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WOODEN SHIPS & IRON MEN
Aggressive Class Minesweeper: Laid down 12 July 1952 as AM-437 at
Maritinolich Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, CA; Launched, 11 October 1952; Redesignated an Ocean Minesweeper MSO-437, 7 February
1955; Commissioned USS Enhance (MSO-437), 16 April 1955; Decommissioned, 31 December 1991; Struck from the Naval Register,
21 February 1992; Scrapped 6 March 2000 by Crowley Marine Services, Long Beach, CA.
Specifications: Displacement 775 t;
Length 172'; Beam 35'; Draft 12'; Speed 14 kts; Complement 8 Officers, 70 Enlisted; Armament, as built, one single 40mm gun
mount, two .50 cal machine guns, final configuration, bow gun removed, 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. Homeports:Long Beach,Ca
& Tacoma,Wa. Operations:Market Time Mar 1965-Dec 1972,Endsweep Feb 1973-Mar 1973 & Earnest Will 1987-1988. First
C.O.LT R.P.Green USN First X.O.LT J.B. Acton USN MINE DIVISION 93 1956-1968 MINE DIVISION 73 1968-1975 MINE
GROUP ONE 1975-1991
21 UNIT AWARDS & CITATIONS
ARMED FORCES EXPEDITIONARY MEDALS (3),COMBAT ACTION RIBBONS (2),NAVAL UNIT COMMENDATION (1),SECRETARY OF THE
NAVY LETTER OF COMMENDATION 1982 (1),VIETNAM SERVICE MEDALS (8) & REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM MERITORIOUS UNIT CITATION - GALLANTRY
(6).
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
Added 43 photos from QMC Dewey Williams to the E-Group.
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