_underway%2c_circa_in_the_1960s_(NH_69849).jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Builder | Seattle Shipbuilding & Drydocking Corp. |
| Laid down | 20 February 1953 |
| Launched | 17 April 1954 |
| Commissioned | 15 March 1955 |
| Decommissioned | 9 July 1972 |
| Stricken | 9 July 1972 |
| Homeport | Long Beach, California |
| Fate | fate unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 620 tons |
| Length | 172 ft (52 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Draught | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Speed | 16 knots |
| Complement | 74 |
| Armament | twin20 mm cannons, one.50 cal (12.7 mm) machine gun, twin.30 cal (7.62 mm) machine guns |
USSGuide (AM-447/MSO-447) was anAgile-classminesweeper acquired by theU.S. Navy for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.
The second ship to be named Guide by the Navy,AM-447 was launched 17 April 1954 by theSeattle Shipbuilding & Drydocking Corp.,Seattle, Washington; sponsored by Miss Ann L. Larson; and commissioned 15 March 1955. Her hull classification changed fromAM-447 toMSO-447 on 7 February 1955.
Guide spent the first year of her career in coastwise operations offCalifornia. This duty included surveys for the NavyHydrographic Office in theSan Diego-Long Beach area and inSan Francisco Bay approaches. She departedLong Beach, California, 1 October 1956 and arrived inYokosuka 31 October for minesweeping exercises that took her off the coast of Korea, theMarianas Islands, and along the coast of Japan. She returned to Long Beach 15 April for 2 years of training along the western seaboard. On 2 April 1959 she again deployed for theFar East, expanding duties to include joint mine exercises with the naval forces of Japan, Korea andNationalist China.
Guide returned to Long Beach from her second Asian tour 15 October 1959 and resumed operations along the California seaboard for the next 2 years. On 1 May 1961 she sailed on her third tour of duty with theU.S. 7th Fleet, arriving inYokosuka, Japan, 29 May 1961. Following amphibious and other mine warfare exercises to the coasts of Korea and thePhilippines, she returned to Long Beach 14 November. The next 16 months were filled with mine countermeasure and minesweeping training that took her as far north as Seattle andEsquimalt, British Columbia.
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Guide was again underway for the Far East 5 April 1963, touchingMidway Island and theMarianas on her way to Japan. She again swept to the shores ofTaiwan, Korea, and the Philippines before returning to Long Beach 5 November 1963. Coastwise training occupied her until 5 April 1965 when she sailed forGuam, Marianas Islands, arriving 3 May 1965.
Guide underwent a 3-week upkeep period at Guam. She arrived off the coast ofVietnam 1 June to begin the first of three periods of "Operation Market Time" anti-infiltration patrols to deny movement of war supplies to theViet Cong. Her first patrol terminated 30 June. Subsequent patrols were carried out 25 July-12 August 1965 and 18 September-5 October 1965. Following a liberty call atHong Kong, she paid a 2-day visit toIloilo City,Panay,Republic of the Philippines. She opened for general visiting 25–28 October and contributed books and food to assist in America's people-to-people program of international friendship.
The Guide returned to the waters off Viet Nam for additional patrols in late 1969 and early 1970. While on patrol the ship and crew engaged the enemy in a ship-to-shore fire-fight that resulted in the crewmembers being awarded the Combat Action Medal.
Guide joined in combined mine warfare exercises with units of thePhilippine Navy before setting course for theMarshalls,Hawaii, and back to Long Beach, arriving 14 December 1965. The minesweeper operated along theU.S. West Coast throughout 1966 and sailed for the Far East early in 1967. On 1 March she was off the coast of Vietnam laboring to keep clear the shipping lanes which supply Allied fighters in that war-torn land. She continued to perform this vital duty past mid-year, reaffirming her right to the proud nameGuide.
Guide was struck from theNavy list on 9 July 1972. Her fate is uncertain: she was either sold to Spain 1 January 1973 or sold for scrapping on 27 January 1974 in California.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
