Other Memories My memories of MSO 457 include: The Loyalty following the USS NEW JERSEY into Long Beach & actually boarding her once on a 'messenger run' at the Long Beach Repair facility, and seeing her at Subic Bay***Escorting the QUEEN MARY into Long Beach on December 9 1967, and weeding through all the pleasure boats that came out to greet her***Playing Russian trawler during fleet exercises off Camp Pendleton***The bucket in the pilot house during 'rough' weather***Fellows & Stewarts Shipyard on Terminal Island***The fire in the boiler flats as we pulled into Hawaii, March 1968***Overnight liberty in Kwajalein & mostly free drinks at the local civilians' club while the bos'ns repainted the ship (the Division Commodore didn't like the way the ship's numbers looked...)***Guam: Gab Gab Beach & getting thrown overboard when I advanced to EM2***Subic Bay: Olongapo, the Sphinx Club & Grande Island***Liberty in Hong Kong***Sea snakes and flying fish***Chasing rain clouds to take showers when the evaps broke down, etc. I remember good times with YN3 Wishinsky, FN Weibel, FN Fitzgerald, EM3 Glover, EN2 Thomas, EN3 Gardner, 'Frenchy Bouchet' (one crazy Bos'n), etc. After returning to Long Beach from our first 'Market Time' experience, Wishinsky and I wanted to expand our horizons (HA!), & decided to put in for 'shore duty'. I went to Nha Trang, and he ended up in Thailand working for a Navy Harbor Master. I guess the skills he learned working in the ship's office provided more rewards than those I learned as an electrician - Wishinsky was permitted to live off base in an apartment and had a maid!
SHIP OF THE MONTH
USS LOYALTY (MSO-457)
OUR NAVY (June, 1969)
OUR NAVY magazine’s “Ship of the Month” for June is the USS LOYALTY (MSO-457). Her commanding officer is Lieutenant Commander Raymond P. Connell, USN.
In nominating her for 1968 “Ship of the Year”, Rear Admiral H. V. Bird, Commander Mine force, U. S. Pacific Fleet, wrote as follows:
Paul Watson, Publisher
Our Navy Magazine
One Hanson Place
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11217
Dear Mr. Watson:
Although Ocean Minesweepers (MSOs) are small in comparison to many ships in our present day Navy, they nevertheless play a major role. In addition to being trained and ready to sweep mines at all times, thereby keeping the sea lanes open, they are currently a vital link in the U. S. Navy commitments to Operation Market time in South Vietnam.
With the above in mind, it is my distinct pleasure to nominate for OUR NAVY magazine’s Ship of the Year Award the USS LOYALTY (MSO-457).
LOYALTY is an outstanding choice to represent the Mine force, U. S. Pacific Fleet and the Navy in general. She is a shining example of a “squared –away” Navy ship. I am proud to have her as a member of my command.
The administrative and operational performance of LOYALTY during 1968 has been outstanding. LOYALTY has attained uncommon excellence in all areas of endeavor. Underway, LOYALTY is always prepared. Her material condition is doubtless the finest in the Fine force and she has yet to miss a commitment. Her training program is one of the most comprehensive and rigorously pursued of any ship I know.
Although her exemplary performance extends to each and every task, two examples are included here to indicate the excellence already acknowledged. For the second consecutive year LOYALY was awarded the Battle “E” and received the highest score of all Ocean Minesweepers in the Pacific Fleet Mine Force. LOYALTY was also the runner-up for the NEY AWARD for excellence in commissary performance in the Mine Force.
LOYALTY’s record speaks for itself and fully supports my recommendation of “SHIP OF THE YEAR.”
Sincerely,
H. V. BIRD
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
LOYALTY started off 1968 by being transferred from Mine Division 71 to Mine Division 72. Soon she was busy conducting Training Battle Problems aboard the other three ships in the division prior to their departure for Refresher Training in San Diego. The ship had done well in refresher training six weeks earlier, and the other ships benefited from the knowledge and experience of her personnel. During January, all hands were kept busy preparing for the upcoming Maintenance and Material, and Pre-Deployment Inspections. The combined inspections were held on 31 January, and LOYALTY received an overall grade of “Outstanding”.
Now the crew turned its efforts toward preparing for the forthcoming deployment to the Western Pacific. Final Engineering and Electronics Maintenance was accomplished, and the ship’s storerooms were topped off with repair parts and other supplies and provisions. During this time LOYTALTY’s general mess was undergoing a series of inspections for the Edward F. Ney Award, presented annually to the best Navy messes ashore and afloat. LOYALTY received the Commander Mine Force, Pacific nomination and was given her final inspection only three days prior to departure. The ship’s long-standing reputation for having a fine general mess was substantiated as she reached the finals in the small ship-Afloat Division. Honoring her position among the top four small general messes in the Navy, LOYALTY was presented with a handsome plaque by COMINEPAC and an engraved certificate by the NEY Award Committee.
On 7 March 1968, only four days prior to departure for Vietnam, Captain WITHEROW was relieved by LCDR Raymond P. CONNELL, LOYALTY’s eighth Commanding Officer.
