USS Conquest (AM-488)

History
United States
Name	USS Conquest (MSO-488)
Builder	J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma, Washington
Laid down	26 March 1953
Launched	20 May 1954
Commissioned	8 July 1955
Decommissioned	29 June 1994
Reclassified	MSO-488, 7 February 1955
Stricken	29 June 1994
Fate	Sold to Taiwan, 1 March 1995
History
Taiwan
Name	ROCS Yung Tzu (MSO-1307)
Acquired	1 March 1995
Cost	$742,779
Status	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type	Aggressive-class minesweeper
Displacement	775 long tons (787 t) full load
Length	172 ft (52 m)
Beam	35 ft (11 m)
Draft	12 ft (3.7 m)
Propulsion	4 × Packard ID1700 diesel engines (later replaced by Waukasha Motors Co. diesels); 2 × shafts; 2 × controllable pitch propellers;
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement	8 officers, 70 enlisted
Armament	As built :; 1 × single 40 mm gun mount; 2 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) twin machine guns; Final configuarion :; 1 × twin 20 mm gun mount; 2 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) twin machine guns;

USS Conquest (MSO-488) was an Aggressive-class minesweeper in the United States Navy.

Conquest was laid down by the J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. of Tacoma, Washington on 26 March 1953 as AM-488, launched on 20 March 1954 by Mrs. C. D. Henderson. She was reclassified MSO-488 on 7 February 1955, and commissioned on 8 July 1955 with Lieutenant E. L. Davis in command.

Service history

Part of Operation Earnest Will, 1988, searching for Iranian laid mines. Had two of the Navy's best Sonar operators, STG2 Mark Marston and STG3 Jeff "trail dust" Cox both originally from USS Pledge out of Seattle Washington. 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"

Awards

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)

References

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.