USS ''Incredible'' (AM-249) was an ''Admirable''-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the North Atlantic Ocean and then in the Pacific Ocean. She returned home, finishing the war with two battle stars to her credit. When she was recalled for duty in the Korean War, she returned home again with four more battle stars.

History

''Incredible'' was launched 21 November 1943 by Savannah Machine & Foundry Co., Savannah, Georgia; sponsored by Mrs. Herbert Hezlep; and commissioned 17 April 1944.

World War II

After

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, ...

along the

U.S. 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 Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard ...

and in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, ''Incredible'' departed

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, 24 July, escorting a convoy to North Africa for the invasion of

southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...

, the Allies landing 15 August. She carried out her sweeping duties very effectively, sometimes without

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

cover. On 10 September ''Incredible'' and her group repelled an attack of 12

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, 2 of which she destroyed. She continued her minesweeping duties off southern France until 18 January 1945 when she sailed for a special mission to Russia and the Black Sea. ''Incredible'' performed sweeping duties out of Sevastopol, Russia, then served as an air-sea rescue patrol ship in the Black Sea until resuming to

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, Sicily, 20 February. ''Incredible'' returned to Norfolk 5 May; and, after overhaul, departed 23 July for duty in the Pacific. She arrived Pearl Harbor eight days after the fighting stopped via the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

and San Diego, California. The minesweeper sailed from Pearl Harbor 31 August for Operation Skagway, clearing the minefields in 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 ...

- Ryukyus area. This important duty lasted until 17 February 1946 when she returned to

San Pedro, Los Angeles San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

. She remained there until she decommissioned at Puget Sound 6 November, joining the

Reserve Fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; a ...

. From 28 November 1947 to 28 September 1949 ''Incredible'' was "In Service, out of commission", based at Yokosuka, Japan. Among her crew was Lee Van Cleef, who after the war became an actor known for his roles in Spaghetti Westerns.

Korean War operations

''Incredible'' was recommissioned 14 August 1950 at Yokosuka and departed 18 September for minesweeping and patrol duties in the Pusan area. While on patrol in mine-infested waters, on 12 October she rescued 27 survivors from USS ''Pirate'' (AM-275) which had struck a mine. Delivering her passengers to safety, she continued her operations in the battle zone, sweeping harbors and serving on patrol and escort duty. Returning to Yokosuka, Japan, ''Incredible'' sailed for Long Beach, California, arriving 4 August 1951. The minesweeper operated along the U.S. West Coast and out of Pearl Harbor until 6 August 1953 when she sailed for the Far East. For the remainder of the year she operated out of Japan and on patrol along the coast of Korea ''Incredible'' returned to Long Beach 11 March 1954 and was decommissioned there 21 September, again joining the

. Reclassified MSF-249, 7 February 1955, ''Incredible'' remained in the Long Beach Group,

Pacific Reserve Fleet The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and ...

until she was struck from the Navy List 1 December 1959. She was sold 8 August 1960 to National Metal and Steel Corp.,

Terminal Island, California Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in t ...

Awards and honors

''Incredible'' received two battle stars for World War II service and four for Korean service.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Incredible (AM-249) Admirable-class minesweepers World War II minesweepers of the United States Korean War minesweepers of the United States Ships built in Savannah, Georgia 1943 ships