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

Redhead (MHC 48)
ex-Redhead (AMCU 48)
ex-Redhead (AMS 34)
ex-YMS-443



YMS-443 call sign:
Nan - Charlie - Roger - Zebra
YMS-135 Class Auxiliary Motor Mine Sweeper:

  • Laid down 21 October 1943 by Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co., Kingston, NY
  • Launched 5 May 1944
  • Commissioned USS YMS-443, 15 December 1944
  • Reclassified as a Motor Minesweeper, AMS-34 and named Redhead 18 February 1947
  • Reclassified as a Coastal Minesweeper (Underwater Locator), AMCU-48, 1 September 1954
  • Reclassified as a Coastal Minehunter, MHC-48, 7 February 1955
  • Decommissioned 6 December 1957 at Astoria, OR and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group
  • Struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1959
  • Fate unknown.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 270 t.
  • Length 136'
  • Beam 24' 6"
  • Draft 10'
  • Speed 15 kts.
  • Complement 32
  • Armament: One 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth charge projectors and two depth charge tracks
  • Propulsion: Two 800bhp 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
    Redhead 91k 18 October 1950
    Wonsan harbor, Korea
    Republic of Korea minesweeper YMS-516 sinking in Wonsan harbor, after she detonated a magnetic mine during sweeping operations west of Kalma Pando. Redhead is just to the right of the sinking ship, rescuing survivors, as is another minesweeper to the left. Photographed from USS Merganser (AMS-26). ROK YMS-516 was originally the U.S. Navy's YMS-148, which had served in the British Navy in 1943 - 1946
    National Archives photo 80-G-443316
    Incredible 125k Commanding Officers of Mine Division Thirty-one in conference off Korea, 26 October 1950. Probably taken in the wardroom of USS Incredible (AM 249) during minesweeping operations off Wonsan

    Those present are (from left to right):
    Lieutenant Edward P. Flynn, Commanding Officer of USS Incredible;
    Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Nicholas Grkovic, CO of USS Kite (AMS 22);
    Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Robert C. Fuller, CO of USS Partridge (AMS 31);
    Lieutenant Commander D'Arcy V. Shouldice, Commander, Mine Division 31;
    Lieutenant (Junior Grade) T.R. Howard, CO of Redhead;
    Lieutenant (Junior Grade) James P. McMahon, CO of USS Chatterer (AMS-40);
    Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Philip Levin, CO of USS Osprey (AMS 28) and
    Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Stanley P. Gary, CO of USS Mockingbird (AMS 27)
    National Archives photo 80-G-422081

    		 Robert Hurst
    Redhead 218k c. 1952/1954
    U.S. Navy photo NH 85779    		 Naval History and Heritage Command
    Commanding Officers
    01LTJG John P. Hanna, USN15 December 1944
    02LTJG T. R. Howard, USN - USNA Class of 19471950 - June 1951
    03LTJG K. Kirshenbaum, USNRJune 1951 - January 1952
    04LT DeWitt Clinton Redgrave, III, USNJanuary 1952- December 1952
    05LT Richard Lindsay Alford, USNDecember 1952 - 1954
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    View the Redhead (MHC 48)
    DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command website
    Back To The Main Photo Index Back To the Mine Warfare Ship Photo Index Back To The Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) Photo Index Back To The Motor Minesweeper (AMS) Photo Index Back to the Coastal Minesweeper (Underwater Locator) - (AMCU) Photo Index Back to the Coastal Minehunter (MHC) Photo Index
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