On 11 March 1968, LOYALTY departed Long Beach for an extended deployment to Southeast Asia with her sister ships in Mine Division 72. After ten days of rough weather, she reached Pearl Harbor where a brief stop was made for fuel and provisions. While in port, commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet Staff personnel briefed the officers of Mine Division Seventy-Two on current operations in the Pacific. LOYALTY got underway from Pearl Harbor to participate in Operation BARSTUR off the island of KAUAI. Along with two other ships in the division, LOYALTY conducted a deep sweep for two days in an attempt to locate two buoys which had slipped their moorings. In addition to her sweeping duties, LOYALTY was selected to carry on board a new experimental electronic navigation device. Although the missing buoys were never located, valuable information was gathered from the navigation device.
After a brief stop in Port Allen, Kauai, for fuel, the division continued westward. Short stops were made for fuel at Johnston Island on 27 March and at Kwajalein Atoll on 3 April, then the ships continued toward Guam. On 7 April midway to Guam, a typhoon developed and LOYALTY, along with the other ships, was forced to change course to avoid the storm. Eniwetok was the nearest haven so the ships were diverted to that Atoll. After re-fueling in Eniwetok, the ships again set out for Guam, finally arriving on 16 April. LOYALTY spent almost two weeks in Guam during which she underwent an extensive upkeep period. Finally, on 23 April, in company with her sister ships she left Guam and began the final leg of the long transit. She arrived in Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines on 1 May, but was in port only long enough to re-fuel and stock up on provisions before proceeding independently to her first Market Time patrol.
After a four-day transit to her assigned Market Time operational area, LOYALTY officially relieved USS ENGAGE (MSO 433) and commenced her first patrol of the cruise. The following day, LOYALTY steamed into the Vietnamese port of Vung Tau where she was briefed on the patrol area procedures and her specific responsibilities. LOYALTY’s mission while on Market Time patrol was to prevent the infiltration of ammunition, supplies, and personnel into South Vietnam from seaward. In carrying out this mission, LOYALTY boarded and searched over seventy wooden junks, and positively identified more than one hundred twenty five other vessels.
The men of LOYALTY spent many hours searching the Vietnamese fishing vessels. Condition of readiness IV was set on board regardless of the time of the day or night. The Inspection Party was sent aboard junks, with armed lookouts standing by in case hostilities occurred. While on board, the inspection party carefully examined the fishermen’s identification papers and then conducted a thorough search. If anyone on the junks acted suspiciously or lacked the proper identification papers, he was brought aboard LOYALTY and detained until he could be turned over to the Coastal Surveillance Authorities for further interrogation. If, however, the fishermen proved friendly, they were given some small token of good will such as cigarettes, candy, soap, or Polaroid pictures of themselves.
LOYALTY also inspected larger merchant cargo vessels that transited the area. In most cases, these ships were interrogated by flashing light as to their name, call sign, cargo, nationality, and destination. In recognition of LOYALTY’s diligence and success in inspecting and identifying ships in her area, the Commander of the Navy’s Coastal Surveillance Force in Vietnam sent a personal message commending her and other ships in the area for their high percentage of contact identifications.
Every three days, LOYALTY rendezvoused with a fleet oiler to receive fuel and occasionally fresh water, ice cream, and fresh vegetables. Altogether, she conducted eighteen underway replenishments, including unreps with stores ships for provisions and repair parts.
She also rendezvoused with many of the smaller patrol craft under her operational command to provide fuel, to pass information, or to provide other assistance as necessary. For two weeks LOYALTY acted as a communications relay ship for the patrol unit in an adjacent Market Time Area. Near the end of the first patrol, LOYALTY was designated to conduct an underwater sonar search in an attempt to locate a suspected cache for Viet Cong weapons. Loyalty spent an entire day minehunting in shallow water only nine hundred yards off the beach and discovered several possible locations.
After forty-five days on patrol, LOYALTY was relieved by USS PRIME (MSO 466), and steamed back to Subic Bay for a two-week upkeep period. Rapid repairs to machinery were made, and LOYALTY was ready for her second patrol.
Before departing Subic Bay, however, the men of LOYALTY took time out from their hectic schedule to welcome aboard Cesar Pagunsan, a Filipino high school student whose education was being financed by LOYALTY through “Operation Schoolhouse”. Cesar was given a tour of the ship and then treated to an American snack on the messdecks. As an official memento, Cesar was given a LOYALTY plaque, as well as several Polaroid pictures of his visit. While Cesar was aboard, LOYALTY took the opportunity to present “Operation Schoolhouse” officials with another large donation; enough money had been contributed to finance two more students through a full four years of high school.
