USS Enhance History

USS ENHANCE MSO 437

COMMANDING OFFICERS

LCDR P.T.Swanson

FEB 1991-DEC 1991

CDR D.A.Burns

APR 1990-APR 1990

LCDR R.S.Armstrong

SEP 1989-FEB 1991

MAY 1989-SEP 1989

LCDR P.E.Stanton

JAN 1989-MAY 1989

CDR J.K.Sapp

SEP 1988-JAN 1989

CDR R.G.Merten

MAY 1988-SEP 1988

CDR W.L.Snyder

JAN 1988-MAY 1988

LCDR S.W.Nerhiem

JUN 1987-JAN 1988

LCDR L.C.Stoddard

JUN 1985-JUN 1987

LCDR E.L.Morris Jr.

MAR 1982-JUN 1985

CDR R.A.Condor

AUG 1979-MAR 1982

LCDR R.W.Bryon

AUG 1977-AUG 1979

LT S.L.Lieberman

OCT 1975-AUG 1977

LT B.G.Linfors

DEC 1973-OCT 1975

LT T.W.Costello III

DEC 1971-DEC 1973

LCDR P.F.Brownell

MAR 1968-OCT 1970

LT L.K.Stiers

JUL 1965-MAR 1968

LT C.P.Brown

JUL 1963-JUL 1965

LCDR W.K.Martin

JAN 1962-JUL 1963

LCDR C.F.Cronemiller

APR 1961-JAN 1962

LCDR J.B.Brandy

MAR 1959-APR 1961

LT H.F.Wenzel

MAY 1958-MAR 1959

LCDR D.D.Forbus

JUN 1956-MAY 1958

LT R.P.Green

APR 1955-JUN 1956

Offical Member

USS ENHANCE (MSO 437) HISTORY
ENHANCE (AM 437) was launched II October 1952 by Martinolich
Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, California; sponsored by Mrs. A. C.
Martinolich; reclassified MSO-437, 7 February 1955; and commissioned 16
April 1955, Lieutenant R. P. Green in command.
From her home port, Long Beach, California, ENHANCE operated along the
west coast on training and exercises in mine warfare. She sailed from Long
Beach I October 1956 for her first tour of duty with the Seventh Fleet in
the Far East. During that fall's crisis over the Suez Canal, ENHANCE patrolled
in the Sea of Japan, recording the movement of shipping as part of the
intensified alertness required of the Navy during periods of international
tension anywhere in the world. She returned to Long Beach 12 April 1957
and resumed her west coast operations.
During her second Far Eastern deployment, from 2 April 1959 to 16 October,
ENHANCE joined in exercises with minecraft of the navies of the Republics
of China and Korea. Returning to west coast operations, on 8 January 1960
she rescued four men from an overturned sailboat off Long Beach. In June
1960 she visited Portland, Oregon. ENHANCE spent the remainder of the year
conducting type training and under overhaul at San Diego. She won the coveted
Battle Efficiency "E" twice in her short career, first in 1958 and again in 1963.
Though not a large ship, the ENHANCE is big in versatility.
ENHANCE spent most of 1967 between ports of Pearl Harbor, Guam, Subic
Bay, Vietnam, and Thailand. She inported Pearl Harbor 8 November for voyage
repairs, departing there for leave and upkeep at Long Beach 18 November
to 12 December. After repairs and refresher training in June 1968, ENHANCE
departed Long Beach for Pearl Harbor, arriving 12 August. She next stopped
at Johnston Island and Kwajalien Atoll for refueling for her trip to Guam.
Making ports at Subic Bay, Vietnam, and Hong Kong, she stopped for a much
needed rest and upkeep until the end of the year. ENHANCE inported Sasebo,
Japan for upkeep I January 1969 before departing for Taiwan and Vietnam.
She next sailed to Subic Bay, where she conducted sea trials 19 February.
From 5-11 March, she changed operational control from Commander U.S.
Seventh Fleet to Commander First Fleet. After brief stops at Kwajalien Atoll
and Johnston Island for resupply, ENHANCE departed for Pearl Harbor,
arriving 22 March. ENHANCE spent the rest of the year along the west coast,
conducting sea trials and exercises. She spent the year 1970 in preparation
for decommissioning on 30 October. On 10 December 1971, ENHANCE was
placed in "commission special" at Long Beach, The rest of the decade was
spent in drydock or along the west coast.
ENHANCE spent the 1980's in Mine Countermeasures training in the Puget
Sound area. After remaining homeported in Tacoma, Washington throughout
the year of 1986, she departed for Jubail, Saudi Arabia, in company with
USS. INFLICT, arriving 15 November 1987. ENHANCE spent the rest of the
year conducting MCM operations with the Royal Saudi Navy near the Az Zuluf
oilfield.
ENHANCE operated the entire year of 1987 in the Persian Gulf performing
Mine Countermeasures operations in support of operation Earnest Will. In
late October she was involved with the salvage and recovery operations of
a downed army helicopter. After her long stint in the Persian Gulf, ENHANCE
is now operating from her homeport at Tacoma, training Naval Reserves.ENHANCE was decommissioned at Lake Union Reserve Center,Seattle,Wa. December 13 1991.

