Bells have been used for centuries on navy and merchant fleets world-wide. Used to signal, keep time, and sound alarms, they are an important symbol of the US Navy because of their functional and ceremonial uses on ships.
The USS Lapwing (AM-1), was a minesweeper, a type of ship designed to capture or detonate mines. She was named after the lapwing, a bird known for hunting at night, by moonlight and luring predators away from the nest. The earliest minesweepers date back to 1855 in the Crimean War, the first war to use "modern" technologies like naval mines.
The USS Lapwing was the US Navy's first minesweeper and the lead ship in her class of her minesweepers. She was launched on March 14, 1918 (during WWI) and departed from Connecticut on September 26, 1918 for Europe. She was assigned to the North Sea mine barrage. After WWI ended, she removed over 2,000 mines from British waters between June and September 1919, saving countless lives. Afterward she returned to the United States before sailing to Pearl Harbor in January of 1921 and remained active in Hawaiian waters until she was decommissioned on April 11, 1922.
Ten years later, the USS Lapwing was recommissioned on September 1, 1932. Soon afterward, she started working with the aircraft scouting force and participated in various exercises designed to develop aviation techniques that were critical to future wars. In early 1936, she was reclassified as a Small Seaplane Tender, AVP-1 and worked primarily with seaplanes in the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, and on the West Coast.
When WWII broke, USS Lapwing was assigned to the North Atlantic. She worked with Patrol Wing 3 and engaged in patrol and anti-submarine warfare. In 1943 she sailed to Key West for duty as a training ship. She aided in the advancement of anti-submarine technology and spent most of her time in Key West until the end of the war.
The USS Lapwing's bell was cast in bronze and has a unique shaped clapper. It has an excellent tone that strongly resonates, to be heard at a distance. The words "U.S.S. Lapwing 1918" can be clearly read on the bell. In excellent condition.
