US WWII Navy D-Day Veteran Uniform & Document Group, USS Swift
This item is listed for historical interest only. It was listed on our site previously but has been sold and is no longer available for purchase.
Sold for: $375.00

Original era manufacture. Our sailor served aboard the Mine Sweeper, USS Swift during WWII, seeing combat in both the ETO and PacificTheaters during the war.On the 6th of June 1944, the USS Swift was engaged in mine clearance operations off of Utah Beach. During this activity, the USS Osprey, involved in the same operation, struck a mine and sank. Another vessel, the USS Tide, also struck a German mine, receiving aid and rescue efforts by the Swift's crew. While under tow by the Swift, the Tide broke amidships, with the bow and stern jackknifing as she sank. During the bombardment of Cherbourg, the Swift was once again tasked to clearlanes for the larger warships to steam into. The Swift was the target of large caliber German shore batteries, straddling the Swift with shells, with another shell passing between her stacks, the order was then given to make smoke, and retire at flank speed. The Swiftthen participated in the invasion of Southern France in August 1944, acting as an escort vessel for convoys bound for the invasion area.In March 1945 the Swift received orders for the Pacific, while receiving amajor overhaul at Norfolk Virginia. Upon reaching Pearl Harbor the ship and crew underwent additional training,during which theyrescued a downed Navy pilot on the 2nd of June.She took part in a large mine-sweeping operation in the East China Sea, destroying four Japanese mines. After news of the Japanese surrender, the Swift was engaged again in sweeping activities off of the Chinese coast, coming under surveillance of Japanese aircraft, which were fired upon by the Swift.To her crew's credit, the Swift was confirmed to have swept 164 enemy mines; 26 German, 138 Japanese, took part in two invasions, and steamed over 65,000 nautical miles without a single crew casualty.The lot includes the sailors jumper and bell-bottomed trousers, with embellishments added by a Chinese tailor when the Swift was in Shanghai.The document lot is quite extensive with onboard ships newspapers, the sailors dogtag and photograph, maps, orders and more. Purchased from the family.