USS ''Persistent'' (AM-491/MSO-491) was an acquired by the
U.S. Navy for the task of removing
naval mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.
The second ship to be named ''Persistent'' by the Navy, the vessel was laid down 17 June 1954 as AM-491 by
J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.
The J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corporation was founded in 1924 by Joseph M. Martinac on the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma, Washington. It specialized in the construction of tugs, trawlers, purse seiners, ferries, naval patrol craft and power yach ...
,
Tacoma, Washington; reclassified MSO–491 on 7 February 1955; launched 23 April 1955; sponsored by Mrs. M.S. Erdahl; and commissioned 3 February 1956.
West Coast operations
Following Pacific coast shakedown, ''Persistent'' reported for duty to
Commander, Pacific Fleet, 2 March 1956 and was designated
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
for
Mine Division 91 the same day. In September 1956, she was modified for advanced sound reduction to protect against acoustic mines.
In August 1957, she deployed to
WestPac as part of Mine Countermeasures Group,
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 ...
. After return to
Long Beach, California, for regular overhaul in February 1958 and completion of type training that year, she engaged in research at the Navy Acoustic Range,
Puget Sound, September 1959. Later that year she measured ocean currents under assignment to
Scripps Institute of Oceanography
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (sometimes referred to as SIO, Scripps Oceanography, or Scripps) in San Diego, California, US founded in 1903, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and Earth science research, public serv ...
.
After another deployment to
WestPac in 1960, she returned to
California in July. After type training in 1961, she deployed to WestPac in January 1962, assisting in the training of
South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
ese sailors from January to August. After domestic operations in 1963, she deployed annually to WestPac from 1964 to 1970. She returned from her last WestPac early in 1971. Until 1971 she remained active with the
U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Decommissioning
''Persistent'' was decommissioned on 1 July 1971 and struck from the
Navy list on 1 August 1974. In 1974, she was sold to Spain, which named her ''Guadalquivir'' (M43).
References
External links
USS Persistent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Persistent (MSO-491)
Aggressive-class minesweepers
Ships built in Tacoma, Washington
1955 ships
Cold War minesweepers of the United States
Vietnam War minesweepers of the United States
Aggressive-class minesweepers of the Spanish Navy