Immediately after commissioning, Otis W. Douglas departed Norfolk for Brest, France, where she assumed minesweeping duties around Belle Île and the entrance to Loire River. Her efforts aided in keeping convoy routes clear for the safe passage of troop ships and supply vessels. Continuing these efforts until the spring of 1919, Otis W. Douglas worked until the last mines were destroyed.
Otis W. Douglas departed Brest for the United States with minesweeper Courtney and other vessels on 27 April 1919. Although weather conditions appeared favorable, a storm developed shortly after their departure. The ships headed back toward Brest, but in the heavy seas, Otis W. Douglas began leaking badly and sank — as did Courtney — on 27 April.
Notes
^The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/o4/otis_w_douglas.htm) and NavSource Online (at http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/170313.htm) both give the ship's speed as 12 miles per hour, implying statute miles per hour, a highly unusual measurement of a watercraft's speed. It is possible that these sources actually mean that the ship's speed was 12 knots. If 12 statute miles per hour is correct, however, the equivalent in knots is 10.4.
