USS Alacrity (MSO-520)
Encyclopedia
USS Alacrity (AM-520/MSO-520) was an Ability-class minesweeper
acquired by the United States Navy
for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.
The third ship to be named Alacrity by the Navy, MSO-520 was laid down on 5 March 1956 at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
, by the Peterson Builders, Inc.; launched on 8 June 1957; sponsored by Mrs. Henry J. Armstrong, the wife of Capt. Armstrong, the chief of staff and aide to the Commandant of the 9th Naval District; ferried to Boston, Massachusetts, via the Great Lakes
and the St. Lawrence River; fitted out at the Boston Naval Shipyard; and commissioned there on 1 October 1958, Lt. Theodore W. Pstrak in command.
, whence she conducted shakedown training before becoming a unit of the Atlantic Fleet Mine Force. The minesweeper began operations in the western Atlantic and in the West Indies. Those duties occupied her time until late in 1960 when she embarked upon her first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea
. After her return from duty with the U.S. 6th Fleet late in the spring of 1961, she resumed normal operations along the U.S. East Coast and in the West Indies. That employment lasted until February 1964 at which time Alacrity headed back to the Mediterranean. Her arrival back on the east coast late in the summer of 1964 brought more duty in the western Atlantic. In February 1965, the minesweeper began a four-month tour of duty in the West Indies.
erupted in the Dominican Republic
, as supporters of exiled President Juan Bosch
instituted a military uprising to seize power from the ruling civilian junta
. The resultant strife—the city of Santo Domingo
became a battleground—saw the commitment of American marines and paratroopers; Alacrity spent almost the entire month of May helping to evacuate foreign nationals and supporting the troops of an inter-American force sent to restore order.
, and served as a training platform for students at the Mine Warfare School. Those duties, as well as refresher training and independent ship's exercises, occupied her from the beginning of 1966 into the spring of 1969. On 8 May 1969, Alacrity put to sea, once more bound for the Mediterranean. After five months with the U.S. 6th Fleet engaged in training exercises and port visits, the minesweeper headed back to the United States
on 11 October. She reached Charleston on 30 October. Then, except for 12 days underway for special operations at the beginning of December, the warship
spent the remainder of the year in port at Charleston
, on 1 December. She returned to Charleston on the 6th and, after holiday leave and upkeep, resumed normal operations. After seven months of exercises, drills, and inspections out of Charleston, Alacrity headed back toward the Mediterranean on 2 August. She entered the "Middle Sea" late in August and spent September and the first week in October steaming in the western Mediterranean and making port visits. Alacrity returned to Rota, Spain
, on 7 October and two days later sailed for the United States. She returned to Charleston on 27 October and, except for a week at sea for special operations in the middle of December, spent the remainder of the year in her home port.
. By the end of January, the minesweeper was back in Charleston and, in February, resumed normal operations. In April, she interrupted her schedule to provide support for the Apollo 16
moon shot. She resumed operations out of Charleston late in April and remained so occupied almost until the end of the year. Early in December, she returned to the vicinity of Port Canaveral, Florida, to assist in gathering data during the Apollo 17
moon shot. Alacrity concluded that duty at Charleston on 8 December and remained in port for the rest of 1972.
spent the first four months of 1973 working out of Charleston. On 10 May, she entered Detyen's Shipyard in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
, for modifications. On 1 June 1973, Alacrity was redesignated AG-520. She left Detyen's Shipyard on 23 July and returned to the Naval Station, Charleston, where she remained until 5 August. On that day, the ship headed south to Jacksonville, Florida
, where she began further alterations at the Atlantic Drydock Co. on 7 August. The changes were completed by 19 October, and Alacrity returned to Charleston to prepare for refresher training. During November and early December, she conducted refresher training in the West Indies before returning to Charleston on the 10th to begin the annual holiday leave and upkeep period.
, on 30 November and arrived back in Charleston on 20 December. The ship continued in active service for another 33 months. Throughout that period, she operated in the western Atlantic and in the West Indies on training missions and test-and-evaluation assignments.
that same day. In December 1979, she was sold to the Ampol Corp. for scrapping.
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
acquired by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.
The third ship to be named Alacrity by the Navy, MSO-520 was laid down on 5 March 1956 at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,437 at the 2000 census. It is located at the natural end of Sturgeon Bay, although the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was built across the remainder of the Door Peninsula.-Geography:Sturgeon Bay is...
, by the Peterson Builders, Inc.; launched on 8 June 1957; sponsored by Mrs. Henry J. Armstrong, the wife of Capt. Armstrong, the chief of staff and aide to the Commandant of the 9th Naval District; ferried to Boston, Massachusetts, via the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and the St. Lawrence River; fitted out at the Boston Naval Shipyard; and commissioned there on 1 October 1958, Lt. Theodore W. Pstrak in command.
