U.S.S. SWERVE

USS SWERVE (MSO-495)

The second Swerve (MSO-495) ex-AM-495 was laid down on 20 December 1954 by Broward Marine Inc. Fort Lauderdale Fla. redesignated as MSO-495 on 7 February 1955; launched on 1 November 1955; sponsored by Mrs. F. A. Benison and commissioned on 27 July 1957 Lt. Comdr. K. H. Eaton in command

Swerve was assigned a home port at Charleston S.C. and after her shakedown participated in local exercises and operations until January 1959 when she deployed to the Mediterranean for duty with the 6th Fleet. Her first cruise in the Mediterranean ended in June. She then participated in two minesweeping exercises which took her to Savannah Gal and Nassau B.W.I. From January to June 1960 she participated in various exercises and then for a three-month period operated an underwater camera for the Service Force from New York to Boston and St. Johns Newfoundland.

Swerve began an overhaul in October 1960 that lasted until February 1961. After refresher training she participated in minesweeping operations with units of the Royal Canadian Navy before making a midshipman cruise to the Caribbean. She returned to Charleston and-began making preparations for another tour with the 6th Fleet in the fall. The minesweeper stood out of Charleston on 11 September 1961 and entered the Mediterranean two weeks later for a tour that ended on 24 March 1962. In May Swerve participated in Project Mercury as a recovery unit for America's second orbital space shot. The remainder of the year was spent in local operations and in overhaul.

Swerve sailed to Panama City Fla. on 29 January 1963 and assisted the Mine Defense Laboratory during February and March. She and her division then deployed to the Caribbean from 2 June to 18 October. On 4 November Swerve and Sturdy (MSO-494) got underway on a good-will tour to Central America. The two ships called at ports in Panama Costa Rica Nicaragua and Guatemala before returning to Charleston on 8 December 1963.

Swerve conducted operations along the coast with Mine Division 44 until 24 August 1964 when it sailed for Argentia Newfoundland on a five-week cruise. The minesweeper spent the remainder of the year at Charleston for an overhaul and leave. In March 1965 she served as a recovery unit for Project Gemini 3 off Cape Kennedy Fla.

Swerve was deployed to the 6th Fleet from 15 June to 8 November 1965. On 29 March she deployed to the Caribbean. On 1 July Swerve was assigned the task of finding and recovering a practice weapon that was lost off Vieques P.R. After 51 days of searching with the aid of the mini-submarine Asherah the device was found and recovered. The ship returned to Charleston and resumed operations along the Atlantic seaboard from Halifax to the Dominican Republic for the next five years.

In September 1970 it was decided that Swerve would be decommissioned. Preinactivation was begun at Mayport Fla. on 1 October; and on 20 January 1971 she was placed in a caretaker status. Swerve was decommissioned on 1 July 1971 and assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was still attached to that fleet in February 1975. Swerve was sold for scrapping 1 February 1978.

[Note: The above USS SWERVE (MSO-495) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS SWERVE (MSO-495) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]