Name USS Pledge (AM-492) Commissioned 20 April 1956 Struck 31 January 1994 Launched 20 July 1955 Displacement 703,100 kg | Laid down 24 June 1954 Decommissioned 31 January 1994 Construction started 24 June 1954 Length 52 m Draft 3 m | |
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Reclassified MSO-492, 7 February 1955 | ||
USS Pledge (AM-492/MSO-492) was an Aggressive-class minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.
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The second ship to be named Pledge by the Navy, MSO-492, a minesweeper, was laid down on 24 June 1954 by the J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma, Washington, launched 20 July 1955, sponsored by Mrs. T. F. Uitsch, and commissioned 20 April 1956, Lt. Thomas D. Pfundstein in command.
West Coast operations
After sea trials, Pledge joined her sister ships at Long Beach, California, 25 May 1956. Following training from July 1956 to February 1957 she operated in WESTPAC March to September 1957. She underwent modification from October 1957 to March 1958.
Vietnam operations
Deployed to WESTPAC 24 August 1961, she visited Bangkok, Thailand, in November, and Saigon, Vietnam, in December. In early 1962 she participated in special training operations at Da Nang, Vietnam until her departure 17 February. Her deployment to WESTPAC, 12 August 1963 included exercises with South Korean ships in October and Nationalist Chinese ships in November. On her next assignment to WESTPAC, 13 August 1965, She performed coastal surveillance duties off the Republic of Vietnam from 18 October to 16 November 1965 and from 18 December into early 1966.
Into 1970 Pledge remains active with the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Decommissioning
Decommissioned and stricken 31 January 1994, Pledge was sold to Taiwan on 8 March of that year.