USS Defense
History
United States
Name	HMSAmity (BAM-4)
Builder	General Engineering & Dry Dock Company,Alameda, California
Laid down	2 October 1942
Launched	18 February 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. A. Duncanfield
Commissioned	10 January 1944
Recommissioned	16 February 1952 atLong Beach, California
Decommissioned	31 May 1946 15 April 1955
Renamed	USSDefense (AM-317), 23 January 1943
Reclassified	MSF-317, 7 February 1955
Stricken	c. 1972
Homeport	Long Beach, California
Honors and awards	2battle stars (World War II) 2 battle stars (Korean War)
Fate	Sold toMexico, 3 January 1973
Mexico
Name	ARMManuel Doblado (C73)
Namesake	Manuel Doblado
Acquired	3 January 1973
Reclassified	G05[1] P104, 1993[1]
Fate	in active service, as of 2007[update][1]
General characteristics
Class & type	Auk-class minesweeper
Displacement	890 long tons (904 t)
Length	221 ft 2 in (67.41 m)
Beam	32 ft (9.8 m)
Draft	10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)
Propulsion	2 × 2,976 shp (2,219 kW) Baldwin VO8 diesel electric drive engines Westinghouse single reduction gear 2 shafts
Speed	18.1knots (33.5 km/h; 20.8 mph)
Complement	105 officers and enlisted
Armament	1 ×3"/50 caliber gun 2 × twin40 mm guns 2 × single20 mm guns 2 ×Depth charge tracks 5 × depth charge projectors

USSDefense (AM-317) was anAuk-classminesweeper acquired by theUnited States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

Defense was launched on 18 February 1943 atGeneral Engineering and Dry Dock Company inAlameda, California, sponsored by Mrs. A. Duncanfield, and commissioned on 10 January 1944. She was reclassifiedMSF-317 on 7 February 1955.

Sailing fromSan Francisco, California, on 24 March 1944,Defense escorted aconvoy toMajuro, then sweptmines and had escort duty offTarawa,Gilbert Islands, from 9 to 19 April. She returned toPearl Harbor on 30 April, and between 8 May and 9 July escorted two convoys, one to Majuro and one toEniwetok. After conducting experimental minesweeping exercises at Pearl Harbor until 22 July, she got underway for San Francisco, arriving there on 30 July.

From August through December 1944,Defense provided a variety of services for ships in shakedown offSan Diego, California, and joined in exercises in theHawaiian Islands.

Sailing from Pearl Harbor on 27 January 1945,Defense arrived offIwo Jima on 16 February as the pre-invasionbombardment of the island began. She patrolled in theantisubmarine screen until late on 19 February, day of the landings, when she cleared to escort unladen transports toSaipan. From 1 to 7 March, she again patrolled off Iwo Jima, and on 10 March arrived at Ulithi, staging point for the invasion ofOkinawa. Nine days later, she was underway for minesweeping operations out ofKerama Retto in preparation for the invasion landings on Okinawa scheduled for 1 April.

During the massive suicide plane attack six days after the initial landings,Defense took a group of four attackers under fire. She splashed one, drove one off, and was struck by the other two after they had been heavily damaged by her antiaircraft fire. Despite her own damage, she went to the aid of two other stricken ships, rescuing 60 men from the destroyerNewcomb (DD-586) and towing crippledLeutze (DD-481) to Kerama Retto.

After temporary repairs had been completed on 11 April 1945,Defense sailed forSeattle, Washington via Pearl Harbor. She arrived at the Naval Ammunition Depot,Indian Island, Washington on 26 May 1945 and spent the better part of the next three months in dry dock. On Monday, 3 September 1945 she sailed for theWestern Pacific for occupation duty at Okinawa,Guam, and various Japanese ports, including Nagasaki. She served inJapan until 6 March 1946, when she clearedKobe forSan Diego, California, arriving there on 21 April.Defense was placed out of commission in reserve there on 31 May 1946.

Recommissioned on 16 February 1952 atLong Beach, California because of theKorean War,Defense sailed forYokosuka on 7 July, arriving there on 16 August. Operating inKorean waters in support ofUnited Nations forces, she cleared the waters atInchon and in theWonsan-Chongjin-Songjin area of mines until 8 January 1953, when she left Yokosuka heading for Long Beach, where she arrived on 6 February.

Along with another tour of duty in theFar East from 6 October 1953 to 2 June 1954,Defense operated along the coast ofSouthern California until again placed out of commission in reserve on 16 April 1956.

On 3 January 1973, the formerDefense was sold to theMexican Navy where she was named ARMManuel Doblado (C73). Her pennant number was later changed to G05, before being changed a final time to P104 in 1993. As of 2007^[update],Manuel Doblado was in active service with the Mexican Navy.^[1]

Defense received two battle stars for World War II service and two for the Korean War.

•  This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
• Photo gallery of USSDefense at NavSource Naval History
• USSDefense (AM-317/MSF-317), 1944-1973

• Auk-class minesweepers of the United States Navy
• Ships built in Alameda, California
• 1943 ships
• World War II minesweepers of the United States
• Korean War minesweepers of the United States
• Valle-class patrol vessels
• Patrol vessels of Mexico
• Maritime incidents in April 1945

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from July 2021
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2007
• All articles containing potentially dated statements
• Ships articles in need of updated status
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships