USS Tercel (AM-386) was an Auk-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. Tercel was named after the "Tercel," the male of various hawks, especially of the peregrine falcon and the goshawk. Tercel was laid down on 16 May 1944 by the American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio; launched on 16 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. J. H. Thompson; and commissioned on 21 August 1945, Lt. Comdr. M. Dent, Jr., USNR, in command.