 Diploma at Tampa, Florida in July 1944. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSDiploma (AM-221) |
| Builder | Tampa Shipbuilding Company,Tampa, Florida |
| Laid down | 1 July 1943 |
| Launched | 21 May 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. F. J. Erwin, Jr. |
| Commissioned | 15 July 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 3 September 1946 |
| Reclassified | MSF-221, 7 February 1954 |
| Fate | Transferred toMexican Navy, 1962 |
| History | |
 Mexico | |
| Name | ARMDM-17 |
| Acquired | 1962 |
| Renamed | ARMCadete Francisco Márquez (C59), 1994[1] |
| Namesake | Francisco Márquez |
| Stricken | 2000[1] |
| Fate | unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Admirable-class minesweeper |
| Displacement | 650 long tons (660 t) |
| Length | 184 ft 6 in (56.24 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Draft | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement | 104 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Operations: | Battle of Okinawa |
| Awards: | 3Battle stars |
USSDiploma (AM-221) was anAdmirable-classminesweeper built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. She was awarded threebattle stars for service in the Pacific during World War II. She was decommissioned in September 1946 and placed in reserve. While she remained in reserve,Diploma was reclassified asMSF-221 in February 1955 but never reactivated. In 1962, she was sold to theMexican Navy and renamedARMDM-17. In 1994 she was renamedARMCadete Francisco Márquez (C59). She was stricken in 2000, in 2004 she was cleaned of contaminants and sunk as an artificial reef on the west coast of Isla Espiritu Santo, off La Paz BCS, Mexico. She is a popular local dive site, The C59, and is resting on her side at 70'/20m to 30'/9m of depth.
Diploma was launched 21 May 1944 byTampa Shipbuilding Co., Inc.,Tampa, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. F. J. Erwin, Jr.; and commissioned 15 July 1944.
Diploma arrived atPearl Harbor 12 January 1945 with the disabledU.S. ArmyfreighterFS-318 in tow. The next day she sailed onconvoy escort duty toGuam andEniwetok, returning to Pearl Harbor 17 February.Diploma was underway from Pearl Harbor 23 February forUlithi where she conducted minesweeping exercises in preparation for the invasion ofOkinawa. On 19 March she got underway for Okinawa to engage in pre-invasion minesweeping from 24 March until 1 April and then patrolled during the initial landings. From 17 April to 15 May she was in Ulithi for repairs. After escorting convoys toGuam andSaipan,Diploma returned to Okinawa the last day of May to resume patrolling. From 4 July to 31 July she swept mines in support of the finalU.S. 3rd Fleet raids on theJapanese mainland.
After the cessation of hostilities she continued sweeping in theEast China Sea-Ryukyus area and in theTsugaruStraits intoOminato Naval Base at the northern tip ofHonshū.Diploma received threebattle stars for World War II service.
On 20 NovemberDiploma sailed for thewest coast, arriving atSan Diego, California, 20 December. She was underway on 5 January 1946 forMobile, Alabama, and after visits there and atNew Orleans, Louisiana, arrived atOrange, Texas, 12 May.Diploma was placed out of commission in reserve there 3 September 1946. She was reclassified MSF-221, 7 February 1955. Transferred to Mexico as DM-17, later renamedCadete Francisco Marquez (C-59)
The formerDiploma was acquired by theMexican Navy in 1962 and renamed ARMDM-17. In 1994, she was renamed ARMCadete Francisco Márquez (C59) afterFrancisco Márquez. She was stricken in 2000, in 2004 she was cleaned of contaminants and sunk as an artificial reef on the west coast of Isla Espiritu Santo, off La Paz BCS, Mexico. She is a popular local dive site, The C59, and is resting on her side at 70'/20m to 30'/9m of depth.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