JAPAN 1960 or 1961

We were in Yokosuka berthing next to a troop transport with a Helicopter deck at the stern. I think the Captain gave the wrong rudder command and we floated right into the edge of the copter deck. The corner of the copter deck tore over half of the bridge out on the Enhance. The crew was ordered off the bridge, but the captain stayed right in place. It was like in slow motion as the copter deck tore over half of the bridge off. We had the division commander on board one of the other ships and man was he hot.

The ship was fixed with make shift plywood and we went out the next day for a 5 day operation off the shore of Yokosuka. At the end of the operation we went to the shipyard and the bridge was rebuilt. YNSN Gary LEE

Yes,we did Market Time Patrols while over there. I was aboard from 1968-1970 made ET-2 aboard her in Long Beach. There were two of us ET's aboard at the time. Made one Wespac on her with the Fuel Blob on the fantail. Went into Qui Nhon Vietnam several times while over there and called my Brother Merle who had joined the Army Reserves then he was called up and spent a year over there. I saw the Wardroom in Subic Bay after the fire, big hole. They were supposed to burn to the waterline in 12 minuets I think they told us. I belong to severl other reunions and am membership chairman for the USS Henry B. Wilson DDG-7 and we just had our first reunion for that ship here in San Diego last fall.

Jerry Myers ET-1 USN Retired

USS ENHANCE MSO 437 Fire March 17, 1973, during Operation Endsweep

During Operation Endsweep Enhance was providing air control and navigation assistance to Unit Delta when the latter unit began the Hon Gai sweep. It was a short-lived assignment for the minesweeper.

On 17 March 1973, a fire started in the forward engine room of the ship, anchored in the outer approaches to Passe Henriette. She was located one mile from shore near a mid-channel buoy. When the fire was reported to the task force flagship, there was some confusion in the vessel’s combat information center regarding the minesweeper’s exact location. Inchon, the closest of the ”heavies”, was some ten miles away. Commander Task Group 78.0 organized the assistance effort while the commanding officer of Inchon served as the on-scene commander.

Inchon vectored her own CH-46 helicopter and a Marine CH-46 toward the estimated location of Enhance. The area was studded with high, steep-sided, rocky islands resembling the buttes in America’s western states. They presented excellent radar targets but were a danger to aircraft. When the two CH-46s were over the scene of the emergency, the Inchon helicopter was instructed to descend through a 300-foot cliff and to establish visual contact with the vessel. By this time, Enhance had lost all power and her lights were extinguished. Yet the aircraft crew noticed moving lights on the deck and guessed correctly that these were flashlights in the hands of the ship’s crew; lights on a fishing vessel would have been steadier. The helicopter trained its landing lights on the fantail of the ship and lowered a sailor carrying a portable radio to reestablish communication.

Soon, USS Safeguard (ARS-25) arrived and assisted with the firefighting. Helicopters were kept aloft over the stricken minesweeper. Any thoughts of abandoning ship were dismissed. The USS Pluck provided assistance along with several other Naval vessels. There arrival was delayed because they had problems getting to us because of the mine field. The fire finally was extinguished, but the damage was so extensive that Enhance needed a tow to Subic by USS Chowanoc. Total repairs for the fire damage was $294,000.

Persian Gulf 1988
Conducting prompt and sustained mine countermeasure operations in the Persian Gulf,
Enhance subsequently located and classified previously undiscovered neutralized mines
and one live MO8 mine while exploiting the Farsi northern mine line.
LCDR Richard G.Merten USN (From his ships' Bio.)

The Asbestos and Mesothelioma Center

November Bravo November Mike