MSO

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USS Swerve (MSO-495)

USS Swerve (AM-495/MSO-495) was an Aggressive-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.

Swerve was the second ship to be so named by the U.S. Navy. It was laid down on 20 December 1954 by Broward Marine Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida as AM-495; redesignated as MSO-495 on 7 February 1955; launched on 1 November 1955; sponsored by Mrs. F. A. Denison; and commissioned on 27 July 1957, Lt. Comdr. K. H. Eaton in command.

East Coast operations

Swerve was assigned a home port at Charleston, South Carolina, and, after her shakedown, participated in local exercises and operations until January 1959 when she deployed to the Mediterranean for duty with the U.S. 6th Fleet. Her first cruise in the Mediterranean ended in June. She then participated in two minesweeping exercises which took her to Savannah, Georgia, and Nassau, Bahamas. From January to June 1960, she participated in various exercises and then, for a three-month period, operated an underwater camera for the Service Force from New York to Boston, Massachusetts and St. John's, Newfoundland.

USS Skill (MSO-471)

USS Skill (MSO-471) was an Aggressive-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.

Skill was the second U.S. Navy vessel of that name. It was an ocean minesweeper, laid down by Luders Marine Construction Co., Stamford, Connecticut, on 17 August 1953 under the designation AM-471; redesignated MSO-471 on 7 February 1955; launched on 3 April 1955; sponsored by Mrs. John C. Niedermair; and commissioned on 7 November 1955, Lt. Robert A. Latka in command.

Atlantic Ocean operations

Skill conducted shakedown training off the Atlantic coast before reporting for duty with the Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet, at Charleston, South Carolina, on 19 December 1955.

During her 15 years of active service with the Navy, the minesweeper served with the Atlantic and 6th Fleets. She operated out of Charleston throughout her career, when not deployed to the Mediterranean. Skill operated with the 6th Fleet in the "middle sea" in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, and 1968. Skill participated in the recovery effort of the 1966 Palomares B-52 crash in early 1966. In late May 1968, during the return voyage from her last Mediterranean deployment, Skill participated in the unsuccessful search for the nuclear submarine, USS Scorpion (SSN-589).