USS Phoebe (AMS/MSC-199) was a in the
United States Navy for clearing coastal minefields..
Construction
The second ''Phoebe'' to be named by the Navy was laid down 26 February 1953, as ''AMS-199'', 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 21 August 1954; sponsored by Mrs. Anne Elizabeth Gotch; 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-199, on 7 February 1955; and commissioned 29 April 1955.
Service as training ship
After training out of
Long Beach, California, and
San Diego, California, ''Phoebe'' served as a
schoolship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classr ...
for the prospective crew of in early summer and in September, of .
Operations in the Far East
''Phoebe'' became
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 ...
of
Mine Division 31,
Mine Squadron 3, on 6 January 1956. She departed Long Beach 4 March, for the
Far East, touched the
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...
, and arrived
Yokosuka, Japan, 4 April. Six days later she shifted to
Sasebo, her permanent base of operations. A unit of Mine Squadron 3, ''Phoebe'' spent the next eight years in a rigorous schedule of minehunting and warfare tactics with the
US 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 ...
. Much of her time was taken for maneuvers with minesweeping units of the
Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, the
Chinese Nationalist Navy, the
Republic of Korea Navy, and the
Republic of the Philippines Navy. This duty took her to the principal ports of Japan,
Taiwan, Korea,
Okinawa, and the
Philippines.
Early 1964, was spent operating out of Japan and Okinawa In July, ''Phoebe'' sailed for
Subic Bay, the
South China Sea, and
Vietnam, returning to Subic Bay in August. A U.S.-Korean mine exercise was held in October, and a US-Japanese mine exercise in December.
Supporting Operation Market Time
''Phoebe'' spent five months of 1965, on "
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 ...
" in
Vietnam. She spent the beginning, middle, and end of the year in Japan. During the year she steamed , reaching as far from her homeport as
Bangkok.
In March 1967, ''Phoebe'' resumed "Market Time" operations in Vietnam waters. Most of the rest of the year she operated out of Sasebo, with a combined US-Republic of China mine exercise in September, and more "Market Time" service in November.
Boarding junks and other operations
In February 1968, ''Phoebe'' took part in a combined US-Japanese mine exercise. Most of the rest of the year she operated out of Sasebo, with a "Market Time" patrol in September and October, during which she boarded 201
junks
A junk (Chinese: 船, ''chuán'') is a type of Chinese sailing ship with fully battened sails. There are two types of junk in China: northern junk, which developed from Chinese river boats, and southern junk, which developed from Austronesian ...
and a US-Korean mine exercise in November. As of late 1969, ''Phoebe'' still operated out of Sasebo, Japan.
Decommissioning
''Phoebe'' was decommissioned, 14 December 1970, struck from the
Naval Vessel Register, 1 July 1975, and was disposed of through the
Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service for scrap, 1 September 1976.
Notes
;Citations
Bibliography
Online resources
*
*
External links
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phoebe
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