Accentor-class minesweeper

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USS Accentor.jpg
USS Accentor
Class overview
NameAccentor class
OperatorsFlag of the United States Navy (official).svg  United States Navy
Built1941–1942
In commission1942–1946
Completed70
General characteristics
Type Minesweeper
Displacement185–205 long tons (188–208 t)
Length97 ft 1 in (29.59 m)98 ft 5 in (30.00 m)
Beam21 ft (6.4 m)23 ft 7 in (7.19 m)
Draft8 ft 11 in (2.72 m)10 ft 8 in (3.25 m)
PropulsionDiesel engine, 400  hp (300 kW)
Speed10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement17
Armament2 × .50 cal. M2 Browning machine guns

The Accentor-class minesweeper, sometimes called the Accentor/Acme-class minesweeper, was a small minesweeper used by the United States Navy during World War II. The Accentor-class minesweeper was designed for the sweeping of mines in harbors, bays, and other littoral waters. [1]

Contents

Design

The ships of the class were wooden-hulled with a draft between 8 feet 11 inches (2.7 m) and 10 feet 8 inches (3.3 m). Typically, the Accentor-class minesweepers were armed with a pair of .50 caliber machine guns for protection. [2] Rather than creating new minesweeping vessels, forty-five wooden-hulled fishing boats were converted into Accentor-class minesweepers. [3] Since these converted fishing boats were not all the same, their specifications varied slightly. The converted fishing boats had a displacement from 165 to 270 long tons (168 to 274 t). They had speeds from 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) up to 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) and crews from as small as fifteen up to 50.

Service history

In World War II, the Accentor-class minesweepers were used to sweep mines in harbors, bays, and other littoral waters, due to their small size. [4] [2] The minesweepers were used to remove mines placed defensively in harbors and coastal waters by the United States Navy.

After the war

After World War II ended and most postwar minesweeping tasks had been completed, the Accentor-class minesweepers were declared surplus to naval needs. By the end of 1946, all 70 of the Accentor class were decommissioned. [1] They were transferred to the United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) for disposal. The two .50 caliber machine guns and minesweeping equipment were removed by MARCOM, after which the vessels were sold to various American marine towing companies and fisheries to be used as civilian vessels.

Ships of the Accentor class

See also

Related Research Articles

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USS <i>Acme</i> (AMc-61) Accentor-class minesweeper

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USS PCS-1465 was a PCS-1376-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. Late in the war she was renamed and reclassified Minah (AMc-204), and in the 1950s reclassified first as AMCU-14 and later as MHC-14. Named for the myna under a variant spelling, she was the only U.S. Navy ship of that name.

USS Limpkin (AMc-48) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for clearing coastal minefields. The vessel was launched on 5 April 1941 and entered service on 8 August. Limpkin operated off New York City and the mouth of Chesapeake Bay during World War II. Following the war, the minesweeper was taken out of service on 15 April 1946 and sold to private interests and converted to a commercial trawler. The ship was renamed Hiawatha and then Blue Waters.

USS Victor (AMc-109) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS Vigor (AMc-110) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS Trident (AMc-107) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper of the U.S. Navy.

USS Prestige (AMc-97) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS <i>Industry</i> Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Industry (AMc-86) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS Heroic (AMc-84) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS Assertive (AMc-65) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS Blue Jay (AMc-23) was a coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS Reedbird (AMc-30) was a Reedbird-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS Firecrest (AMc-33) was a Firecrest-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS Barbet (AMc-38) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS <i>Fortify</i> (AM-446) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Fortify (AM-446/MSO-446) was an Agile-class minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of removing Contact, Magnetic, and Acoustic mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.

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Fulton Shipyard was a shipbuilding company in Antioch, California. The shipyard was founded in 1924 by Frank Fulton and Angeline Fulton Fredericks. To support the World War II demand for ships, Fulton Shipyard built minesweepers, tugboats, and troopships. The shipyard was located on the Stockton Channel at 701 Fulton Shipyard Rd, Antioch, near Antioch pier and the Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. The site was the former Jarvis Brothers, opened in 1918, then Laurtzen shipyard. In 1977 the site became the California Corporation. The shipyard closed in 1999 and the land is owned by the Fulton Family Trust. Fulton Shipyard was on the San Joaquin River and an inland port located more than seventy nautical miles from the ocean, emptying into Suisun Bay. Fulton Shipyard was featured in a 1914 movie called The Stolen Yacht, a short drama film released on November 5, 1914. Frank Fulton and Angeline's son James Lloyd Fulton became an operator of a Fulton Shipyard tugboat.

<i>APc-1</i>-class transport Type of World War 2 United States Ship

APc-1-class small coastal transports were a troopship design used during World War 2 for the United States Navy (USN). These ships were assigned to the Pacific War where they transported supplies, personnel and munitions around the Island hopping campaign. Many of the ships were under threat of air, sea and submarine attack. A few ships of the class received battle stars for combat valor, including USS APc-15, USS APc-22, USS APc-25 and USS APc-26. The wooden-hulled ships were built by many different shipyards. Following the war, many of them were converted to fishing vessels.

References

  1. 1 2 Lenton, H. T. (1974). American Gunboats and Minesweepers. London, UK: Macdonald and Jane's.
  2. 1 2 Budge, Kent G. "Coastal Minesweepers (AMc)". The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  3. "HyperWar: US Navy Minecraft, 1940-1945". www.ibiblio.org. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  4. Stirling, Yates (October 1941). "Fighting the Submarine Mine". Popular Science . Bonnier Corporation: 102–108. ISSN   0161-7370 . Retrieved 13 April 2016.