USS Engage (MSO-433)

History
United States
BuilderColberg Boat Works, Stockton, California
Laid down7 November 1951
Launched18 June 1953
Commissioned29 June 1954
Decommissioned30 December 1991
ReclassifiedMSO-433, 7 February 1955
Stricken20 April 1992
FateSold for scrapping, 15 April 1994
General characteristics
Class & typeAggressive class minesweeper
Displacement775 tons
Length172 ft (52.43 m)
Beam36 ft (10.97 m)
Draught10 ft (3.05 m)
Propulsion
  • 4 × Packard ID1700 diesel engines,
  • replaced by
  • 4 × Waukasha Motors Co. diesels,
  • two shafts,
  • two controllable pitch propellers
Speed14 knots (26 km/h)
Complement5 officers, 65 enlisted
Armament
  • Initial config:
  • 1 × single 40 mm gun mount,
  • 2 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns,
  • Final configuration,
  • 1 × twin 20 mm gun mount,
  • 2 × .50 cal. machine guns remain

USS Engage (MSO-433), an Agile-classminesweeper, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named Engage.

The second Engage (AM-433/MSO-433) was launched 18 June 1953 by Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, California; sponsored by Mrs. R. B. Richmond; and commissioned 29 June 1954. She was reclassified MSO-433, 7 February 1955. Originally intended to be USS Elusive it was changed to Engage to avoid potential phonetic conflict with USS Illusive (MSO-448).

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.

Engage participated in Operation Market Time (11 March 1965 to December 1972) which was created by joining the US Navy and the South Vietnamese Navy in an effort to stop the flow of supplies from North Vietnam into the south by sea. According to Navy reports, Operation Market Time was very successful, but received little credit. Eventually all the supply routes at sea became non-existent, which forced the North Vietnamese to use the Ho Chi Minh trail.

エンゲージは、1973年1月に開始されたエンドスイープ作戦にも参加した。ベトナム戦争停戦協定の海軍に直接関係する最後の条項は、北ベトナム沿岸に敷設された米軍の機雷と内陸水路に投下されたマーク36機雷掃討機の除去を定めていた。1月28日、数か月に及ぶ集中的な準備と訓練を経て、ブライアン・マコーリー少将率いる第7艦隊の機雷対策部隊(タスクフォース78)はスービック湾を出航し、ハイフォン沖の拠点形成地域に向かった。2月6日、タスクフォース78の司令官が北ベトナムのホアン・フー・タイ大佐と行動調整のため市内で会合した翌日、エンドスイープ作戦が開始された。エンド・スイープ作戦の6か月間、 合計10隻の海洋掃海艇、9隻の揚陸艦、6隻の艦隊タグボート、3隻の引き揚げ船、および19隻の駆逐艦が任務部隊78に加わった。

エンゲージは1991年12月30日にフロリダ州メイポートで退役した。退役後、エンゲージ(元MSO-433)はフィラデルフィアの休戦施設に保管され、ボルチモア・マリンに引き渡された。2002年5月17日にスクラップとなった。

参考文献