USS ''Shrike'' (AMS/MSC-201) was a acquired by the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

for clearing coastal minefields.

Construction

''Shrike'' was laid down on 1 September 1953, Tampa Marine Company,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

; launched on 21 July 1954, as AMS-201; sponsored by Mrs. A. John Miller; reclassified a coastal minesweeper, MSC-201 on 7 February; and commissioned on 21 March 1955.

East Coast operations

''Shrike'' sailed from Tampa on 2 April, for

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, arriving there on 5 April. From 15 May to 24 June, she conducted

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

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 ...

. She returned to Charleston on 26 June. For the remainder of the year, the minesweeper operated between Charleston and Key West as a unit of Mine Squadron 4. ''Shrike'' was assigned to the Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet, and the operational control of Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Atlantic Fleet, with her homeport at Key West.

Supporting missile testing and search and rescue

The minesweeper operated out of that port until 30 June 1965. During these years, the ship conducted local operations, conducted experiments with new equipment, evaluated new type mines, and provided services for the missile testing facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In November 1963, her evaluation testing was interrupted when she was deployed to locate and assist in the salvage of a downed

U-2 aircraft The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day ...

in Florida Bay.

Reassigned as minesweeper

On 30 June 1965, ''Shrike''s homeport was changed to Charleston; she was assigned to Mine Division 42, and her status was changed from an experimental ship to a sweeper in the mine force. She conducted operations from Charleston for the next three years which took her as far north as

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, as far south as 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 ...

, and one trip to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Service as a training ship

On 27 September 1968, ''Shrike'' was decommissioned at

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

, and became a

US Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

training ship 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 6th Naval District.

Decommissioning

''Shrike'' 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 scrapped, April 1978. Fate: unknown.

Notes

;Citations

Bibliography

Online resources * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shrike Bluebird-class minesweepers Ships built in Tampa, Florida 1954 ships Cold War minesweepers of the United States Adjutant-class minesweepers