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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive

Bunting (MHC 45)
ex-AMS-3
ex-YMS-170



Call sign:
November - Yankee - Lima - Delta
YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper:

  • The second Bunting was laid down 1 October 1942 by the Dachel-Carter Shipbuilding Corp., Benton Harbor, MI
  • Launched 29 May 1943
  • Completed 10 July 1943
  • Commissioned USS YMS-170, 23 July 1943 at Algiers, LA
  • Decommissioned 30 July 1946 at at San Pedro, CA
  • Named Buntingand reclassified as a Motor Minesweeper, AMS-3, 18 February 1947
  • Assigned as a Naval Reserve Training vessel in November 1948 at San Diego, CA
  • Placed in commission, in reserve, 18 July 1950
  • Reclassified as a Coastal Minehunter, MHC-45, 7 February 1955
  • Conversion to MHC-45 began 22 March 1955 at Charleston Naval Shipyard, Charleston, SC
  • Conversion completed 23 August 1955
  • Decommissioned 6 May 1960 at Key West, FL
  • Struck from the Naval Register 1 June 1960
  • Sunk as a target sometime between July - September 1962.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 270 t.
  • Length 136'
  • Beam 24' 6"
  • Draft 8'
  • Speed 15 kts.
  • Complement 32
  • Armament: One 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount, two 20mm mounts and two depth charge projectors
  • Propulsion: Two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Bunting (AMS 3)
    Bunting 36k
    Namesake:

    Bunting - A seed eating bird intermediate in size between starlings and finches

    		 Tommy Trampp
    Photo added 9 December 2021
    Bunting 73k William J. Longhi, Captain, USN, Retired
    Bunting 145k c. 1950s Mike Green
    Bunting (MHC 45)
    Bunting 43k William J. Longhi, Captain, USN, Retired
    Commanding Officers
    01LT James H. Hawkins, USNR23 July 1943 - 28 March 1945
    02LT Walter E. Anderson, USNR28 March 1945 - 17 October 1945
    03LTJG Frederick George Fleschner, USNR1950 - 10 January 1951
    04ENS Irving Charles Herrmann, USNR1950 - 10 January 1951
    05LTJG John Eugene Dutra, USN10 January 1951 - 20 January 1952
    06LTJG Bertram Charles Smith, USN20 January 1952
    07LT William John Longhi, USN - Retired as CaptainJuly 1954 - August 1956
    08LT William Ward Lasley, USN - USNA Class of 1950August 1956 - 1958
    09LT Henry C. Mustin, USN - USNA Class of 1955
    Awarded two Distinguished Service Medals, three Legions of Merit, three Bronze Stars with Combat “V” and the Meritorious Service Medal - Retired as Vice Admiral    		1958 - 30 June 1958
    ??LCDR Einer Albert May, USN
    ??LT Albert Gallatin Henry, Jr., USN - USNA Class of 1948-B
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler, Ron Reeves and Joe Radigan
    View the Bunting (MHC 45)
    DANFS History entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command website
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