USS ''Frigate Bird'' (AMS/MSC-191) was a acquired by the

US 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 ...

for clearing coastal minefields.

Construction

The second ship in the Navy to be named ''Frigate Bird'', she was laid down 20 July 1953, as AMS-191; launched 24 October 1953, by Quincy Adams Yacht Yard, Inc., Quincy, Massachusetts; sponsored by Mrs. Matthew Gushing; and commissioned 13 January 1955. She was reclassified MSC-191 on 7 February 1955.

East Coast operations

Joining Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet, at Charleston, South Carolina, 21 February 1955, ''Frigate Bird'' began a program of

US East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

and Caribbean training and experimental operations which continued through 1960. Among her activities were amphibious exercises on the beaches near

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilming ...

, surveying ocean currents, testing a new type of can buoy, and taking part in fleet exercises of various types. From July 1958, she was homeported at

Little Creek, Virginia Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

, and served at frequent intervals with the Operational Development Force. This minesweeper also participated in the

Cuban Blockade The United States embargo against Cuba prevents American businesses, and businesses organized under U.S. law or majority-owned by American citizens, from conducting trade with Cuban interests. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern hist ...

in 1962.

Decommissioning

''Frigate Bird'' was transferred to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

in 1971, and renamed ''Pulau Atang'' (M-721); struck from the US

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

, 1 May 1976; and, disposed of through the

Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service DLA Disposition Services (formerly known as the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service) is part of the United States Defense Logistics Agency. Headquartered at the Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center in Battle Creek, Michigan, the organization ...

for scrap, 1 September 1976.

Notes

;Citations

Bibliography

Online resources * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frigate Bird (AMS-191) Bluebird-class minesweepers Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1953 ships Cold War minesweepers of the United States Pulau Atang Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Indonesian Navy Adjutant-class minesweepers