USS EMBATTLE MSO 434

Aggressive Class Minesweeper: Laid down, 14 November 1951 at Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, CA; Launched, 27 August 1953; Commissioned USS Embattle (AM-434), 16 November 1954; Redesignated an Ocean Minesweeper MSO-434, 7 February 1955; Decommissioned 1972; Struck from the Naval Register, 15 May 1976; Sold for scrapping, 11 January 1976 to Glen Dobkins, Miami, FL for $32,769.

Specifications: Displacement 630 t.(lt), 755 t.(fl); Length 172'; Beam 35'; Draft 10'; Speed 14 kts; Complement 6 Officers, 74 Enlisted; Armament, as built, one single 40mm gun mount, two .50 cal machine guns, final configuration, bow gun replaced by one twin 20mm gun mount, two .50 cal. machine guns remain; Propulsion four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers

These new minesweepers were smaller and built primarily of wood , with bronze and stainless (non-magnetic) steel fittings to minimize their magnetic signature. All of the 1950 era MSOs had UQS-1 mine-locating sonar, later updated with SQQ-14 sonar. MSOs were capable of sweeping for moored, bottom contact, magnetic and acoustic mines.