USS Heath Hen (AMc-6) was a wooden dragger (trawler

Naval trawler

A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...

), built in 1936 by A. D. Storey, Fairhaven, Massachusetts

Fairhaven, Massachusetts

Fairhaven is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located on the south coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzzards Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean...

, as Noreen. Acquired by the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 on 18 October 1940, she was converted to a coastal minesweeper

Coastal minesweeper

Coastal minesweeper is a term used by the United States Navy to indicate a minesweeper intended for coastal use as opposed to participating in fleet operations at sea....

 and commissioned on 20 January 1941 as as USS Heath Hen (AMc-6). The small ship served in the 5th Naval District until 16 March 1944 when she arrived Provincetown, Massachusetts

Provincetown, Massachusetts

Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...

, for duty with the Naval Mine Test Facility. Redesignated Small Boat C-13538, her name was dropped and she served in mine warfare experiments until damaged by an oil explosion on 16 March 1945. She was subsequently turned over to the Maritime Commission and sold on 10 May 1948.