USS ''Revenge'' (AM-110) was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

-era in the service of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. It was the sixth

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

vessel named ''Revenge''. ''Revenge'' was laid down as ''Right'' on 19 June 1942 by Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

; launched on 7 November 1942; renamed ''Revenge'' 15 May 1943; and commissioned on 21 July 1943.

Service history

Marshall and Gilbert Islands campaign

After outfitting at Puget Sound Navy Yard, ''Revenge'' underwent shakedown out of San Pedro and

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. She departed on 13 October 1943 for further training in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

, and on 10 November she set course for Makin Island, the

Gilberts The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

, arriving two days later. After two days of minesweeping, she commenced

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

patrol off Makin and

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

and training at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

, ''Revenge'' sailed for

Kwajalein Atoll Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...

and commenced minesweeping operations on 13 January 1944. For a brief period following the invasion, she alternated between antisubmarine patrol and harbor entrance control. From the end of February through mid-May, she was utilized as an escort vessel, travelling between the Marshalls, the Gilberts and the Hawaiian Islands. She then returned to the west coast.

Philippines campaign

Upon completion of a short availability at Mare Island Navy Yard, ''Revenge'' again commenced escort duty out of Pearl Harbor. September brought the resumption of training exercises, this time at

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

, after which she sailed for Manus, the Admiralties. On 11 October she headed for the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and the invasion of

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

. The weather was exceedingly rough and, the night before the initial sweep, 20 foot seas were running. In spite of the weather, Mine Division 13 (of which ''Revenge'' was a unit) entered

Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is Mindanao Isl ...

at daybreak with gear streamed. No navigational plots could be kept, nor could the ships remain on stations as the weather had reached typhoon intensity. No enemy action was observed, but activities were made hazardous by the abundance of floating mines and the difficulties involved in maneuvering the craft. Weather abated somewhat the next day and sweeping operations were earned out in a more normal fashion. After six days ''Revenge'' was credited with the destruction of nearly 70 mines. Once the beachhead was secured and the anchorage made safe, the division continued clearance sweeps around Homonhon and

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

. On 27 November, and ''Revenge'' made an exploratory sweep on the western side of Leyte. ''Revenge'' was scheduled to participate in the invasion of

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

early in January 1945, but, because of a damaged propeller shaft, she was ordered to Pearl Harbor for repairs. In February she was again assigned convoy duty, this time out of

Ulithi Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest i ...

, Western Carolines. Then, on 19 March she got underway with some 70 other minecraft for the invasion of

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

Okinawa invasion

No early difficulties were encountered off Okinawa by ''Revenge''. She operated just off the invasion beaches, where strong tides caused some anxiety and these very tides caused to drift into unswept waters 28 March, where she struck a mine and sank. In the attendant rescue operations, ''Revenge'' cleared a path to one side of ''Skylark'' while cleared a path to the other. Rescue work was so efficient that only five men died in the stricken minesweeper, and they were killed in the initial explosion. For 76 days ''Revenge'' remained on patrol off Okinawa. In March her gunners detected and sank a

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese suicide boat as it attempted to run in under cover of darkness. Late in June relief was assigned and ''Revenge'' called at

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

for two weeks of availability.

Post-war operations

In July ''Revenge'' returned to Okinawa, but soon departed with a small minesweeping group for the

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...

. Then, on 27 August, ''Revenge'' went alongside to take aboard a Japanese pilot for the sweep of

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous a ...

. The next morning ''Revenge'' led the group into Tokyo Bay. There was a fairly wide channel, and safe anchorages were quickly charted for the rest of the fleet. The minesweepers then shifted operations to the coastline. After a month of such operations and some additional time in Tokyo Bay, the minesweepers were ordered to

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...

. Operations out of Sasebo took ''Revenge'' and her sisters into the East China Sea and the Straits of Formosa. She spent Christmas of 1945 in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, and in January 1946 returned Sasebo. In mid-January she sailed for San Pedro, California, and from there through the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

for

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, for inactivation overhaul. Following inactivation on 18 March 1947 she was assigned to the Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet,

Orange, Texas Orange is a city and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 19,324. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Houst ...

Second commission, 1951–1955

Recommissioned on 14 February 1951 ''Revenge'' provided training services along the east coast as well as in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

. Reclassified MSF-110 on 7 March 1955, she decommissioned two days later and was assigned to the Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, at Green Cove Springs, Florida.

Decommissioning and sale

In 1961 ''Revenge'' was transferred to the

Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility A Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) is a facility owned by the United States Navy as a holding facility for decommissioned naval vessels, pending determination of their final fate. All ships in these facilities are inactive, but s ...

, Orange, Texas, where she remained until struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1966. She was sold for scrap in May 1967. ''Revenge'' earned six

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

s during