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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive

MSO-516
ex-AM-516


MSO-516 was built for Belgium



Call sign:
Oscar - Romeo - Juliet - November
Acme Class Ocean Minesweeper:

  • Authorized as AM-516
  • Reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-516, 7 February 1955
  • Laid down 1 April 1955 by the Tampa Marine Co., Tampa, FL
  • Launched 8 February 1956
  • Completed 21 December 1956
  • Transferred to Belgium and named RBNS F. Bovesse (M 909), 2 January 1957
  • Retired from service in 1993
  • Requested demilitarization from the Defense Logistics Agency in January 2004
  • Scrapped in 2007 at Ghent, Belgium.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 934 t.
  • Length 190'
  • Beam 36'
  • Draft 12'
  • Speed 15 kts.
  • Complement 81
  • Armament: One 40mm mount and two .50 cal. machine guns
  • Propulsion 2,700shp General Motors diesel engines, two shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    RBNS F. Bovesse (M 909)
    MINDIV-82 120k Ship's of Mine Division Eighty Two prepare to leave Charleston, SC for a Mediterranean deployment. MINDIV-82 ship's from left to right are: Fearless (MSO 442),
    Avenge (MSO 423), Exultant (MSO 441)    , the Belgium Minesweeper F. Bovesse, and Fidelity (MSO 443)
    Official U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Leroy D. "Mo" Mahoney    		 Belgium Navy photo
    M-909 82k Belgium Navy photo
    MSO-499 58k Breydel (M 906), ex-MSO-504, F. Bovesse and De Brouwer (M 904), ex-MSO-499 © Brice Dehasse
    MSO-516 99k Photo courtesy Raphodon 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
    Photo added 4 May 2020
    MSO-516 343k c. 1970
    Photo courtesy of John G. Callis    		 Robert Hurst
    MSO-516 63k Refueling from Zinnia (A 961) with Merksem (M 483) to starboard Fritz De Loddere
    MSO-499 113k 7 December 2003
    Zeebrugge, Belgium
    De Brouwer, F. Bovesse and Merksem    		 Paolo Marsan
    F. Bovesse
    MSO-516 144k 27 January 2007
    Ghent, Belgium
    Near the scrapyard    		 Shipspotting Website
    MSO-499 95k 15 June 2007
    Ghent, Belgium
    Astern of De Brouwer waiting her turn on the slipways
    Photo by Peter Wyntin
    MSO-516 135k 20 June 2007
    Ghent, Belgium
    On the slipway for final disposal
    Photo by Peter Wyntin
    There is no DANFS history available for MSO-516
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    102 Minesweepers (MSO) Oceangoing Minesweepers
    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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