USS Constant (AM-427)

USS Constant, (AM-427/MSO-427) was an Aggressive class minesweeper vessel in the United States Navy.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Constant.
History
United States
BuilderFulton Shipyard, Antioch, California
Laid down16 August 1951
Launched14 February 1953
Acquired7 September 1954
Commissioned8 September 1954
Decommissioned30 September 1992
ReclassifiedMSO-427, 7 February 1955
Stricken9 March 1994
FateScrapped, 1 April 2001
General characteristics
Class and typeAggressive class minesweeper
Displacement775 tons
Length172 ft (52.43 m)
Beam36 ft (10.97 m)
Draught10 ft (3.05 m)
PropulsionFour Packard ID1700 diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers
Speed14 knots
Complement6 Officers, 74 Enlisted
Armament1 40 mm., 2 .50 cal (12.7 mm) mg

Constant was laid down on 16 August 1951 at Fulton Shipyard, Antioch, California and launched on 14 February 1953. She was commissioned as Constant, AM-427) on 8 September 1954 and later reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper MSO-427 on 7 February 1955.

Pacific Ocean operations

Constant operated on the west coast until she cleared Long Beach, California, 4 January 1956 for Pearl Harbor and Yokosuka, Japan, arriving 4 February. She joined in amphibious exercises at Iwo Jima, made repairs to cables and conducted minesweeping and local operations from her base at Sasebo until 28 March. Between 2 April and 19 May, she sailed in training exercises with naval forces of the Republic of China based on Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She returned to Sasebo 20 April to resume operations in Japanese waters until 19 May, when she cleared Yokosuka, Japan, for Long Beach, California, arriving 15 June.

Stateside Overhaul

After overhaul and west coast operations, Constant sailed from Long Beach, California, 2 June 1958, for Sasebo and duty in minesweeping off Okinawa, as well as other local operations from 3 July to 30 August. She stood by at Taiwan from 2 September until 27 October during the Quemoy Crisis, then called at Hong Kong, before returning to Japan. She cleared Yokosuka, Japan, 12 December for Long Beach, California, arriving 6 January 1959. Through the remainder of 1959, and the first half of 1960, she operated locally from Long Beach. On 31 August Constant sailed for duty in the Far East, where she remained into 1961. In the mid-1980s, she participated in one or more extended endurance Naval Reserve summer training cruises (with reservists embarked) from her homeport in San Diego to as far away as the Naval Air Station in Adak, AK. In June, 1985, USS Constant called at the following ports: U.S. Coast Guard Station Juneau, AK, and at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak Island, AK.

Decommissioning

Constant was decommissioned, 30 September 1992; struck from the Naval Register, 9 March 1994; sold for scrapping to Crowley Marine, removal date 29 September 1999; scrapped, 1 April 2001.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

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