USS ''Fearless'' (AM/MSO-442) was an . She was the third

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 ...

ship to carry the name. ''Fearless'' was launched on 17 July 1953 by Higgins, Inc.,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

; sponsored by Mrs. A. J. Higgins, Jr.; and commissioned on 22 September 1954. Authorized as AM-442; she was reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-442, 7 February 1955.

Service history

With Charleston, South Carolina as her home port, ''Fearless'' operated through 1960 on training operations, experiments and tests, and in exercises along the coast and in the Caribbean. Every other year from 1955 she sailed to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

for duty with the 6th Fleet, joining in

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two Nor ...

exercises and visiting European ports. In the spring of 1956, she conducted joint exercises with ships of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

, and through that summer experimented with controllable pitch propellers and mine-countermeasures equipment at Charleston and Port Everglades,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. In August 1987 ''Fearless'' was towed by to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

in support of

Operation Earnest Will Operation Earnest Will (24 July 1987 – 26 September 1988) was the American military protection of Kuwaiti-owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the largest nav ...

, arriving in mid-September. Full scale mine countermeasures operations began in November of that year. ''Fearless'' remained in theatre at least into 1988, clearing mines in the Persian Gulf. Her eligible crew earned the

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...

for her service. ''Fearless'' operated out of Charleston, South Carolina during her entire career. She decommissioned on 23 October 1990, and was struck five days later. She was sold by 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 scrapping, 1 December 1992 to Seawitch Salvage,

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

for $6,000. ''Fearless'' received four

Navy "E" Ribbon The Navy "E" Ribbon or Battle Efficiency Ribbon (informally the Battle "E" ribbon) was authorized on March 31, 1976, by Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf as a unit award for battle efficiency competition. The Medal ribbon, service ribbo ...

s, one Meritorious Unit Commendation, one Navy Unit Commendation and two Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendations during her career.

References

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External links

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Ships class average report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fearless Aggressive-class minesweepers Ships built in New Orleans 1953 ships