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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive

MSO-503
ex-AM-503


MSO-503 was built for Belgium.



Artevelde's call sign:
Oscar - Romeo - Juliet - Lima
AM-503 Class Ocean Minesweeper:

  • Laid down 15 October 1953 as AM-503 by the Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc., Tacoma, WA
  • Launched 19 June 1954
  • Reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-503, 7 February 1955
  • Completed 15 December 1955
  • Transferred to Belgium and named Artevelde (M 907), 15 February 1956
  • Decommissioned 1 February 1985
  • Scrapped at Amsterdam, Holland.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 934 t.
  • Length 190'
  • Beam 36'
  • Draft 12'
  • Speed 15 kts.
  • Complement 81
  • Armament: One 40mm mount and two Browning .50 cal. machine guns (40mm later removed)
  • Propulsion: 2,700shp General Motors diesel engines, two shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    MSO-503
    MSO-503 199k 15 September 1954
    MSO-503 fitting out at the Tacoma Boatbuilding Company, Tacoma, Washington
    National Archives photo NAID 6933518    		 Robert Hurst
    Photo added 21 February 2022
    MSO-503 137k U.S. Navy photo Belgium MSO Website
    MSO-503 111k 15 February 1956
    Long Beach, CA    		 Robert M. Cieri
    MSO-503 57k Belgian Navy photo courtesy of Lieut. P. Van Schoonbeek from the 1956/1957 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships Robert Hurst
    Artevelde (M 907)
    MSO-503 23k
    Namesake:

    Jacob van Artevelde c. 1290 – 17 or 24 July 1345), also known as The Wise Man and the Brewer of Ghent, was a Flemish statesman and political leader    		 Tommy Trampp>
    MSO-503 94k Belgium Navy photo Artevelde (M 907) Website
    MSO-503 157k c. 1963
    Photo courtesy of A. & J. Pavia, Malta    		 Robert Hurst
    MSO-503 101k c. 1965
    Valletta, Malta
    Breydel (M 906), Georges Truffaut (M 908), Artevelde (M 907) and F. Bovesse (M 909)    		 Tommy Trampp
    MSO-503 49k c. 1968 Robert Hurst
    MSO-503 224k 23 June 1971
    In the background from left to right the French destroyer Dupetit Thouars (D 625), the British landing ship dock HMS Fearless (L 10), the Belgian minesweepers Breydel
    (M 906)    , ex-MSO-504 and Artevelde (M 907)
    Photo by Friedrich Magnussen (1914-1987), during Optimist regatta at the Kiel Week    		 Robert Hurst
    Photo added 21 February 2022
    MSO-503 137k c. November 1990
    Model of Artevelde on display at Het Steen (The Stone), National Maritime Museum, Antwerp, Belgium    		 Pieter Bakels
    MSO-503 126k c. November 1990
    Model details
    MSO-503 160k
    MSO-503 140k
    MSO-503 158k
    MSO-503 189k
    MSO-503 154k
    MSO-503 187k
    MSO-503 173k
    MSO-503 170k
    MSO-503 142k
    MSO-503 186k
    MSO-503 141k
    MSO-503 125k
    MSO-503 226k
    MSO-503 208k
    There is no DANFS history available for MSO-503
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