at both 1750 EPM and 1150 EPM.'. With technical sheet titled 'Dimensions of Form F Direct Current Machines'." (Source: Crocker-Wheeler Electric Manuf. Co. Letter to Brightman, Thomas (Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.). MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.131. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Motors. 1941-01-23.)
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"[Item Description:] Hulls, anchors and pipe berth cut-out models and diagrams. Among others deckline cut-outs for BETTY ANN, #300p SHADOW III, NOMAD, Fishers Island 31-footer, Fishers Island 23-footer, Sub Chaser 110ft x 18ft, 11ft-6in Boat [built from Plan] 76-17 [now named Plan 28-21] (76-33 [now named Plan 28-23]) for Mr Tiffany's #934 [HARLEQUIN] [this may be a reference to #191901es], 18ft-9in Launch [#191002ep] used on #692 [WESTWARD], 14ft Rowboat [#190912es] [built from Plan] 76-14 698 [#698s WESTWARD], 19ft-4 1/2in x 5ft-4in Launch [#191304ep] for #719 [VAGRANT II], 14ft-8in Gasoline Launch [#190307ep] for 590 [#590s INGOMAR], 10ft-3in Boat [# ?] for 376 [#376p ESLOMA], 18ft Dories [#191729es] for #323 [SP-2840], #293 [Power Launch for #215p ROAMER], Vosper [Torpedo Boats built from 1943 - 1944), AMC Minesweeper [#411p, #412p, #413p, #414p], 16ft-10in x 5ft-1in [#191307es Colonia Sailing Cutter] for #719 [VAGRANT II], 711 Class [New York 50s], [dinghies #191308es and #191309es] for #722 [KATOURA], 12ft [dinghy #191106es ?] for 698 [#698s WESTWARD], 25ft-10in x 6ft-1in [built from Plan] 2-83 [#191301ep Owner Launch for #722s Katoura], 11ft-0in Rowboat [# ?] between davits on #251 [LANG SYNE] Feb [19]06, 23ft-4in x 6ft-4in [#287p Stock launch later Crew Launch for #722s KATOURA]. Generally undated, the last vessels referred to appear to date from 1944." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.130. Cut-out Models and Diagrams. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Models and Diagrams. No date (1944 and earlier).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #412p Ostrich Amc-51 even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Dilemma and #412p Ostrich (MIT Museum-made index card)
• Note: The vessel index cards comprise two sets of a total of some 3200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and information regarding drawings, later or former vessel names, and owners. They were compiled from HMCo's early days until 1920 and added to in later decades, apparently by Hart Nautical curator William A. Baker and his successors. While HMCo seems to have used only one set of index cards, all sorted by name and, where no name was available, by number, later users at MIT apparently divided them into two sets of cards, one sorted by vessel name, the other by vessel number and greatly expanded the number of cards. Original HMCo cards are usually lined and almost always punched with a hole at bottom center while later cards usually have no hole, are unlined, and often carry substantially less information. All cards are held by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass.

Year: 1941
E/P/S: P
No.: 411p [sic, i.e. 412p]
Name: Ostrich (AMc 51)
OA: 97' 1"
LW: 92'

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

"Contract value of $152,000 was calculated from Christian Science Monitor, May 24, 1941, p. 11, which reports that the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company had received an order worth $304,000 to build two minesweepers." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. August 24, 2009.)

"Built in 145 days (setup to delivered; equivalent to $1048/day, 2759 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"Displacement 200 [long or short?] t." (Source: http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/03051.htm, last visit March 16, 2007.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.