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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSThreat (AM-124) |
| Builder | Savannah Machine and Foundry Co.,Savannah, Georgia |
| Laid down | 15 December 1941 |
| Launched | 15 August 1942 |
| Commissioned | 14 March 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 31 May 1946 |
| Reclassified | MSF-124, 7 February 1955 |
| Stricken | 1 July 1972 |
| Honours and awards | 3battle stars (World War II) |
| Fate | Sold to Mexico, 1973 |
 Mexico | |
| Name | ARMFrancisco Zarco (C81) |
| Namesake | Francisco Zarco |
| Acquired | 1973 |
| Reclassified | |
| Stricken | shakedown cruisein active service, as of 2007[update][1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Auk-classminesweeper |
| Displacement | 890 long tons (904 t) |
| Length | 221 ft 3 in (67.44 m) |
| Beam | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) |
| Speed | 18knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement | 105 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
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USSThreat (AM-124) 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.
Threat was laid down on 15 December 1941 atSavannah, Georgia, by theSavannah Machine and Foundry Co.; launched on 15 August 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Allan M. Robinson; and commissioned on 14 March 1943.
In March and April 1943Threat completedshakedown and exercises off theU.S. East Coast as she prepared for duty as aconvoy escort on theEastern Sea Frontier. During April, the minesweeper escorted convoys along theAtlantic coast; and, on 11 May, she got underway for her firsttransatlantic voyage. Theconvoy arrived atCasablanca on 1 June 1943, and, on 9 June,Threat departedNorth Africa with a convoy bound forNew York. Throughout 1943, she continued escort duties in the Atlantic, completing three voyages to North Africa and numerous convoy shuttles along theEastern Sea Frontier and into theCaribbean.
Early in 1944,Threat helped to protect a convoy as it steamed via theAzores to theBritish Isles. After this mission,Threat remained in theFalmouth area for repairs. In April and May, she operated out ofBatten Bay and conducted exercises with ships of the BritishRoyal Navy in preparation forOperation Overlord, the invasion ofNormandy.
On 2 June 1944, the ship was sealed and briefing commenced. On 5 June 1944,Threat departedTor Bay with a minesweeping unit to take part inOperation Neptune, the assault phase ofOperation Overlord.Threat helped clear the channels to be used by fire support ships in theBaie de la Seine. In the days that followed,Threat witnessed the sinking by mines ofGlennon (DD-620),Tide (AM-125), andRich (DE-695). On 8 June, while aiding the disabled USSRich,Threat narrowly missed becoming the victim of a mine that sank the destroyer escort offCardonet Bank.
A shore battery fired onThreat as she was running acoustic and magnetic sweeps offCherbourg on 9 June. The doughty minesweeper returned the fire with her 3-inch gun, silencing two shore gun employments and exploding a small ammunition dump. Commander,Mine Squadron 7, later commendedThreat for her performance that day and gave special praise to the smart ship-handling operations that those operations had entailed.
Throughout June 1944,Threat continued to sweep waters off theFrench coast, occasionally drawing fire from German guns but escaping unscathed. While she swept channels for fire support ships in preparation for the bombardment of Cherbourg, she came under heavy fire from enemy emplacements. In July,Threat conducted daily sweeps of the Baie de la Seine, necessitated by the delayed action and time-release settings of mines left by the German forces.
After replenishment atPlymouth, England, late in July,Threat returned to theMediterranean. In August, she escorted convoys betweenGibraltar andNorth Africa before proceeding toCorsica where she cleared shipping channels despite the activity of enemy planes. On 19 August, she got underway for assault areas on the southern coast ofFrance. Operating out ofSt. Tropez and theGolfe de Fos,Threat conducted support activities forOperation Dragoon.
In September,Threat continued sweeps, patrols, and mine-watching missions off the coast ofsouthern France. Following a quick run toNaples for provisions and fuel, she returned to the French coast to supplyYMS's and continue minesweeping. Early in October,Threat escorted a convoy toBizerte before engaging in visual sweeps for mines off the German-held Italian coast. While pursuing these duties,Threat exchanged gunfire with enemy shore batteries on more than one occasion before returning to French waters late in October.
Throughout November,Threat operated off France's southern coast. She cleared fire support channels and patrolled for floating mines in the area betweenCannes andSanremo, before departing Cannes on 27 November 1944 for provisioning and ammunition replenishment atBizerte.
The sweeper continued operations in the westernMediterranean in December. Early in the month, she swept mines offCagliari,Sardinia; and, on 28 December, she departedOran, escorting TG 81.14 bound for American ports. On 17 January 1945, she reachedNorfolk after nearly a year of action in European waters.
Threat remained on the east coast for major overhaul and the installation of SA-2radar until 26 April when she departedMiami, Florida and steamed, via thePanama Canal Zone andSan Diego, California, forHawaii. She reachedPearl Harbor on 26 May 1945 and commenced gunnery and minesweeping exercises in preparation for her new assignment in thePacific Ocean. On 11 June, she got underway forUlithi where she rendezvoused with anOkinawa-bound convoy.
After her arrival atBuckner Bay on 6 July,Threat soon joined sweeping operations in theEast China Sea. She continued these duties afterV-J Day in August and, in September, took part in the clearing of heavily minedTsugaru Strait in preparation for the occupation ofOminato. Through October and November,Threat continued sweeps in the East China Sea operating out ofHonshū andSasebo. In December, she plied the waters offShanghai before setting course forSan Diego and inactivation.
Threat was decommissioned on 31 May 1946. Although she was reclassified as a steel-hulled fleet minesweeper (MSF-124) on 7 February 1955,Threat never resumed active service in theU.S. Navy, and was ultimately struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 July 1972. Transferred to the government ofMexico along with several sister-ships during 1973, she was renamed ARMFrancisco Zarco (C81). Her pennant number was later changed to G13, and changed a final time to P112 in 1993. As of 2007[update],Francisco Zarco was in active service with theMexican Navy.
Threat received threebattle stars forWorld War II service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
