USS Warbler (MSC-206)
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USS ''Warbler'' (AMS/MSC-206) was a of the
United States 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 ...
, that saw service during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, and was later sold to
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, where she served as HMFS ''Kiro'' (MSC-206).


Construction

''Warbler'' was laid down on 15 October 1953, Bellingham Shipyards, Bellingham, Washington; and was launched on 18 June 1954, as AMS-206; sponsored by Mrs. S. A. Blythe; reclassified as MSC-206 on 7 February 1955; and commissioned at the Naval Station,
Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...
, on 26 July 1955.


West Coast operations

Following shakedown training, ''Warbler'' reported to Commander, Mine Force, Pacific Fleet, and operated locally out of
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...
for the next year.


Western Pacific service

In August 1956, in company with , the minesweeper set sail for the
Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...
to assume duties as
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 ...
for Mine Division (MinDiv) 32. Homeporting at
Sasebo, Japan is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...
, ''Warbler'' would remain in the Far East over the next 14 years, participating in numerous mine exercises with the navies of other friendly Far Eastern nations such as South Korea, the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
, the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, and Japan.


Vietnam War service

Highlighting the ship's deployment to the western Pacific, ''Warbler'' conducted numerous tours of duty 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 ...
" patrols off the coast of
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
to aid in the interdiction campaign to cut off the flow of arms and munitions to the Viet Cong in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
. A small wooden craft especially designed for coastal minesweeping operations and deployments lasting from a few days to several weeks, ''Warbler'' and her sister minesweepers filled the gap between the heavier units of the fleet, like the
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s and destroyer escorts, and the small craft used for patrol work, until built-for-the-purpose patrol craft could enter the fray. During her "Market Time" cruises, ''Warbler'' boarded many
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 ...
, ascertaining cargo and destination; investigated contacts of steel-hulled vessels picked up on radar; and endured what at times appeared to be "fearfully strong weather that seemed bent on total destruction" of the ship. At times, boarding of junks was an impossibility because of the vagaries of
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
-type weather. During one "Market Time" patrol in the spring of 1968, ''Warbler'' conducted a joint salvage evolution with the salvage vessel . She located a downed
F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...
fighter, and a wayward box of
hypodermic needle A hypodermic needle (from Greek ὑπο- (''hypo-'' = under), and δέρμα (''derma'' = skin)), one of a category of medical tools which enter the skin, called sharps, is a very thin, hollow tube with one sharp tip. It is commonly used w ...
s. The ship also conducted extensive searches for an A-6 Intruder, a medevac helicopter, and two target drones. The minesweeper then cruised off the
Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone The Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was a demilitarized zone established as a dividing line between North and South Vietnam from July 1954 to 1976 as a result of the First Indochina War. During the Vietnam War (1955-1975) it became important as t ...
(DMZ) before heading home to Sasebo, via the Nationalist Chinese port of
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
. With 45 days of "Market Time" patrols under her belt in 1968, ''Warbler'' returned to the coast of Vietnam in January 1969, and patrolled briefly near the port of Vung Tau. Later that autumn, ''Warbler'', in company with her sister-ship ''Whippoorwill'', departed Sasebo on 5 September, bound for
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
and Mine Exercise ''Canned Heat.'' Unfortunately beset with mechanical difficulties, the ship went dead in the water in the Formosa Strait after attempted repairs at
Keelung Keelung () or Jilong () (; Hokkien POJ: '), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipe ...
, Taiwan, had proved ineffective. Eight hours after the ship stopped, answered ''Warbler''s call for assistance and passed a tow to the heavily rolling minecraft. By 10 September, after rapid repairs at Kaohsiung, ''Warbler'' was ready for sea and participated in the scheduled slate of exercises. At the close of the year, the ship received counter-insurgency practice by tracking high speed patrol boats sent out for exercise purposes by Commander, Mine Flotilla 1. For two months in 1970, ''Warbler'' patrolled between
Camranh Bay Cam Ranh Bay ( vi, Vịnh Cam Ranh) is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in Khánh Hòa Province. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilome ...
and Nha Trang, investigating suspicious contacts — none of which proved hostile. "Our greatest excitement during this patrol," her commanding officer later wrote, "was provided by an occasional
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
merchantman that would steam through our area and find himself shadowed and photographed by the mighty ''Warbler''."


Decommissioning – Reserve ship

''Whippoorwill'' consequently relieved ''Warbler'' of "Market Time" duties on 19 July 1970, and the latter got underway from
Camranh Bay Cam Ranh Bay ( vi, Vịnh Cam Ranh) is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in Khánh Hòa Province. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilome ...
for the succession of port visits. However, two days after leaving the bay, the ship received a message directing her to return to the United States for decommissioning. Departing Sasebo on 17 August, and sailing via
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
for an overnight refueling stop, ''Warbler'' reached the west coast of the United States on 17 September, in company with , , and . On 1 October 1970, ''Warbler'' was decommissioned. Simultaneously placed in service as a Naval Reserve training (NRT) ship and homeported at Seattle, Washington, ''Warbler'' commenced her new duties soon thereafter. She trained reservists out of Seattle into the mid-1970s and was placed on the sale list in July 1975.


Transfer to the Fijian Navy

On 14 October 1975, she was sold to
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, to serve as HMFS ''Kiro'' (MSC-206). On 10 October 1995, she was decommissioned.


Disposal

In September 1996, the decommissioned ''Kiro'' was to be disposed by sinking. The designated position for disposal was , however, the unfavorable weather and the very poor material condition of the ship hampered the attempt to tow her. The mast broke off and fell into the sea just as she was exiting the
Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
Harbour channel, and later the towing pad eye was ripped off the deck, due its rotten state. ''Kiro'' drifted onto a reef at where she broke in two. The wreck was later doused with fuel and set on fire. She burned continuously for 19 hours leaving only the engines and the very lower part of the hull.


Awards

''Warbler'' was awarded seven engagement stars for her important services on "Market Time" patrols.


Notes


Bibliography

Online resources * *


External links

*
www.usswarbler.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warbler (AMS-206) Bluebird-class minesweepers Ships built in Bellingham, Washington 1954 ships Cold War minesweepers of the United States Vietnam War minesweepers of the United States Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Fijian Navy Minesweepers of the Fijian Navy Maritime incidents in 1996 Adjutant-class minesweepers