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WOODEN SHIPS & IRON MEN
Aggressive Class Minesweeper: Laid down, 7 November 1951 at Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, CA; Launched,
18 June 1953; Commissioned USS Engage (AM-433), 29 June 1954; Redesignated as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-433, 7 February 1955;
Decommissioned, 30 December 1991; Struck from the Naval Register, 20 April 1992; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 15
April 1994 to NRA Acquisition, Inc., New York, NY, sub-contracted to Wilmington Resources Inc., Wilmington, NC for disposal,
Repossessed by Navy after contractor defaulted due to sub-contractor being closed by state of North Carolina for environmental
pollution, currently laid up in the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Philadephia, PA awaiting resale. Sold, 4 December 2000
to Baltimore Marine Industries, Baltimore, MD for scrapping.
Specifications: Displacement 775 t; Length 172'; Beam 35'; Draft 12'; Speed 14 kts; Complement eight
officers, 70 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,twin 20mm removed when SQQ-14 installed, two .50 cal. machine guns remain; Propulsion,
four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, replaced by four Waukasha Motors Co. diesels, 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.
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| NOVEMBER MIKE OSCAR MIKE |
WOODEN SHIPS AND IRON MEN a book by CDR David D.Bruhn USN RET.The history of our MSO's from 1953
to 1994. To learn more about this excellent minesweeper book please visit CDR Bruhn's website at the link below.
David Bruhn
Ship's Ballcap $14.95
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