Getting underway on 6 July, LOYALTY again headed for the southern surveillance area off the coast of South Vietnam. On 10 July she relieved USS REAPER (MSO 467) as the area commander. Later the same day she proceeded to AnThoi for an intelligence briefing. While in port AnThoi, LOYALTY deposited fifteen boxes of shoes, toys, and clothing with the local authorities for transfer to the senior U.S. Naval Advisor in the Fourth Riverine Area. These articles had been transported from Long Beach for the needy families of Vietnam as part of “Project Handclasp”. LOYALTY was pleased to include this project among her many other “People to People” Projects. Once again LOYALTY’s Market Time mission was the same: to prevent infiltration from the sea. In addition to boarding Vietnamese fishing boats and identifying merchant shipping, LOYALTY was also responsible for inspecting Thai Fishing Trawlers. This latter task alone was enough to keep LOYALTY quite busy as the Thai Trawlers were fast and plentiful.
In spite of the abundant supply of ice cream and movies, life on board was made less tolerable by bad weather and rough seas. LOYALTY again conducted boardings, inspections, UNREPS, and rendezvous as she had on the first patrol, but this time she also had the opportunity to engage in Naval Gunfire Support Missions. On two occasions, LOYALTY moved in close to the beach and with the aid of an ARMY spotter aircraft, fired her 40 MM on suspected Viet Cong positions inland. LOYALTY was successful in her role as “Man of War” receiving credit for several Viet Cong killed and a number of structures damaged. In addition, Commander Task Group 115 later personally commended LOYALTY for Gunfire Support activity. Midway through the patrol, with the threat of major Viet Cong offensive being launched, LOYALTY was moved to her third Market Time area-again becoming the area commander.
On 3 August, while still on patrol, the men of LOYALTY learned that she had been awarded the Battle Efficiency “E” for the second year in a row. Promptly and proudly, the crew painted a white hashmark under the existing “E” on her bridge.
After fifty-five days of rainy and rough weather on patrol, LOYALTY was relieved by USS PRIME (MSO 466), whereupon she proceeded north to rendezvous with her sister ship USS EMBATTLE (MSO 434) for transit to Hong Kong, BCC. After anchoring in Danang Harbor for several hours to receive fuel, LOYALTY, in company with EMBATTLE, headed toward Hong Kong.
Arriving in Hong Kong on 25 August, LOYALTY enjoyed the next four days as a reward for her recent labors on patrol. All hands enjoyed the hospitality and recreational opportunities of the city, then LOYALTY departed with many souvenirs and gifts stowed aboard.
Underway again on 30 August, LOYALTY steamed back to Subic Bay, R. P. arriving on 3 September after encountering some rough weather enroute. In Subic, LOYALTY made final preparations for an INSURV Inspection which was held on 11 September. LOYALTY then continued preparations for the transit home.
On 19 September Commander Mine Division 72, CDR Murline, acting on behalf of RADM H.V. Bird, Commander Mine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, officially presented LOYALTY’s Battle Efficiency “E” plaque. While making the presentation, the Commodore reflected on LOYALTY’s outstanding record for the past fiscal year: in addition to a variety of unique accomplishments, she was able to make the enviable claim that she had met every single operational commitment on time.
It wasn’t long before LOYALTY was called upon to defend her reputation as “always ready”. On 21 September, she was ordered underway in the middle of the night for Borneo. She was to rendezvous with USS WOODPECKER (MSC 209) who was having main engine trouble, and escort her safely back to Subic. LOYALTY was underway within one hour after receiving the order, and the rendezvous was accomplished successfully. The ships then steamed back to Subic.
After several delays, the division was ready to start the return transit to Long Beach and LOYALTY got underway for Guam on 9 October. Harassed again by rough weather, the ships arrived in Guam on 17 October. Next on her schedule was a ten-day upkeep period in port, but it failed to materialize as LOYALTY, along with the rest of the ships moored in Apra Harbor, was ordered to sortie twice during that period for typhoon evasion. Remaining at sea for about forty-eight hours during each sortie, LOYALTY escaped serious damage, again reaffirming her readiness.
More delays developed while waiting in Guam to continue the homeward journey. On 30 October the division got underway at last for Pearl Harbor, escorted by USS STONE COUNTY (LST 1141) who provided fuel during the sixteen days at sea. Once again LOYALTY proved her readiness by towing the Division flagship USS FIRM (MSO 444) over six hundred miles when FIRM developed main engine trouble.
LOYALTY arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 16 November for a forty-eight hour stopover before departing on the final leg of the homeward journey.
During her deployment, LOYALTY compiled some impressive statistics. She spent 198 out of 260 days at sea for a total of 77%. During her travels, she covered a total of 27,120 nautical miles, or the equivalent of one and one-quarter times around the world. She sent and received over 3,000 radio messages as well as countless flashing light transmissions. She used 289,500 gallons of fuel worth $34,750.00. She conducted thirty-seven Underway Replenishments with Fleet Oilers and Stores Ships as well as many rendezvous with Coast Guard Cutters and other patrol craft. Twenty-nine men, almost one-half of her crew, were advanced in rate during the cruise.
During this long and arduous deployment, LOYALTY’s crew was molded into a highly effective fighting unit. The ship continued her reputation for excellence by meeting every single operational commitment and by being ready for duty whenever called upon. It was with a proud feeling of accomplishment that LOYALTY returned home knowing that she had played a vital part in the United States’ mission in Southeast Asia.
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