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



Left patch from the May 1963 edition of All Hands magazine, right patch courtesy of Mike Smolinski

Leader (MSO 490)
ex-AM-490



Call sign:
November - Yankee - Romeo - Delta
Aggressive Class Minesweeper:

  • Laid down 22 September 1953 as AM-490 by the J. L. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma, Washington
  • Launched 15 September 1954
  • Reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-490, 7 February 1955
  • Commissioned USS Leader (MSO-490), 16 November 1955
  • Decommissioned 30 November 1970 at Naval Station Long Beach, CA and moved to Harbor Boat Yard, Terminal Island, CA for a modernization overhaul
  • Recommissioned "Special" 11 February 1972 at Long Beach
  • Recommissioned 6 March 1972
  • Decommissioned 12 December 1991 and laid up at Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Portsmouth, VA
  • Struck from the Naval Register 18 March 1992
  • Sold for scrap 18 August 1994 by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service to NR Aquilinity of New York, NY for $28,880
  • Broken up at Wilmington, NC.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 775 t.
  • Length 172'
  • Beam 35'
  • Draft 12'
  • Speed 14 kts.
  • Complement 78
  • Armament: As built, one single 40mm gun mount and two .50 cal machine guns; Final configuration, bow gun removed and replaced with one twin 20mm mount, two .50 cal. machine guns remained
  • Propulsion: Four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, replaced by four Waukasha Motors Co. diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Leader 103k Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR, Ret.
    Leader 52k
    Leader 20k Belt buckle
    Leader 39k c. 1965
    Leader 126k Below the port wing of a P2V Neptune bomber
    U.S. Navy photo from the April 1966 edition of All Hands magazine    		 Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory)
    Leader 113k Photo 1972 102 Minesweeper
    Website
    Dick Lewis
    Dominant, Engage & Leader 344k Leader, Engage (MSO 433) and Dominant (MSO 431) in port during the Mariel Boatlift 1980
    U.S. Navy photo by PH3 Greg Hilton from the Wright Langley Collection courtesy of Florida Keys Public Libraries    		 Robert Hurst
    Leader 261k 1 October 1984
    Naval Station Charleston, SC
    U.S. Navy photo DN-ST-88-02046 by PHCS Kirby Harrison
    Leader 136k U.S. Navy photo from the February 1985 edition of All Hands magazine Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory)
    Leader 63k DVIC photo DN-SN-90-11819 Defense Visual Information Center
    Adroit 58k A tug pulls the Adroit (MSO 509) over Dutch heavy lift ship Super Servant 3 during her deployment to the Persian Gulf War on 19 August 1990. Ocean minesweeper Leader is to the right
    Photo by JO2 Oscar Sosa
    National Archives photo 330-CFD-DN-ST-90-11673    		 Mike Green
    Leader 498k 5 October 1990
    Bahrain
    On the partially submerged deck of the Dutch heavy lift ship Super Servant 3 prior to offloading in support of Operation Desert Shield
    U.S. Navy photo DN-SC-91-02583 by CDR John Charles Roach    		 Robert Hurst
    Leader
    110249013    		 299k Leader departing from a Saudi Arabian port on a minesweeping mission during "Operation Desert Shield", circa 1990 (catalogued 01 April 1992). Photographer PH2 Burge, USN.
    Department of Defense photo 330-CFD-DN-ST-92-06935, catalogued as National Archives identifier (NAID) 6479770    		 Robert Hurst
    Leader
    110249014    		 299k Leader underway during mine-clearing operations following the cease-fire that ended Operation Desert Storm (catalogued 01 April 1991). Photographer PH2 Rudy D. Pahoyo, USN.
    Department of Defense photo 330-CFD-DN-SN-93-01465, catalogued as National Archives identifier (NAID) 6484644    		 Robert Hurst
    Avenger 689k c. 1991
    Leader outboard of Avenger (MCM 1)    		 Delta Squad
    Leader 171k c. 1991
    Desert Storm Pro Set card    		 Tommy Trampp
    Leader 123k 10 August 1991
    Plaque presented to Leader from JDS Tokiwa (AOE 423)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR Harvey Earl Toponce, USN16 November 1955 - 22 April 1957
    02LCDR John Charles Vasse, USN22 April 1957 - 15 September 1959
    03LCDR Donald Fleming Milligan, USN15 September 1959 - 1 July 1961
    04LCDR Francis Paul Kauzlarich, USN1 July 1961 - 1 February 1962
    05LCDR Alfred George Kreinberg, USN1 February 1962 - 10 February 1964
    06LT John Fitzgerald, USN10 February 1964 - 10 February 1965
    07LCDR Paul Clinton Lown, USN10 February 1965 - 22 February 1966
    08LCDR Daniel Richard Maher, USN22 February 1966 - 4 January 1967
    09LCDR David George Clements, USN4 January 1967 - 1 January 1970
    10LCDR Gerald Dean Scott, USN14 August 1970 - 30 November 1970 (Decommissioned)
    11LCDR Edwin T. Churchill, USN11 February 1972 (Recommissioned) - 21 January 1974
    12LT Richard Cox Felsinger, USN21 January 1974 - 25 July 1975
    13LT Robert Clark Waite, USN25 July 1975 - 25 October 1977
    14CDR Harry James Miller, Jr., USN25 October 1977 - 28 June 1980
    15LCDR James Maynard Coon, USN - USNA Class of 196728 June 1980 - 25 June 1982
    16CDR Donald George Owen, USN25 June 1982 - 10 August 1984
    17LCDR Bruce Edward Dunscombe, USN10 August 1984 - 15 March 1986
    18CDR James Joseph LoBue, USN15 March 1986 - 24 March 1988
    19LCDR William Gene Hollyfield, Jr., USN - Gold Crew25 January 1988
    20CDR Robert David Liggett, USN - USNA Class of 1972
    Blue Crew    		25 January 1988 - 29 April 1988
    21LCDR Donald Francis Dalton, USN - USNA Class of 1977
    Gold Crew    		29 April 1988 - 3 June 1988
    22CDR John Scott Carmichael, USN - USNA Class of 1972
    Blue Crew    		3 June 1988 - 8 July 1988
    23CDR James Joseph LoBue, USN - Gold Crew8 July 1988 - 9 September 1988
    24LCDR Gregory J. Cornish, USN - USNA Class of 1977
    Blue Crew    		9 September 1988 - 10 January 1989
    25LCDR Donald Francis Dalton, USN - Gold Crew10 January 1989 - 9 July 1990
    26LCDR Steven Eugene Lehr, USN - Blue Crew9 July 1990 - 9 December 1990
    27LCDR James Lonial Clark, USN - Gold Crew9 December 1990 - 10 October 1991
    28CDR George Jeffrey Fullerton, USN10 October 1991 - 10 November 1991
    29LCDR Steven Eugene Lehr, USN10 November 1991 - 12 December 1991
    ??LCDR Joe Lee, USN
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    View the Leader (MSO-490)
    DANFS History entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Website
    Additional Resources and Websites of Interest
    102 Minesweepers (MSO) Oceangoing Minesweepers
    Back To The Main Photo Index Back To the Mine Warfare Ship Photo Index Back to the Ocean Minesweeper (MSO) Photo Index
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    This page was created by Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory) and maintained by David L. Wright
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    Last Updated 15 October 2023