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11
UNIT AWARDS AND CITATIONS
ARMED FORCES EXPEDITIONARY MEDALS (5),VIETNAM SERVICE MEDALS (4),HUMANITARIAN SERVICE MEDAL (1)
AND REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM GALLANTRY CROSS CITATION (1).
The second Engage (AM-433) was launched 18 June 1953 by Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, Calif., sponsored
by Mrs. R. B. Richmond, and commissioned 29 June 1954, Lieutenant S. J. Martin in command. She was reclassified MSO-433, 7
February 1955.
From her home port at Long Beach, where she first arrived 21 July 1954, Engage operated in mine
warfare and general training along the west coast, preparing for her deployments to the Far East in 1955-56, 1958 and 1960.
During these, she trained with minecraft of the navies of the Republics of China and the Philippines, and the Royal Thailand
navy, since an important duty for minecraft serving in the Far East is to improve the readiness of friendly navies to operate
in mutual defense
In January 1973, the last provision of the cease-fire agreement that directly related to the Navy entailed removal of the
U.S. sea mines laid along the North Vietnamese coast and the Mark 36 Destructors dropped into inland waterways. On 28 January,
following months of extensive preparation and training, the Seventh Fleet's Mine Countermeasures Force (Task Force 78), led
by Rear Admiral Brian McCauley, sailed from Subic Bay and shaped course for a staging area off Haiphong. On 6 February, one
day after Commander Task Force 78 met in the city to coordinate actions with his North Vietnamese opposite, Colonel Hoang
Huu Thai, Operation End Sweep got underway. Ocean minesweepers Engage (MSO 433), Force (MSO) 445), Fortify (MSO 446), and
Impervious (MSO 449) swept areas off the coast near Haiphong while being escorted by guided missile frigate Worden (DLG 18)
and destroyer Epperson (DD 719). A total of 10 ocean minesweepers, 9 amphibious ships, 6 fleet tugs, 3 salvage ships, and
19 destroyer types served with Task Force 78 during the six months of Operation End Sweep.
I was Engineering Officer from May 1959 until Feb 1962. On my watch I put paneling in the
Mess Deck, Sinks in the Officer's Staterooms, windshield on the Bridge ( with truck type wipers), hoops on the Stacks to hold
the floats ( eliminating the bolting type brackets), and several other non-authorized ShipAlts. I also corrected the prints
for cutting gasket grooves in the Packard Engine heads. Before I found the problem ( depth of cut called for ) all sweeps
blew head gaskets more often than we changed our under wear. I also purchased tools and fitting for making our own hydraulic
hoses. This eliminated the need for stocking many hoses of many sized, of which we always seemed to be out of the one we needed.
No one ever gave me any credit for my efforts, but, neither did they give me hell. Guess I won in the long haul. Surprising
how fast the other Sweeps (both coasts) caught on and followed suit. Of course I sent BuShips the correction on the head gasket
groove, they made the changes.
LT James S. Ingram
There were four ships in the division, FORTIFY, CONFLICT
, GUIDE AND ENGAGE. The commodore was Commander Jack Varney
and while we were deployed we fell under MINFLOT THREE which at that time was headquartered
on Guam and the Flotilla Commander was Commander Lloyd
Bucher former skipper of the USS PUEBLO. Generally the ships were
paired up, CONFLICT AND GUIDE and FORTIFY and ENGAGE. Two of the ships would be in Subic and on MINEXs with the Taiwanese
Japanese, Korean and Philippine Navies. The other two would share Market Time Patrol
off thecoast of Nam in Area FIVE out of CamRhan Bay. While on Market Time patrol the two Mine Sweepers were paired up
with two PGs. The commodore rode each of the ships in the division at one time or another, so we were constantly packing up
and crossdecking.
Joe Reynolds
YNCS, USN (Ret)
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