USS ''Peacock'' (AMS/MSC-198) was a in the United States Navy for clearing coastal minefields.

Construction

''Peacock'' was laid down 29 January 1953, as AMS-198, by the Harbor Boat Building Company,

Terminal Island 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 and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long Be ...

, California; launched, 19 June 1954; sponsored by Miss B. Rechenmacher; reclassified as a

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 ...

, MSC-198, 7 February 1955; commissioned 16 March 1955.

Specifications

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 ...

nonmagnetic construction, wooden hull and

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

, aluminum, and

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

engine and hull fittings. Fitted with AN/UQS-1B sonar for mine hunting operations.navsource.org, ''Peacock'' (AMS/MSC-198
/ref> An interesting feature of ''Peacock'' was her non-magnetic construction, including all-wooden hull and stainless steel, aluminium and bronze engine and hull fittings. This unique construction rendered the ship safe from magnetic mines and was the reason for her very high initial cost of approximately $3,500.000.

Pacific Ocean operations

Upon completion of fitting out, the ''Peacock'' conducted training and minesweeping exercises along the California coast until 4 February 1956, when she departed for her first deployment to the Far East.

Vietnam operations

While overseas, ''Peacock'' participated in several joint exercises with Allied navies, participated in "

Operation Market Time Operation Market Time was the United States Navy, Republic of Vietnam Navy and Royal Australian Navy operation begun in 1965 to stop the flow of troops, war material, and supplies by sea, coast, and rivers, from North Vietnam into parts of Sout ...

" off Vietnam and made port calls in the Far East. She has remained overseas since her first deployment and has continued in the same pattern as her first deployment into 1970. Peacock was a coastal minesweeper capable of sweeping both moored and bottom sea mines of either contact or influence variety. The ship was the first of her class to be assigned to the

U.S. 7th Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...

, and was homeported in Sasebo, Japan since 1956.

Support during Lebanon and Taiwan crises

''Peacock'' took part in the General emergency operations during the Lebanon emergency in the summer of 1958, and patrolled the

Formosa Straits The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a s ...

during the Taiwan crisis in the fall of 1958. As part of the U.S. 7th Fleet, ''Peacock'' stood ready and able at all times to do her part in maintaining the freedom of the seas.

Far East tours and operations

Since her arrival in the Far East, homeported in Sasebo, Japan, ''Peacock'' traveled to such places as Hong Kong, Okinawa, Taiwan, the Philippines, Korea and the Ryukyu Islands, as well as numerous ports-of-call in Japan. She has regularly participated in Mine Exercises with the Navies of Japan, Korea, Nationalist China and the Republic of the Philippines. ''Peacock'' played an active role in Market Time Patrol off the coast line of Vietnam throughout the Vietnam War. Lt. Michael A. McDevitt (later RADM) served on board as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

from October 1968 to April 1971. He is the only commanding officer who remained aboard after making Lt.Cdr, which he pinned on in Subic Bay, January 1970.

Decommissioning

''Peacock'' was the last of the Sasebo-based MSC's to depart Japan. She headed for Long Beach, California just after Christmas, 1970, for further assignment as a Reserve training ship. Peacock sailed "unaccompanied" from Sasebo to Taiwan where she laid over for New Years 1971. She then sailed to Subic Bay, PI where she hooked up with four MSO class minesweepers for the transit east. Off Johnston Island ''Peacock'' detached from the other ships and headed to Pearl Harbor on her own. Following a short stay in Pearl Harbor she departed for the last leg of the transit to her new homeport of Long Beach, CA. The total transit took 57 days.

Fate

''Peacock'' was struck from the

Naval Register A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...

, 1 July 1975 and disposed of through the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service for scrap, 1 September 1976.

Military awards and honors

Her crew was eligible for the following medals and ribbons: * Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3) * Combat Action Ribbon (1) * Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation for Gallantry (4) * Vietnam Service Medal (8)

Notes

;Citations

Bibliography

Online resources * * Also, 1970-1971 crew accounts

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peacock Bluebird-class minesweepers Ships built in Los Angeles 1954 ships Vietnam War mine warfare vessels of the United States Cold War minesweepers of the United States Adjutant-class minesweepers