 Skirmish underway off San Pedro, California on 2 September 1944 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSSkirmish (AM-303) |
| Builder | |
| Laid down | 8 April 1943 |
| Launched | 16 August 1943 |
| Commissioned | 30 June 1944 |
| Decommissioned | December 1945 |
| Reclassified | MSF-303, 7 February 1955 |
| Stricken | 1 January 1965 |
| Fate | Transferred toDominican Republic, 14 January 1965 |
| History | |
 Dominican Republic | |
| Name | Separación (BM454)[1] |
| Acquired | 14 January 1965 |
| Renamed | Prestol Botello, 1976[1] |
| Refit | 1995[1] |
| Reclassified | C454, 1995[1] |
| Fate | in active service, as of 2007[update][1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Admirable-class minesweeper |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 184 ft 6 in (56.24 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Draft | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 14.8 knots (27.4 km/h) |
| Complement | 104 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Operations: | |
| Awards: | 4Battle stars |
USSSkirmish (AM-303) was anAdmirable-classminesweeper built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. She received fourbattle stars during World War II. She was decommissioned in December 1945 and placed in reserve. In February 1955, while still in reserve, her hull number was changed fromAM-303 toMSF-303, but she was not reactivated. She was transferred to theDominican Republic in January 1965 and renamedSeparación (BM455). She was employed as apatrol vessel inDominican Navy service and renamedPrestol Botello in 1976. Her pennant number was changed fromBM454 toC454 during a 1995 refit. As of 2007[update],Prestol Botello remained in active service for the Dominican Navy.
Skirmish was laid down on 8 April 1943 byAssociated Shipbuilders of Harbor Island,Seattle, Washington; launched on 16 August 1943; and commissioned on 30 June 1944. After completing fitting out and trials in the Seattle area andshakedown andanti-submarine warfare training out ofSan Pedro, California, andSan Diego, California, respectively,Skirmish departed the west coast on 2 September 1944. The minesweeper escorted aconvoy toPearl Harbor,Hawaii, arriving on 9 September.
After 20 days of minesweeping andantisubmarine drills in theHawaiian Islands,Skirmish stood out ofPearl Harbor to escortUSS Boreas (AF-8) toEniwetokAtoll in theMarshall Islands. The two ships arrived on 12 October, andSkirmish departed the next day to return to Pearl Harbor. Upon her return, on 20 October, she resumed training exercise aroundOahu until 3 November when she formed up with aSan Francisco-bound convoy. She stayed in San Francisco for a week from 14 to 21 November, visitedLos Angeles, California, from the 21st to the 23d, and returned to Pearl Harbor on 3 December. On 12 December, Comdr. L. F. Freeburghouse broke hispennant inSkirmish, and she became theflagship of the Commander, Mine Squadron 12.
Following a yard overhaul and more exercisesSkirmish departed theHawaiian Islands on 22 January 1945 in the screen of anotherEniwetok-boundconvoy, arriving on 4 February. This time she did not return to Pearl Harbor. Instead, she departed Eniwetok the next day in company with a large contingent oflanding craft, escort ships, and minesweepers. Sailing by way ofSaipan andTinian in theMarianas,Skirmish arrived offIwo Jima, in theVolcano Islands, on 16 February. For the next three days, she and the other minesweepers conducted sweeps. Then, after the assault on 19 February, she remained in the area on the "ping line" to give advance warning of air attack orsubmarines. On 8 March, she cleared Iwo Jima forUlithiAtoll in theCarolines, arriving on 10 March and remaining until the 19th.
On 25 March,Skirmish arrived offOkinawa, the major island of theRyukyus, and commenced sweeping the waters around the island. During the evening of the following day, an enemy "Betty" swooped in on her port side, firing as it closed. Up went the cry, "Action to port," as all guns blazed away at the intruder. As the twin-engine bomber passed over her bow,Skirmish's fusillade ripped into its engines, causing a storm of parts to rain down on her forecastle deck. The "Betty" continued across the bow and splashed tostarboard. The minesweeper continued to patrol and sweep aroundOkinawa until 8 July, putting into port periodically at eitherBuckner Bay orKerama Retto. From 26 March on, action was not so close as on that date, butSkirmish's crew continued to fight off air attacks and sweep mines. She suffered her only casualty of the war at Okinawa on 2 April, when a dud crashed into a 20 millimetergun mount, demolishing it and killing one sailor.
On 8 July,Skirmish sailed from Okinawa forSan Pedro Bay area ofLeyte Gulf. She was still atLeyte on 10 August when the news of the Japanese surrender offer came. The whole bay exploded into one gigantic 4th-of-Julycelebration -searchlights blazing, sirens screaming andfireworks going off everywhere. By the 18th, everyone settled down with the realization that there was much to be done in spite of the cessation of hostilities.
Accordingly,Skirmish got underway with the other minesweepers on 18 August to return toBuckner Bay. She stayed atOkinawa for a week and a day, from 22 to 30 August, then departed to sweep theYellow Sea in support of the Korea occupation forces. From 1 to 7 September, she swept in the area of the Korean coast then headed forSasebo, Japan, where she swept the approaches to Sasebo andNagasaki. During the ensuing three months she continued operations aroundKyūshū, departing that area once to sweep a shallow field in theTsushima Strait.
On 11 December,Skirmish hoisted her homeward boundpennant and led Mine Squadron 12 in review before Rear Admiral Struble,Commander, Minecraft Pacific Fleet. As they sailed out of Sasebo, the ships assembled in the harbor rendered honors, and the crews of twocruisers,USS Boston (CL-69) andUSS Oklahoma City (CL-90) were paraded indress blues.
Upon arrival in the United States later in December,Skirmish was placed out of commission, in reserve, and berthed atOrange, Texas. She remained there for the next 19 years. She was redesignatedMSF-303 on 11 February 1955 and declared excess to the needs of the Navy in January 1965. Her name was struck from theNavy list in January 1965, and she was sold to theDominican Republic on 14 January, under the terms of theMilitary Assistance Program.
Skirmish earned fourbattle stars for World War II service.
The formerSkirmish was acquired by theDominican Republic on 14 January 1965 and renamedSeparación (BM454). Employed as apatrol vessel inDominican Navy service, she was renamedPrestol Botello in 1976. During a 1995 refit, her pennant number was changed toC454 in 1995. As of 2007[update],Prestol Botello was in active service with the Dominican Navy.[1]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
