USS Prevail (AM-107)
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USS ''Prevail'' (AM-107) was an acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. ''Prevail'', a steel-hulled minesweeper, was named after the word "prevail," meaning to gain ascendancy through strength or superiority. ''Prevail'' was laid down by Pennsylvania Shipyards Inc.,
Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...
, 15 November 1941; launched 13 September 1942; sponsored by Mrs. T. B. Moran; and commissioned 17 April 1943.


World War II Mediterranean operations

After training at
Key West, Florida Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...
, ''Prevail'' spent several months on escort duty with convoys between 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
Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
. Beginning 8 September, she took part in the main sweeps off
Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...
and remained off that beachhead on patrol for thirty days. The next operation consisted of sweeps for the establishment of the Anzio beachhead, 21 to 24 January 1944, where ''Prevail'' was subjected to intense air attack and was damaged by a near bomb miss which forced her to proceed 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 ...
and
Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
for repairs.


Supporting Operation Dragoon

In April 1944, ''Prevail'' resumed operations off Anzio and Naples. On 17 August she departed Naples as part of the force for the invasion of southern France. Between 18–23 August she acted as control ship for sweeping operations at
Cavalaire-sur-Mer Cavalaire-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cavalaire on Sea''; oc, Cavalaira de Mar, label= Provençal or simply ''Cavalaira'') is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, southeastern France. History Cavalaire-sur-Mer is ...
, France, the first step in opening the port of Marseille. Miscellaneous assignments along the southern coast of France followed and in November she was ordered to the United States.


Transfer to Pacific Theatre of operations

Arriving at
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 ...
, 11 December, ''Prevail'' was reassigned to the Pacific Fleet and got underway from
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 ...
15 February 1945. Arriving Okinawa on 23 May, she engaged in antisubmarine patrols off
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under almost constant attack by Japanese kamikaze aircraft. Then in July she conducted minesweeping operations off Okinawa and south toward
Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...
, and, in September, helped clear the entrance to Japan's
Inland Sea An inland sea (also known as an epeiric sea or an epicontinental sea) is a continental body of water which is very large and is either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean by a river, strait, or "arm of the sea". An inland se ...
. From 20 November to 23 December, she assisted in the operations to clear the merchant sea lanes of 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 ...
and supported SAR operations among the islands off Formosa.
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1946 found ''Prevail'' on the Whangpoo River at Shanghai,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, where she remained until returning to San Pedro, California, 15 February. Transferred to the San Diego Group of the
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 ...
on 9 April, ''Prevail'' decommissioned 31 May 1946.


Reassignment as Survey Ship AGS-20

Prevail recommissioned 1 April 1952, was reclassified as USS ''Prevail'' (AGS–20), and underwent conversion to a
survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpo ...
at
New York Naval Shipyard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular ben ...
. Reporting in late August to Commander, Hydrographic Survey Group 1, in October, she undertook her first surveying assignment in the Cape Hatteras area. From 1953 to 1956 she conducted survey and cable laying operations 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 ...
, along the Southern and Eastern coasts of the United States north to Nova Scotia, and in the South Atlantic Ocean. During 1957 ''Prevail'' operated along the Newfoundland and Labrador Coast and briefly in the Bahama Islands. On 7 February 1958 she departed for the Mediterranean, returning 9 May. From 19 May to 27 July 1959, ''Prevail'' conducted sounding surveys in the western Mediterranean, then moved to the eastern Mediterranean. After returning home 10 September, she spent the next four years conducting surveys 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 ...
, off Bermuda, and off
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
and Nova Scotia.


Decommissioning

After decommissioning, ''Prevail'' was struck from the Navy List on 10 January 1964 and sold to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., New York City, 13 October 1964.


Awards

''Prevail'' earned 6 battle stars for World War II service.


References


External links

*
Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 AM-107 USS ''Prevail''


{{DEFAULTSORT:Prevail (AM-107) Auk-class minesweepers of the United States Navy Survey ships of the United States Navy Ships built in Beaumont, Texas 1942 ships World War II minesweepers of the United States