Scott # 690 Naval Ship Cover USS Ortolan

Navy Cover, Dated 5/22/35

On 10 December 1941, Ortolan sailed west again and on the 21st arrived at Pearl Harbor to assist in the staggering salvage job which was the aftermath of the Japanese attack two weeks earlier. For the next half year she worked on, and finally floated, Oglala (CM-4). On 18 July 1942, she reported for a year’s tour with Pearl Harbor based submarines, recovering torpedoes and assisting in preparations for war patrols. She then trained Navy divers and in October prepared for combat duty with the installation of new sound gear and new armament, two 3-inch and two 20 mm guns.

World War II Pacific Theatre operations[edit]

Troop transport SS President Coolidge being abandoned after beaching.

Heading out across the Pacific, 1 November, she arrived at Espiritu Santo on the 20th. For the next ten days she salvaged needed war supplies from the sunken Army transport SS President Coolidge. Ortolan then steamed to Tulagi to make temporary repairs on cruisers damaged during the Battle of Tassafaronga. The cruisers sailed 12 days later and Ortolan commenced a busy two months during which she assisted vessels, PT boats to destroyers and transports, surveyed sunken Japanese and recovered downed “Zeros” for intelligence evaluation.

“Intelligence gathering” extended well into 1943 as Ortolan took on the salvaging of two Japanese submarines, one a two-man “midget”, the other a 320-foot boat loaded with supplies. Both lay in the waters off Guadalcanal‘s northern coast. Although frequently interrupted for other, more pressing, salvage or repair jobs, Ortolan raised the “midget” and towed her to Kukum Bay in May, and, in June delivered her to Noumea.

Return to stateside operations[edit]

Overhaul at Auckland followed and in October she returned to the Solomon Islands. There, and in the New Hebrides, she continued salvage work into 1944. On 17 January, she departed for Noumea, thence heading east. After abbreviated transport and submarine training duties en route, she arrived at San Pedro 4 March 1944. At the end of April she reported for duty with the Western Sea Frontier and for the ensuing 18 months operated as escort and torpedo recovery vessel for submarines conducting exercises off California.