USS ''Spoonbill'' (AMS/MSC-202) 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 ...

for clearing coastal minefields.

Construction

''Spoonbill'' was laid down 2 November 1953, by 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 3 August 1954, as AMS-202; sponsored by Mrs. A. N. Springer; redesignated as MSC-202 on 7 February 1955; and commissioned on 14 June 1955.

East Coast operations

''Spoonbill'' was among the first in a group of non-magnetic

minesweepers 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 ...

of wooden construction capable of sweeping any conventional type mine constructed at the time. On 4 July 1955, she was assigned to United States Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet, Charleston, South Carolina. After

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 Key West, Florida, from 26 July to 24 August, and post-shakedown availability at Rawles Brothers' Shipyard,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, ''Spoonbill'' returned to Charleston.

Schoolship assignment

She steamed from Charleston on 3 February 1956, for

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Co ...

, where she was assigned duty with the Naval Mine Warfare School, embarking students for daily cruises to participate in minesweeping operations and training with fleet units. The ship sailed for

Argentia, Newfoundland Argentia ( ) is a Canadian commercial seaport and industrial park located in the Town of Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula and defined by a triangular shaped headland which r ...

, on 8 January 1957, and participated in fleet exercises from 15 January to 7 February, when she returned to Charleston. ''Spoonbill'' operated from there until 4 February 1958, when she got underway for the US West Coast. The minesweeper transited the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

on 11 February, and arrived at

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, on 28 February. She moved up the coast to

Treasure Island, California Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay and a neighborhood in the City and County of San Francisco. Built in 1936–37 for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, the island's World's Fair site is a California Hist ...

, and conducted operations from there until 2 February 1959.

Decommissioning

Ordered back to the

US 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 North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

, ''Spoonbill'' arrived at Norfolk on 9 March, to enter the navy yard for an overhaul in preparation for transfer to Spain. ''Spoonbill'' was struck from the

Navy List 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 autho ...

on 16 June 1959, and transferred to Spain on 1 July, under the

Military Assistance Program The Mutual Defense Assistance Act was a United States Act of Congress signed by President Harry S. Truman on 6 October 1949. For US Foreign policy, it was the first U.S. military foreign aid legislation of the Cold War era, and initially to Eu ...

. She served the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

as ''Duero'' (M-28). ''Duero'' was struck from the Spanish Navy List, 16 December 1999. Fate: unknown.

Notes

;Citations

Bibliography

Online resources * *

External links

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spoonbill Bluebird-class minesweepers Ships built in Tampa, Florida 1954 ships Cold War minesweepers of the United States Minesweepers of the Spanish Navy Adjutant-class minesweepers