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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive
Courtesy of Al Grazevich


Left patch courtesy of Wolfgang Hechler, right patch courtesy of Mike Smolinski

Salute (MSO 470)
ex-AM-470



Call sign:
November - Bravo - Oscar - Papa
Aggressive Class Minesweeper:

  • Laid down 15 March 1953 as AM-470 by the Luders Marine Construction Co., Stamford, Connecticut
  • Launched 14 August 1954
  • Reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-470, 7 February 1955
  • Commissioned USS Salute (MSO-470), 4 May 1955
  • Decommissioned 15 May 1970
  • Struck from the Naval Register 1 February 1971
  • Sold for scrapping in 1971 to Charles Gural of Rahway, NJ for $1,700.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 775 t.
  • Length 172'
  • Beam 35'
  • Draft 12'
  • Speed 14 kts.
  • Complement 78
  • Armament: As built, one 40mm gun mount and two .50 cal. machine guns. Final configuration, bow gun replaced by one twin 20mm gun mount, two .50 cal. machine guns remain
  • Propulsion: Four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, replaced by four Waukasha Motors Co. diesels, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Salute (AM 470)
    Salute 228k 26 January 1955
    Luders Marine Construction Co., Stamford, Connecticut
    National Archives photo ARC Identifier 6932487    		 Robert Hurst
    USS Salute (MSO 470)
    Salute 43k Al Hines
    Salute 103k Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR, Ret.
    Notable 93k 22 January 1964
    Charleston, SC
    USS Notable (MSO 460), Salute and USS Observer (MSO 461) alongside the internal combustion engine repair ship USS Tutuila (ARG-4)
    Naval History and Heritage Command photo USN 1084462    		 Robert Hurst
    Commanding Officers
    01LT John James Parish, USN4 May 1955 - 1957
    02LCDR Charles Edward Bradford, USN1957
    03LCDR Robert Thomas Ruxton, USN1960
    04LCDR Raymond Francis Keough, USN1961 - December 1962
    05LCDR Jean Milton Fitts, USN - USNA Class of 1952
    Retired as Commander    		1963
    06LT Eugene Edward Sheehy, USN1963 - July 1964
    07LCDR Weldon James Bowling, USNJuly 1964
    08LCDR William Henry Lockard, USN3 August 1966 - 14 September 1968
    09LCDR Weldon James Bowling, USN14 September 1968 - 14 May 1970
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler, Ron Reeves, Joe Radigan and Richard C. Dreger
    View the Salute (MSO-470)
    DANFS History entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Website
    Back To The Main Photo Index Back To the Mine Warfare Ship Photo Index Back to the Ocean Minesweeper (MSO) Photo Index
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