This is a list of mine warfare vessels of the United States Navy.
Ship status is indicated as either currently active [A] (including ready reserve), inactive [I], or precommissioning [P]. Ships in the inactive category include only ships in the inactive reserve, ships which have been disposed from US service have no listed status. Ships in the precommissioning category include ships under construction or on order.
Historical overview
Mine warfare consists of:
minelaying, the deployment of explosive
naval mines at sea to sink enemy ships or to prevent their access to particular areas;
minesweeping, the removal or detonation of naval mines; and
degaussing, the process of decreasing or eliminating a remnant magnetic field in a ship's hull to prevent its detection by magnetic mines. The US Navy has operated ships and craft for all three purposes.
Mine planting is the laying and maintenance of
controlled mines for harbor defense, which was traditionally a role of the US Army.
Classifications
Mine warfare ships were originally considered by the US Navy to be either
auxiliaries or
yard and district craft, and so were given
hull classification symbols beginning with either 'A' or 'Y', depending on their capabilities. The exceptions were four converted cargo ships with ID numbers (prior to the modern hull system), certain large 'cruiser' minelayers which were given hull symbols beginning with 'CM', converted
destroyers which were given hull symbols beginning with 'DM', and three unclassified civilian cargo ships after
World War II.
On 7 February 1955 all of these ships and craft still in service or reserve were reclassed and received new hull symbols beginning with 'M', usually without change of hull number. The exception was the degaussing ships, which retained the 'A' hull symbol.
Modern
Littoral Combat Ships use 'L' hull symbols even though they can be used for mine warfare.
Auxiliary minelayers (ACM)
All ACMs except USS Buttress and USS Monadnock were originally US Army
mine planters.
These minesweepers were built for the U.K. and redesignated from an AM hull number to a J hull number. Most were returned to the US at the end of
Lend-Lease.
These classes have considerable overlap; some ships are considered both Agile and Agreessive class.[by whom?] A few more are occasionally considered Dash class. These classes became
Minesweepers, ocean (MSO) on 7 February 1955.
The PCS-1376 class of coastal minesweepers were originally Patrol Craft Sweepers (PCS) which lacked minesweeping gear. They were built on 134-foot
YMS-1-class minesweeper hulls and then converted into sonar school ships or back into minesweepers.[3]
Many coastal minesweepers were civilian ships purchased by the US Navy and then converted for use as minesweeper ships. Among them are various designs and makes of yachts, fishing vessels, and other ships.
The name of this class of ships internationally is Adjutant, named for the
USS Adjutant (AMS-60), which was cancelled and transferred to Portugal as the Ponta Delgada (M 405). The first commissioned ship of this class in the US Navy was the
USS Bluebird (AMS-121), hence its US Navy class name. This class became
Minesweepers, coastal (MSC) on 7 February 1955.
Many Mine Countermeasures Support (MCS) ships were previous vehicle landing, tank landing, dock landing, or amphibious assault ships that were reclassified to the MCS type in later years.
On 7 February 1955, all
Coastal minesweepers (Underwater locator) (AMCU)s were redesignated as MHCs. Hull numbers were not changed. Bobolink, Bunting, and the Osprey class never had AMCU designations.
All Albatross and Bluebird class MSC vessels were originally classed as
Ocean minesweepers (AMS) prior to 7 February 1955. Hull numbers were not changed.
All
Ocean minesweepers (AMS) which were originally
YMS-1 class minesweepers and still on hand on 7 February 1955 were redesignated as Minesweepers, coastal (Old) (MSC(O)). Hull numbers were not changed.
All MSO vessels were originally classed as
Minesweepers (AM) prior to 7 February 1955. Hull numbers were not changed.
Agile or Aggressive class
Ships of this class are variously called Agile or Aggressive class depending on source. Some four ships are also sometimes named as a part of a distinct Dash subclass.
MSO-523 to MSO-538 were planned but never built.[17]
Minesweepers (Special device) (MSS)
Note that the official classification of these as devices rather than ships accounts for these ships absence of listings among the Navy's ships while designated MSS-1 and MSS-2.
Another Liberty ship, the
SS R. Ney McNeely, was also converted into an experimental minesweeper, but was returned to the reserve fleet without having a YAG number assigned.[21]
The Littoral Combat Ships can carry
mine warfare modules which operate unmanned vehicles of various types for mine clearance operations.
Unclassified civilian minesweepers
After the end of World War II three war-damaged civilian ships with skeleton Navy crews and automated engineering spaces were used as minesweepers to trigger still-active US pressure mines in Japanese waters. There ships were not Navy ships and were to be disposed and therefore were not assigned Navy hull classifications. Reportedly no active mines were found.[54][55]
^
abcdefOperation Dominic I(PDF) (DNA6040F), Washington, DC: Defense Nuclear Agency, 1983, archived from
the original(PDF) on 23 August 2012, retrieved 12 January 2014
^Maritime Administration.
"R. Ney McNeely". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
^32 YMS-1 class vessels were lost in US Naval service, 2 in Korea with the AMS classification. (See:
"YMS class Minesweepers". Uboat.net. Retrieved 2007-12-20.)
Friedman, Norman (1987). U.S. Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute.
ISBN978-0-87021-713-5.
Friedman, Norman (2002). U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute.
ISBN1-55750-250-1.
