USS ''Redwing'' (AMS/MSC-200) was a in 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 ...

Construction

''Redwing'' was laid down 1 July 1953, by Tampa Marine Company,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

; launched 29 April 1954, as AMS-200; sponsored by Mrs. Courtney W. Campbell, wife of

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Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...

of Florida; and commissioned 7 January 1955.

East Coast Assignment

Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, ''Redwing'' arrived Charleston, South Carolina, 23 January 1955. Reclassified a coastal minesweeper, MSC-200 on 7 February, she underwent

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

out of Key West, Florida, commencing 3 March. Returning via

Mayport, Florida Mayport is a small community located between Naval Station Mayport and the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the Jacksonville Beaches communities. The only public road to Mayport is State Road A1A, which crosses the St. Joh ...

, to search for downed aircraft, she arrived Charleston, 20 April, and commenced

minesweeping Minesweeping is the practice of the removal of explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that ...

operations with various units of the Fleet. ''Redwing'' arrived

Panama City, Florida Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee and Pensacola. It is the more populated city of the Panama City–Lynn ...

, 5 July, and provided services to the Mine Defense Laboratory through 9 September. She then joined for special development operations at Key West, before returning to Charleston, 22 September. ''Redwing'' continued to operate out of Charleston, until January 1957, participating in minesweeping and amphibious training exercises as far south as Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and

Vieques Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island and municipality of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, ...

, Puerto Rico. She departed Charleston, 16 January, to provide services for the Naval Mine Warfare School at

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Co ...

, and to operate under the Amphibious Training Command,

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. She then conducted surveys in Boston Channel, beginning 3 October, followed by exercises along the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

coast in January 1958. Departing New York, 25 February, for exercises as far south as Key West, she returned to Boston, Massachusetts, 21 March, and for the next year provided services for the Destroyer Development Group in

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Decommissioning

''Redwing'' departed Boston, 26 February 1959, en route Norfolk, Virginia, for overhaul in preparation for transfer to Spain. Decommissioned at Norfolk 16 June 1959, she was struck from the

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and transferred to the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

as ''Sil'' (M-29) effective 18 June 1959.

Notes

;Citations

Bibliography

Online resources * *

External links

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Redwing Bluebird-class minesweepers Ships built in Tampa, Florida 1954 ships Cold War minesweepers of the United States Minesweepers of the Spanish Navy Adjutant-class minesweepers