USS Gladiator (AM-319) was an Auk-class minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

Voyages to Eniwetok, Kossol Roads, and Saipan, were frequently made to shepherd merchantmen to and from those strategic ports until Gladiator sailed from Ulithi 19 March 1945 for combat at Okinawa.

Closing the beaches of Okinawa 24 March when Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee’ s battleships were bombarding the island, Gladiator began minesweeping operations and screening duties.

[1] As of February 3, 2022, P106 was donated by the Mexican Navy to the State of Sonora to be sunk in the Port of Guaymas and create an artificial reef and bring tourists for diving adventures.

The Secretary of Tourism of the State of Sonora Celida Lopez alongside Mexican Navy Admiral Raul Perez Vazquez of the Fourth Naval Zone visited P106 and discussed final preparations before being scuttled on 3/2/2022.