USS ''Skill'' (MSO-471) was an acquired by the

U.S. 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 o ...

for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships. ''Skill'' was the second

vessel of that name. It was an ocean

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

, laid down by Luders Marine Construction Co., Stamford, Connecticut, on 17 August 1953 under the designation ''AM-471''; redesignated ''MSO-471'' on 7 February 1955; launched on 3 April 1955; sponsored by Mrs. John C. Niedermair; and commissioned on 7 November 1955.

Atlantic Ocean operations

''Skill'' 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 off the Atlantic coast before reporting for duty with the Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet, at Charleston, South Carolina, on 19 December 1955. During her 15 years of active service with the Navy, the minesweeper served with the Atlantic and 6th Fleets. She operated out of Charleston throughout her career, when not deployed to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

. ''Skill'' operated with the 6th Fleet in the "middle sea" in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, and 1968. ''Skill'' participated in the recovery effort of the

1966 Palomares B-52 crash The 1966 Palomares B-52 crash, also called the Palomares incident, occurred on 17 January 1966, when a B-52G bomber of the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command collided with a KC-135 tanker during mid-air refueling at over the Med ...

in early 1966.Melson, June 1967, p.31 In late May 1968, during the return voyage from her last Mediterranean deployment, ''Skill'' participated in the unsuccessful search for the nuclear submarine, .

Decommissioning

''Skill'' spent all of 1969 around Charleston, South Carolina, and most of it at the Detyens Shipyard being repaired. ''Skill'' was finally decommissioned and placed in reserve in October 1970. She was berthed at Beaumont, Texas, as a unit of the

Atlantic 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 s ...

until sold for scrap by the

Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service DLA Disposition Services (formerly known as the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service) is part of the United States Defense Logistics Agency. Headquartered at the Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center in Battle Creek, Michigan, the organization ...

on 1 April 1979.

Notes

References

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External links

USS ''Skill'' (MSO 471) Crew List

USS ''Skill'' (MSO-471) Unit Pages

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skill Aggressive-class minesweepers Ships built in Stamford, Connecticut 1955 ships Vietnam War mine warfare vessels of the United States