USS Spectacle

USS Spectacle (AM-305) was a steel-hulled Admirable class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II.

A trained crew boarded the new vessel, practiced with her minesweeping gear, and then proceeded to the Pacific Ocean to clear mines from Japanese beaches so that Allied forces could invade.

After fitting out at Puget Sound and conducting trial runs at Seattle, Washington, Spectacle sailed on the 31st for San Pedro, California.

She swept mines; acted as an escort and patrol ship; and, on several occasions, bombarded enemy targets ashore.

At 0805, a diving kamikaze crashed into the minesweeper, striking the ship under her port 40-millimeter gun tub, causing extensive damage and blowing many of her crew overboard.

At 0815, USS LSM-135 began picking up survivors; but, 15 minutes later, the medium landing ship was also hit by a kamikaze and burst into flames.

Spectacle arrived at Seattle, Washington, on 1 August and, the next day, moved to the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company's dock for battle damage repairs; but no work was begun.