USS Loyalty (AMc-88)

USS Loyalty (AMc-88) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

Accentor-class minesweeper, sister ship Memorable
History
United States
Builder: Fulton Shipyard
Laid down: 8 May 1941
Launched: 23 August 1941
Commissioned: 15 December 1944
Decommissioned: 4 December 1945
In service: 17 January 1942
Stricken: 19 December 1945
Fate:
  • grounded and destroyed,
  • 12 January 1946
General characteristics
Displacement: 195 tons
Length: 97 ft 1 in (29.59 m)
Beam: 22 ft (6.7 m)
Draft: 9 ft (2.7 m)
Speed: 10 knots
Complement: 17
Armament: two .50 cal (12.7 mm) antiaircraft machine guns., two .30 cal (7.62 mm)
For other ships with the same name, see USS Loyalty.

Loyalty was laid down by Fulton Shipyard, Antioch, California, 8 May 1941; launched 23 August 1941; sponsored by Mrs. Donald Noackk; and placed in service 17 January 1942.

Assigned to the 14th Naval District, Loyalty, performed patrol and minesweeping operations out of Pearl Harbor. She was commissioned 15 December 1944, Lt. Robert H. Grayson in command. Following conversion to an underwater location ship, Loyalty sailed 1 May 1945 for the western Pacific. After touching Eniwetok, Guam, and Saipan, the minesweeper arrived Okinawa 18 June.

Throughout the summer, Loyalty operated out of Okinawa on various underwater demolition and salvage mission. Her duties included the blasting of a sunken Japanese ammunition ship and the removal of 40 depth charges from a sunken enemy destroyer.

She remained in the western Pacific after V-J Day. While en route to Unten Ko, Okinawa, 16 September, she struck a reef and grounded. Loyalty decommissioned 4 December 1945 and was struck from the Navy list the 19th. She was destroyed 12 January 1946.

Loyalty received one battle star for World War II service.

References
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