This is a list of mine warfare vessels of the United States Navy.
Ship status is indicated as either currently active [A] (including ready reserve), inactive [I], or precommissioning [P]. Ships in the inactive category include only ships in the inactive reserve, ships which have been disposed from US service have no listed status. Ships in the precommissioning category include ships under construction or on order.
Historical overview
Mine warfare consists of:
minelaying, the deployment of explosive
naval mines at sea to sink enemy ships or to prevent their access to particular areas;
minesweeping, the removal or detonation of naval mines; and
degaussing, the process of decreasing or eliminating a remnant magnetic field in a ship's hull to prevent its detection by magnetic mines. The US Navy has operated ships and craft for all three purposes.
Mine planting is the laying and maintenance of
controlled mines for harbor defense, which was traditionally a role of the US Army.
Classifications
Mine warfare ships were originally considered by the US Navy to be either
auxiliaries or
yard and district craft, and so were given
hull classification symbols beginning with either 'A' or 'Y', depending on their capabilities. The exceptions were four converted cargo ships with ID numbers (prior to the modern hull system), certain large 'cruiser' minelayers which were given hull symbols beginning with 'CM', converted
destroyers which were given hull symbols beginning with 'DM', and three unclassified civilian cargo ships after
World War II.
On 7 February 1955 all of these ships and craft still in service or reserve were reclassed and received new hull symbols beginning with 'M', usually without change of hull number. The exception was the degaussing ships, which retained the 'A' hull symbol.
Modern
Littoral Combat Ships use 'L' hull symbols even though they can be used for mine warfare.
Auxiliary minelayers (ACM)
All ACMs except USS Buttress and USS Monadnock were originally US Army
mine planters.
These minesweepers were built for the U.K. and redesignated from an AM hull number to a J hull number. Most were returned to the US at the end of
Lend-Lease.
These classes have considerable overlap; some ships are considered both Agile and Agreessive class.[by whom?] A few more are occasionally considered Dash class. These classes became
Minesweepers, ocean (MSO) on 7 February 1955.
The PCS-1376 class of coastal minesweepers were originally Patrol Craft Sweepers (PCS) which lacked minesweeping gear. They were built on 134-foot
YMS-1-class minesweeper hulls and then converted into sonar school ships or back into minesweepers.[3]
Many coastal minesweepers were civilian ships purchased by the US Navy and then converted for use as minesweeper ships. Among them are various designs and makes of yachts, fishing vessels, and other ships.
The name of this class of ships internationally is Adjutant, named for the
USS Adjutant (AMS-60), which was cancelled and transferred to Portugal as the Ponta Delgada (M 405). The first commissioned ship of this class in the US Navy was the
USS Bluebird (AMS-121), hence its US Navy class name. This class became
Minesweepers, coastal (MSC) on 7 February 1955.
Many Mine Countermeasures Support (MCS) ships were previous vehicle landing, tank landing, dock landing, or amphibious assault ships that were reclassified to the MCS type in later years.
On 7 February 1955, all
Coastal minesweepers (Underwater locator) (AMCU)s were redesignated as MHCs. Hull numbers were not changed. Bobolink, Bunting, and the Osprey class never had AMCU designations.
All Albatross and Bluebird class MSC vessels were originally classed as
Ocean minesweepers (AMS) prior to 7 February 1955. Hull numbers were not changed.
All
Ocean minesweepers (AMS) which were originally
YMS-1 class minesweepers and still on hand on 7 February 1955 were redesignated as Minesweepers, coastal (Old) (MSC(O)). Hull numbers were not changed.
All MSO vessels were originally classed as
Minesweepers (AM) prior to 7 February 1955. Hull numbers were not changed.
Agile or Aggressive class
Ships of this class are variously called Agile or Aggressive class depending on source. Some four ships are also sometimes named as a part of a distinct Dash subclass.
MSO-523 to MSO-538 were planned but never built.[17]
Minesweepers (Special device) (MSS)
Note that the official classification of these as devices rather than ships accounts for these ships absence of listings among the Navy's ships while designated MSS-1 and MSS-2.
Another Liberty ship, the
SS R. Ney McNeely, was also converted into an experimental minesweeper, but was returned to the reserve fleet without having a YAG number assigned.[21]
The Littoral Combat Ships can carry
mine warfare modules which operate unmanned vehicles of various types for mine clearance operations.
Unclassified civilian minesweepers
After the end of World War II three war-damaged civilian ships with skeleton Navy crews and automated engineering spaces were used as minesweepers to trigger still-active US pressure mines in Japanese waters. There ships were not Navy ships and were to be disposed and therefore were not assigned Navy hull classifications. Reportedly no active mines were found.[54][55]
^
abcdefOperation Dominic I(PDF) (DNA6040F), Washington, DC: Defense Nuclear Agency, 1983, archived from
the original(PDF) on 23 August 2012, retrieved 12 January 2014
^Maritime Administration.
"R. Ney McNeely". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
^32 YMS-1 class vessels were lost in US Naval service, 2 in Korea with the AMS classification. (See:
"YMS class Minesweepers". Uboat.net. Retrieved 2007-12-20.)
Friedman, Norman (1987). U.S. Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute.
ISBN978-0-87021-713-5.
Friedman, Norman (2002). U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute.
ISBN1-55750-250-1.