USS Prime (AM-466)

USS Prime (AM-466/MSO-466), was an Agile-class minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Prime.
History
United States
Name: USS Prime
Builder: Wilmington Boat Works, Wilmington, California
Laid down: 30 December 1952
Launched: 27 May 1954
Commissioned: 11 October 1954, as AM-466
Reclassified: MSO-466, 7 February 1955
Stricken: 1 October 1976
Fate: Sold for scrapping, 7 January 1977
General characteristics
Class and type: Agile-class minesweeper
Displacement:
  • 630 long tons (640 t) light
  • 775 long tons (787 t) full load
Length: 172 ft (52 m)
Beam: 35 ft (11 m)
Draft: 10 ft (3 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement: 6 officers and 74 enlisted men
Armament:
  • 1 × single 40 mm gun mount (later replaced by 1 × twin 20 mm gun mount)
  • 2 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) twin Browning M2 machine guns

Prime was laid down on 30 December 1952 by Wilmington Boat Works, Wilmington, California, launched on 27 May 1954; sponsored by Mrs. Louis Ets-Hokin and commissioned on 11 October 1954, Lt. William F. Longton in command.

Pacific Ocean operations

After Pacific shakedown, Prime was reclassified MSO-466 on 7 February 1955. She completed major modification on 3 October 1955, and deployed to the Western Pacific on 1 May 1956. Following regular overhaul and type training in 1957, she deployed to WestPac again on 3 November 1958. In 1959 she enhanced her operational readiness through maneuvers with the South Korean Navy in January, and participation in an amphibious landing exercise off Kodiak, Alaska, in November.

Upon completion of overhaul and type training in 1960, she deployed to WestPac on 4 January 1961 and upon return began another overhaul on 20 November 1961. After training she deployed to WestPac again on 16 November 1962. She returned to Long Beach, California, in June 1963, and completed overhaul on 31 January 1964.

Prime and a SP-2H of VP-4 off Vietnam in 1965.

Vietnam War operations

Deployed to WestPac on 15 January 1965, she patrolled the coast of South Vietnam intermittently from May to August 1965, boarding approximately four suspect vessels per week to prevent enemy infiltration and supply. In 1966 she deployed to WestPac on 21 September, arriving off South Vietnam on 11 November, and patrolling the coast until 31 December.

Deactivation

Prime was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 October 1976, and sold for scrapping on 7 January 1977 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service to Edward Hixson, Los Alamitos, California, for $26,769.

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References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.


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