USS Conquest (AM-488)

One of a new type of non-magnetic minesweepers, Conquest remained operating out of Long Beach, California on trials and training until 2 October 1956. She sailed to Acapulco, Mexico, for a good will visit from 10 to 14 October, then returned to Long Beach to prepare for her first tour of duty in the Far East. Sailing 4 March 1957, Conquest visited Chinhae, South Korea, and Kaohsiung, Formosa for operations with the Republic of China Navy; Hong Kong, and various ports in Japan before returning to Long Beach on 13 September 1957 for overhaul. During 1958 she operated locally out of Long Beach and conducted a series of minesweeping exercises at Esquimalt, Nootka Sound, and Vancouver, British Columbia, from 6 October to 19 November. Between 17 August 1959 and 13 March 1960, she again served in the Far East, returning to local operations through June 1960.

Conquest was decommissioned on 29 June 1994, stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 29 June 1994 and sold on 1 March 1995. Conquest was sold to Taiwan to be designated Yung Tzu (MSO-1307) for $742,779

Call sign: "November - Tango - Alpha - Whiskey"

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  Decommissioning ceremony of Yung Tzu on 1 September 2020

Conquest received 26 unit awards and citations:

• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals for Quemoy-Matsu, Vietnam and Persian Gulf (8)
• Combat Action Ribbons (2)
• Navy E Ribbons (3)
• Navy Unit Commendation (1)
• Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Gallantry (3)
• Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation 1982 (1)
• Vietnam Service Medals (8)

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

• Photo gallery of USS Conquest (AM-488/MSO-488) at NavSource Naval History
• USS Conquest (AM-488/MSO-488) Archived 5 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine