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


Courtesy of Paul Haaze

Embattle (MSO 434)
ex-AM-434



Call sign:
November - Oscar - Oscar - Yankee
Aggressive Class Minesweeper:

  • The second Embattle was laid down 14 November 1951 at Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, CA
  • Launched 27 August 1953
  • Commissioned USS Embattle (AM-434), 16 November 1954
  • Reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-434, 7 February 1955
  • Decommissioned 5 July 1972 at Long Beach, CA and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, WA
  • Struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1976
  • Sold for scrap 21 December 1976 to Glen Dobkins of Miami, FL for $32,769
  • Removed from Bremerton in January 1977
  • Abandoned at Oakland, CA
  • Disposed of by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 630 t.(lt), 755 t.(fl)
  • Length 172'
  • Beam 35'
  • Draft 10'
  • Speed 14 kts.
  • Complement 80
  • 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, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    USS Embattle (MSO 434)
    Embattle 121k Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR, Ret.
    Embattle 314k c. 1955
    National Archives photo ARC 6932792 from the Bureau of Ships collection    		 Robert Hurst
    Embattle 156k c. early 1959
    Sasebo, Japan
    In dry dock for Typhoon Vera damage repairs
    Photos from Dave Meyer    		 Tom Lawson
    Embattle 150k
    Embattle 75k c. 1960 K. Dupree, YNCS, USN, Ret.
    Embattle 108k 12 June 1963 Original photo: 102
    Minesweepers Website
    Dick Lewis
    Replacement photo: Robert Hurst
    Embattle 361k 12 June 1963
    From the front to the back: Firm MSO-444, Force MSO-445, Reaper MSO-467, Embattle, and Inflict MSO-456    		 Delta Squad
    Embattle
    Embattle 153k c. June 1990
    Resting on the bottom of the Oakland-Alameda Estuary. She was moored on the Oakland side. The sunken tugboat Allison is at her bow. She was disposed of by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
    Photo by Robert M. Cieri    		 Robert M. Cieri
    Embattle 31k 10 August 1992
    Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District    		 Tommy Trampp
    Embattle 63k 10 August 1992
    Looking aft. Park Street Bridge in the background. Oakland on right (east), Alameda on left (west)
    Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District
    Commanding Officers
    01LT Edward Charles Hill, USN - USNA Class of 194716 November 1954 - 30 June 1956
    02LCDR Kenneth Edward Bauman, USN - USNA Class of 194630 June 1956 - February 1958
    03LCDR Edward Stanley Haugen, USNFebruary 1958 - July 1959
    04LCDR Norman Austin Vaa, USNJuly 1959 - 8 July 1960
    05LCDR Paul Vincent Borlaug, USN - USNA Class of 1948-A8 July 1960 - 8 November 1962
    06LCDR William Irving Goewey, USN - USNA Class of 1949
    Retired as Commander    		8 November 1962 - 15 September 1964
    07LCDR Frederick Wendell Kraft, USN - USNA Class of 195215 September 1964 - 8 September 1966
    08LCDR Turner Park Wallace, Jr., USN8 September 1966 - 10 July 1968
    09LCDR Murry Katzen, USN10 July 1968 - 3 September 1969
    10LCDR Ralph Logan Seger, Jr., USN3 September 1969 - 1971
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler, Ron Reeves and Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory)
    View the Embattle (MSO-434)
    DANFS History entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Website
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