USS ''Loyalty'' (AMc-88) was an
''Accentor''-class coastal minesweeper Coastal minesweeper is a term used by the United States Navy to indicate a minesweeper intended for coastal use as opposed to participating in fleet operations at sea.
Because of its small size—usually less than 100 feet in length—and construct ...
acquired by the
U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
''Loyalty'' was laid down by
Fulton Shipyard,
Antioch, California, 8 May 1941; launched 23 August 1941; sponsored by Mrs. Donald Noackk; and placed in service 17 January 1942.
Assigned to the
14th Naval District
The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...
, ''Loyalty'', performed patrol and minesweeping operations out of
Pearl Harbor. She was commissioned 15 December 1944,
Lt. Robert H. Grayson in command. Following conversion to an underwater location ship, ''Loyalty'' sailed 1 May 1945 for the western Pacific. After touching
Eniwetok,
Guam, and
Saipan
Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
, the minesweeper arrived
Okinawa 18 June.
Throughout the summer, ''Loyalty'' operated out of
Okinawa on various underwater demolition and salvage mission. Her duties included the blasting of a sunken
Japanese ammunition ship and the removal of 40
depth charges from a sunken enemy
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 ...
.
She remained in the western Pacific after V-J Day. While en route to
Unten Ko,
Okinawa, 16 September, she struck a
reef and grounded. ''Loyalty'' decommissioned 4 December 1945 and was struck from the
Navy list the 19th. She was destroyed 12 January 1946.
''Loyalty'' received one
battle star for
World War II service.
References
*
External links
NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Loyalty (AMc 88)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loyalty (AMc-88)
Accentor-class minesweepers
Ships built in Antioch, California
1941 ships
World War II minesweepers of the United States