USS Compel (AM-162)

Last updated
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS Compel
Builder Willamette Iron and Steel Works
Laid down26 May 1942
Launched16 January 1943
Commissioned8 April 1944
Decommissioned12 June 1946
ReclassifiedMSF-162, 7 February 1955
FateSold for scrap 26 August 1960
General characteristics
Class and type Admirable-class minesweeper
Displacement650 tons
Length184 ft 6 in (56.24 m)
Beam33 ft (10 m)
Draft9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Propulsion
Speed14.8 knots (27.4 km/h)
Complement104
Armament
Service record
Part of: US Pacific Fleet (1944–1946)
Awards: 1 Battle star

USS Compel (AM-162) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Pacific Ocean. Compel was awarded one battle star for World War II service.

Contents

She was launched January 1943 by Willamette Iron and Steel Works, Portland, Oregon; and commissioned 8 April 1944.

World War II Pacific Ocean operations

Compel sailed from San Francisco, California, 22 June 1944 as escort for a tug group which arrived in Pearl Harbor 3 July. Continuing on to Majuro, Compel joined USS Coral Sea (CVE-57) off Kwajalein 25 July to escort the carrier to Pearl Harbor. Compel swept mines off French Frigate Shoals from 6 August to 15 August, then escorted a convoy to Eniwetok, arriving 5 September to assume antisubmarine patrol.

From 24 October 1944 until the end of the war Compel operated at Eniwetok, Ulithi, the Palaus, Saipan, Guam, and Majuro. She acted as convoy escort, minesweeper, harbor entrance control vessel, and experimental ship for minesweeping equipment. She sailed to Manus between 10 November and 12 November 1944 to deliver blood plasma to the men injured by the explosion of USS Mount Hood (AE-11). Taking departure from Saipan 29 August 1945 Compel sailed via Okinawa to clear the approaches to Wakayama, Japan, of mines. Moving to Nagoya for similar duty, she served there until 20 November when she sailed for San Francisco, California, arriving 16 December.

Postwar decommissioning

She was placed out of commission in reserve at San Diego, California, 12 June 1946. Compel was reclassified MSF-162, 7 February 1955. She was sold on 26 August 1960.

Awards

Compel was awarded one battle star for World War II service.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Devastator</i> (AM-318) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Devastator (AM-318) was an Auk-class minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing naval mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

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

USS Defense (AM-317) was an Auk-class 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 Skylark (AM-63) was an Auk-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. She earned three battle stars during World War II. Skylark was mined and sunk off Okinawa in April 1945. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register the same day.

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

USS Starling (AM-64) was an Auk-class 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 Heed (AM-100) was an Auk-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. She earned five battle stars for her World War II service. She was recommissioned during the Korean War. She was placed in reserve in 1954 and remained there until struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1967.

USS Motive (AM-102) was an Auk-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. She earned three battle stars for World War II service. She was decommissioned in 1946 and placed in reserve where she remained until struck from the Naval Vessel Register in December 1966. She was sunk as a target in April 1968.

USS Oracle (AM-103) was an Auk-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was commissioned in May 1943 and decommissioned in May 1946. She was placed in reserve and remained there until struck from the Naval Vessel Register in December 1966. She was sunk as a target in 1967.

USS <i>Chief</i> (AM-315) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Chief (AM-315) was an Auk-class 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, and named after the word "chief," the head or leader of a group.

USS <i>Champion</i> (AM-314) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

The third USS Champion (BAM-1/AM-314/MSF-314) was an Auk-class minesweeper of the United States Navy.

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

USS Steady (AM-118) was an Auk-class 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 Superior (AM-311) was a steel-hulled Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy in 1944. Superior participated in the final struggle in the Pacific Ocean against the Empire of Japan during the end of World War II and remained behind, after the war ended, to clear minefields laid during the war.

USS Design (AM-219) was a steel-hulled Admirable class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. A crew, trained in minesweeping, boarded the new vessel, and proceeded to the Pacific Ocean to clear minefields so that Allied forces could safely invade Japanese-held beaches. For this dangerous work under combat conditions she was awarded three battle stars.

USS Caution (AM-158) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II and in commission from 1944 to 1945. In 1945, she was transferred to the Soviet Union and after that served in the Soviet Navy as T-284.

USS Change (AM-159) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Pacific Ocean.

USS Clamour (AM-160) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Pacific Ocean.

USS <i>Climax</i> (AM-161) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Climax (AM-161) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Pacific Ocean.

USS Control (AM-164) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Pacific Ocean.

USS Counsel (AM-165) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Pacific Ocean.

USS Hilarity (AM-241) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was awarded two battle stars for service in the Pacific during World War II. She was decommissioned in 1946 and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. While she remained in reserve, Hilarity was reclassified as MSF-241 in February 1955 but never reactivated. In October 1962, she was sold to the Mexican Navy and renamed ARM DM-02. She was stricken in 1986 and scrapped in August 1988.

USS Implicit (AM-246) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the North Atlantic Ocean and then in the Pacific Ocean. She finished the war with two battle stars to her credit.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .