USS ''Widgeon'' (AMS/MSC-208) was a acquired by the US Navy for clearing coastal minefields.

Construction

''Widgeon'' was laid down on 3 May 1954, as AMS-208 by Bellingham Shipyards, Bellingham, Washington; launched on 15 October 1954; sponsored by Mrs. John F. Cushing, the wife of the treasurer of the Bellingham Shipyards; reclassified MSC-208, on 7 February 1955; and commissioned at the naval station at Tacoma, Washington, on 16 November 1955.

West Coast service

Ready for sea on 15 December 1955, ''Widgeon'', a unit of the Pacific Fleet Mine Force, sailed on 3 January 1956, for visits to San Francisco and Long Beach, California. The new minesweeper operated out of the latter port until 29 January, at which time she shifted to San Diego to undergo

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. Upon completion of shakedown, the ship underwent a four-week availability at the

Long Beach Naval Shipyard The Long Beach Naval Shipyard (Long Beach NSY or LBNSY), which closed in 1997, was located on Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International ...

. The ship underwent further trials and alterations before she sailed to the Western Pacific Ocean (WestPac) on 1 October 1956. Proceeding in company with Mine Division (MinDiv) 95, ''Widgeon'' reported to Commander, Naval Forces, Far East (ComNavFE) for duty and was assigned to MinDiv 32, Mine Squadron 3, Mine Flotilla 1.

Western Pacific service

Homeported 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 ...

, ''Widgeon'' operated in the Far East for the next 13 years. During that time, she participated in local operations in Japanese waters, as well as voyages to Korea and Okinawa for exercises. She conducted joint minesweeping operations and exercises with units of the Japanese, Republic of Korea, and Taiwan navies, and visited ports such as

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, Yokosuka, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Aburatsu, Beppu, Kochi, Tsushima, and Maisuru, Japan;

Kaohsiung, Taiwan 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 ...

; Hong Kong; Buckner Bay; Subic Bay, Philippines; and Pohang and

Koje Do Geojedo or Geoje Island (also McCune–Reischauer: Kŏje Island) is the principal island of Geoje City, on the southern coast of Gyeongsangnam-do province, South Korea. It is joined to land by two bridges from nearby Tongyeong. Gohyeon is the ...

, Korea. Interspersed with her active training evolutions, the minesweeper underwent routine periods of upkeep and alterations and repairs at her home port of Sasebo.

Vietnam War service

Participation in the increasing American involvement in the Vietnam War, however, highlighted the minesweeper's lengthy WestPac deployment. From the mid-1960s, the ship commenced a regular schedule of deployments 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 ...

" patrol stations in the coastal waters off

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 ...

, on patrol and interdiction to cut off the seaborne flow of supplies to the communist Viet Cong forces inside South Vietnam. During one such cruise in January 1967, while being diverted from an "Operation Market Time" patrol to conduct classified operations in the

Gulf of Tonkin The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern ...

, the ship made the national news when she was rammed by a

swordfish Swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as broadbills in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfis ...

. Later during that same cruise, while the ship was crossing the South China Sea, she sighted a

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F4-C Phantom crash into the sea. ''Widgeon'' altered course in time to rescue one man of the two-man crew. The other flier, the pilot, died in the crash. Commander, Naval Forces, Philippines, later cited ''Widgeon'' for her outstanding performance of duty during the rescue. ''Widgeon'' returned to Sasebo on 17 February 1967, worn and beaten from heavy seas, and was under repairs during March and April. On 1 May, a Navy

P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.Hirado Strait for

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

(SAR) operations. She searched for two days and recovered numerous bits of debris but was unable to locate any survivors or the fuselage of the plane. The minesweeper ultimately returned to Sasebo on 5 May, to commence refresher training. ''Widgeon'' spent the months of July through September, on her sixth "Market Time" patrol and a cruise in the South China Sea. Departing Sasebo on 3 July, the minesweeper arrived at Bangkok, Thailand, on 15 July. She later operated with mine countermeasures units of the Royal Thai Navy in the

Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around in l ...

in a SEATO exercise, "Sea Dog," before she operated on "Operation Market Time" stations from 27 July to 12 September. When she arrived at

, on 16 September, the ship's crew had not touched land in 60 days. ''Widgeon'' subsequently spent the rest of the year engaged in local operations out of Sasebo and Buckner Bay, Okinawa, and made a visit to Hong Kong for rest and recreation. Over the next two years, ''Widgeon'' continued her operations in the Far East and Southeast Asian waters. During that time, she conducted two "

" patrols for which she later received the

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...

. The award, given the ship on 16 August 1970, was for the period from 1 June 1968 to 13 September 1969. During that time, ''Widgeon'' served with the Mine Countermeasures Ready Group and Coastal Surveillance Forces in combat operations off the coast of

. She maintained a consistently high standard of readiness that enabled her to assume assigned duties early or on very short notice, and she completed three stints on "Operation Market Time" patrol stations. She not only inspected or boarded over 1,100 vessels but, on occasion, returned "hostile" fire from shore and conducted underwater searches. Throughout the repeated patrol extensions, "the continually outstanding performance, high state of morale, preparedness, and ingenuity of the officers and men of USS ''Widgeon'' attested to their exceptional team spirit and professionalism. By their exemplary courage and dedication, they contributed significantly to the success of anti-infiltration efforts in the Republic of Vietnam and enhanced the reputation of the Mine Countermeasures Ready Group, thereby reflecting credit upon themselves and the United States Naval Service." Ultimately, after 13 years of continuous service in WestPac operating areas, ''Widgeon'' sailed for the United States on 17 August 1969, in company with , , and . Proceeding via Pearl Harbor, she arrived at Long Beach exactly one month later.

Decommissioning

Later that autumn, on 1 October 1969, ''Widgeon'' was decommissioned and placed in reserve; she got underway the next day for her new home port, San Diego. For the next three years, ''Widgeon'' operated as a Group II Naval Reserve training (NET) ship. She operated primarily in the San Diego area, but twice visited

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, once in 1972, and once in 1973. Struck from the Navy list on 2 July 1973, ''Widgeon'' was sold in January 1974.

Awards

''Widgeon'' earned six engagement stars for her Vietnam service and a

Notes

;Citations

Bibliography

Online resources * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Widgeon Bluebird-class minesweepers Ships built in Bellingham, Washington 1954 ships Cold War minesweepers of the United States Vietnam War minesweepers of the United States Adjutant-class minesweepers