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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive

AMS / MSC-143


AMS-143 was built for Spain.

Bluebird Class Motor Minesweeper: Laid down as AMS-143 by the South Coast Co., Newport Beach, CA; Launched, 25 July 1953; Completed, 1 October 1954; Transferred to Spain as Llobregat (M 22), 5 November 1954; U. S. Navy reclassified as a Coastal MinesweeperMSC-143, 7 February 1955; Decommissioned (date unknown); Llobregat struck from the Naval Register, 4 July 1979; Lost by fire, 1979.

Specifications: Displacement 362 t.; Length 144' 3"; Beam 27' 2"; Draft 12'; Speed 13 kts; Complement 40; Armament, one twin 20-mm; Propulsion Packard diesels, two shafts.
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Size Image Description Source
M-22 90k From late 1976 on, Llobregat was used as a patrol craft off the Catalonian coast, though she retained her minesweeping gear, as can be seen in this photograph taken at Barcelona, Spain, 6 December 1976. Fabio Pena
M-22 70k Rear view of the bridge area. Barcelona, Spain, 6 December 1976. Fabio Pena
M-22 95k A rainy, gray day in Barcelona, 30 December 1976. Fabio Pena
M-22 82k Severely damaged by fire on 24 April 1979, her repair was deemed uneconomical. This view shows her at the yard, on 6 May, while damage was being evaluated; her mast is gone and the effects of fire on the superstructure are clearly visible, despite the distance. Fabio Pena

There is no DANFS history available for AMS-143.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S.Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Naval Minewarfare Association
Association of Minemen

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