East Coast operations
The following month, Alacrity moved south to Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, whence she conducted shakedown training before becoming a unit of the Atlantic Fleet Mine Force. The minesweeper began operations in the western Atlantic and in the West Indies. Those duties occupied her time until late in 1960 when she embarked upon her first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. After her return from duty with the U.S. 6th Fleet late in the spring of 1961, she resumed normal operations along the U.S. East Coast and in the West Indies. That employment lasted until February 1964 at which time Alacrity headed back to the Mediterranean. Her arrival back on the east coast late in the summer of 1964 brought more duty in the western Atlantic. In February 1965, the minesweeper began a four-month tour of duty in the West Indies.
Dominican Republic emergency operations
Near the end of that assignment, in late April 1965, civil warCivil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
erupted in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, as supporters of exiled President Juan Bosch
Juan Bosch
Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño was a politician, historian, short story writer, essayist, educator, and the first cleanly elected president of the Dominican Republic for a brief time in 1963. Previously, he had been the leader of the Dominican opposition in exile to the dictatorial regime of Rafael...
instituted a military uprising to seize power from the ruling civilian junta
Military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
. The resultant strife—the city of Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
became a battleground—saw the commitment of American marines and paratroopers; Alacrity spent almost the entire month of May helping to evacuate foreign nationals and supporting the troops of an inter-American force sent to restore order.
Caribbean and Mediterranean operations
While operating in the western Atlantic and the West Indies, Alacrity frequently conducted tests for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory Test Facility located at Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, and served as a training platform for students at the Mine Warfare School. Those duties, as well as refresher training and independent ship's exercises, occupied her from the beginning of 1966 into the spring of 1969. On 8 May 1969, Alacrity put to sea, once more bound for the Mediterranean. After five months with the U.S. 6th Fleet engaged in training exercises and port visits, the minesweeper headed back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 11 October. She reached Charleston on 30 October. Then, except for 12 days underway for special operations at the beginning of December, the warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
spent the remainder of the year in port at Charleston
Renewed Mediterranean operations
In 1970, Alacrity conducted exercises out of her home port until mid-June. On the 17th of that month, she entered Avondale Shipyards, Inc., for a regular overhaul. The minesweeper completed repairs and left New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, on 1 December. She returned to Charleston on the 6th and, after holiday leave and upkeep, resumed normal operations. After seven months of exercises, drills, and inspections out of Charleston, Alacrity headed back toward the Mediterranean on 2 August. She entered the "Middle Sea" late in August and spent September and the first week in October steaming in the western Mediterranean and making port visits. Alacrity returned to Rota, Spain
Rota, Spain
-External references:*, official website * On-line since 1999! News, premiere information, pictures, weather, etc. Into Spanish, English... ****- External links :...
, on 7 October and two days later sailed for the United States. She returned to Charleston on 27 October and, except for a week at sea for special operations in the middle of December, spent the remainder of the year in her home port.
Supporting Apollo Project missions
On 10 January 1972, Alacrity departed Charleston for an eight-day, cold weather, amphibious exercise off the shores of MaineMaine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. By the end of January, the minesweeper was back in Charleston and, in February, resumed normal operations. In April, she interrupted her schedule to provide support for the Apollo 16
Apollo 16
Young and Duke served as the backup crew for Apollo 13; Mattingly was slated to be the Apollo 13 command module pilot until being pulled from the mission due to his exposure to rubella through Duke.-Backup crew:...
moon shot. She resumed operations out of Charleston late in April and remained so occupied almost until the end of the year. Early in December, she returned to the vicinity of Port Canaveral, Florida, to assist in gathering data during the Apollo 17
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
moon shot. Alacrity concluded that duty at Charleston on 8 December and remained in port for the rest of 1972.
Converted into a Miscellaneous Auxiliary
The warshipWarship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
spent the first four months of 1973 working out of Charleston. On 10 May, she entered Detyen's Shipyard in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mount Pleasant is a large affluent suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is a member of the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area, for statistical purpose only, as designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget....
, for modifications. On 1 June 1973, Alacrity was redesignated AG-520. She left Detyen's Shipyard on 23 July and returned to the Naval Station, Charleston, where she remained until 5 August. On that day, the ship headed south to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, where she began further alterations at the Atlantic Drydock Co. on 7 August. The changes were completed by 19 October, and Alacrity returned to Charleston to prepare for refresher training. During November and early December, she conducted refresher training in the West Indies before returning to Charleston on the 10th to begin the annual holiday leave and upkeep period.
Alacrity’s final Med cruise
Alacrity began 1974 engaged in normal operations which kept her busy until midsummer. On 16 July, she stood out of Charleston and embarked upon the final Mediterranean deployment of her active career. The minesweeper operated with the U.S. 6th Fleet conducting training evolutions and port visits until the end of November. She departed Rota, SpainRota, Spain
-External references:*, official website * On-line since 1999! News, premiere information, pictures, weather, etc. Into Spanish, English... ****- External links :...
, on 30 November and arrived back in Charleston on 20 December. The ship continued in active service for another 33 months. Throughout that period, she operated in the western Atlantic and in the West Indies on training missions and test-and-evaluation assignments.
Decommissioning
On 30 September 1977, Alacrity was placed out of commission at Charleston, and her name was struck from the Navy listNavy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
that same day. In December 1979, she was sold to the Ampol Corp. for scrapping.