USS ''Prime'' (AM-466/MSO-466), was an acquired by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

. She was laid down on 30 December 1952 by

Wilmington Boat Works Wilmington Boat Works, Inc. or WILBO was a shipbuilding company in Wilmington, California. To support the World War 2 demand for ships Victory Shipbuilding built: Tugboats, crash rescue boats and sub chasers. Wilmington Boat Works opened in 1920 ...

Wilmington, California Wilmington is a neighborhood in the South Bay and Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, covering . Featuring a heavy concentration of industry and the third-largest oil field in the continental United States, this neighborhood has a high p ...

, launched on 27 May 1954; sponsored by Mrs. Louis Ets-Hokin and commissioned on 11 October 1954.

Pacific Ocean operations

After

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

shakedown Shakedown or Shake Down 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 ...

, ''Prime'' was reclassified ''MSO-466'' on 7 February 1955. She completed major modification on 3 October 1955, and deployed to the Western Pacific on 1 May 1956. Following regular overhaul and type training in 1957, she deployed to WestPac again on 3 November 1958. In 1959 she enhanced her operational readiness through maneuvers with the South Korean Navy in January, and participation in an

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

landing exercise off

Kodiak, Alaska Kodiak (Alutiiq language, Alutiiq: ) is the main city and one of seven communities on Kodiak Island in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska, Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska. All commercial transportation between the island's communities and the outside ...

, in November. Upon completion of overhaul and type training in 1960, she deployed to WestPac on 4 January 1961 and upon return began another overhaul on 20 November 1961. After training she deployed to WestPac again on 16 November 1962. She returned to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, in June 1963, and completed overhaul on 31 January 1964.

Vietnam War operations

Deployed to WestPac on 15 January 1965, she patrolled the coast of

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

intermittently from May to August 1965, boarding approximately four suspect vessels per week to prevent enemy infiltration and supply. In 1966 she deployed to WestPac on 21 September, arriving off

on 11 November, and patrolling the coast until 31 December.

Deactivation

''Prime'' was struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

on 1 October 1976, and sold for scrapping on 7 January 1977 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 organizatio ...

to Edward Hixson,

Los Alamitos, California is a city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,780 at the 2020 census, up from 11,449 at the 2010 census. The USA Water Polo National Aquatic Center is located on the Joint Forces Tr ...

, for $26,769.

References

External links

*
USS ''Prime'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prime Agile-class minesweepers Ships built in Los Angeles 1954 ships Vietnam War mine warfare vessels of the United States