USS Road Runner
USS Road Runner was a coastal minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
Road Runner was named after the bird of that name: a speedy, largely terrestrial bird of the cuckoo family, found from California to Mexico and eastward to Texas.
Road Runner was built in 1939 as Treasure Island, California, by Western Boat Building Co, Tacoma, Washington; acquired by the Navy on 27 November 1940 from Mr. August Felando of San Pedro, Los Angeles; converted at South Coast Co., Newport Beach, California, and placed in service on 2 June 1941.
World War II service
Road Runner, a wooden coastal minesweeper, served her three-year, World War II career with the 11th Naval District and the Western Sea Frontier with a homeport of San Pedro and a home yard of Mare Island, California.Her operations involved daily minesweeping out of San Pedro, sometimes running to Santa Catalina Island or south to San Diego.