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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Ship Photo Archive
Courtesy of Mike Smolinski

Oriole (MHC-55)



Call sign:
November - Romeo - Bravo - India


Oriole served the Navies of the United States and the Republic of China
Osprey Class Coastal Minehunter:

  • The fifth Oriole was laid down 3 August 1991
  • Launched 22 May 1993
  • Commissioned 16 September 1995
  • Decommissioned 30 June 2006, struck from the Navy register and laid up in the Beaumont Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX
  • Sold to the Republic of China 2 August 2012
  • Commissioned ROCS Yung Jin (MHC 1312), 10 August 2012
  • Fate unknown.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 895 Metric Tons
  • Length 188'
  • Beam 36'
  • Draft (Navigation) 9' 5", Draft (Keel) 7'
  • Speed 12 kts.
  • Complement 53
  • Armament: Two .50 cal. machine guns and one man held Stinger missile launcher
  • Propulsion: Two 800hp Isotta Fraschini ID36 SS8V-AM diesel engines; two Voith Schneider vertical axis, cycloidal, controllable pitch propellers, two shafts
  • Electrical Systems: Two ship service diesel generators, one ship service/emergency diesel generator; Monocoque Design glass reinforced plastic monohull design. No longitudinal or transverse hull
    framing. The skin carries all the stresses. The vessel is flexible under shock. Machinery is supported by cradles from the main deck
  • Sensors/Navigation Systems AN/SYQ-13 Navigation, Command & Control System, AN/SPS-64(V)9 surface search radar, AN/SPA-25G radar display; AN/UQN-4A sonar sounding set, AN/WSN-2
    stabilized gyrocompass, Hyper-fix radio navigation system, Loran C, Military global positioning system (GPS), AN/BQH-7A expendable bathythermograph set
  • Mine Countermeasures Systems: AN/SLQ-48(V)2 mine neutralization system (MNS), AN/SQQ-32 minehunting sonar.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    USS Oriole (MHC 55)
    Oriole 43k Namesake: Oriole - Any of various birds in America with a highly specialized vocal apparatus - commonly referred to as "singing birds," although many among them do not sing - the Icteridae family: the males are usually bright black and yellow or orange, the females chiefly greenish or yellowish, as the Baltimore oriole and the orchard oriole Tommy Trampp
    Photo added 8 February 2020
    Oriole 142k U.S. Navy photo from Commander Mine Warfare Command Fabio Peña
    Oriole 118k c. February 2003
    Off Corpus Christ, TX    		 LCDR Rich Dodson, USN
    Commanding Officer, USS Oriole
    Oriole 79k
    Oriole 62k
    ROCS Yung Jin (MHC 1312)
    Falcon 184k 4 May 2013
    Zhongzheng Naval Base, Taiwan
    Yung Jin; Yung An (MHC 1311), ex-Falcon (MHC 59) and Wu Chang (PFG-1207)
    Photo from Wikimedia Commons    		 Joe Radigan
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR Peter Francis Grause, USN16 September 1995 - 21 February 1997
    02LCDR Robert Scott Hospodar, USN21 February 1997 - 4 December 1998
    03LCDR Michael Anthony Strano, USN - USNA Class of 19844 December 1998 - 23 June 2000
    04CDR Jonathan Christian, USN23 June 2000 - 8 February 2002
    05LCDR Richard Eaton Dodson, Jr., USN8 February 2002 - 29 January 2004
    06LCDR Glenn Robert Allen, USN - USNA Class of 198829 January 2004 - 15 February 2004
    07LCDR Jeffrey R. Cronin, USN15 February 2004 - 31 August 2005
    08LCDR Robert Emmet Smith, Jr., USN31 August 2005 - 30 June 2006
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler, Ron Reeves and Bill Gonyo
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    This page was created by Gary P. Priolo & maintained by Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory) & David Wright
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