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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive
Courtesy of Tommy Trampp


Courtesy of Al Grazevich

Courtesy of Mike Smolinski

Frigate Bird (MSC 191)
ex-AMS-191


Frigate Bird served the Navies of the United States and Indonesia
Falcon Class Motor Minesweeper:

  • The second Frigate Bird was laid down 20 July 1953 as AMS-191 by the Quincy Adams Yacht Yard, Inc., Quincy, MA
  • Launched 24 October 1953
  • Commissioned USS Frigate Bird (AMS 191), 13 January 1955
  • Reclassified as a Coastal Minesweeper, MSC-191, 7 February 1955
  • Transferred to Indonesia in 1971 and renamed Pulau Atang (M 721)
  • Struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1976
  • Scrapped 1 September 1976.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 290 t.
  • Length 144' 3"
  • Beam 28'
  • Draft 9'
  • Speed 13 kts.
  • Complement 39
  • Armament: Two 20mm mounts
  • Propulsion: 600shp Packard diesel engines, two shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Frigate Bird 13k
    Namesake:

    Frigate Bird - A long-winged, web-footed sea bird, noted for its graceful and long-range flight

    		 Tommy Trampp
    Photo added 15 December 2021
    Frigate Bird 213k Frigate Bird (MSC 191)
    Photo by Atlantic Fleet Sales    		 Don Mac Smith
    Frigate Bird 223k Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 81800 Mike Green
    AMS-201/200/192/191/190 157k Shrike (MSC 201), Redwing (MSC 200), Hummingbird (MSC 192), Frigate Bird, and Falcon (MSC 190) at Charleston, SC
    U.S. Navy photo from the June 1956 edition of All Hands magazine    		 Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory)
    Frigate Bird 233k c. September 1962
    Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 91835    		 Mike Green
    Frigate Bird 344k U.S. Naval Academy (8 October 1966) - The 144 foot long coastal minesweeper U.S.S. Frigate Bird (MSC-191) tied up at the U.S. Navy Marine Engineering Laboratory (MEL) for operational systems evaluation. Standing on the bow are Mr. William J. Andahazy, MEL physicist, and Lt. James E. Hancock, USN, skipper of the MSC 191 and a member of the Naval Academy graduate class of 1960
    Official U.S. Navy photograph    		 Bill Gonyo
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR George Barton Shick, USN - Retired as Rear Admiral13 January 1955 - July 1956
    02LT Closkey Lee "Clay" Blair, Jr., USNJuly 1956 - 29 November 1957
    03LT Donald Tipton Cannell, USN - USNA Class of 1953
    Retired as Captain    		29 November 1957 - 25 November 1958
    04LT Edward Fell Jardine, Jr., USN25 November 1958 - 23 March 1960
    05LCDR John James Kingston, Jr., USN23 March 1960 - 29 November 1961
    06LT David Hamlin Griffin, USN29 November 1961 - 9 July 1963
    07LT Bruce Phillips Gordon, USN9 July 1963 - 7 January 1965
    08LT James Frederick Featherstone, USN - USNA Class of 19597 January 1965 - 2 July 1966
    09LT James Everett Hancock, USN2 July 1966 - 21 December 1967
    10LT Richard Gregory McHugh, USN21 December 1967 - 1 January 1968
    11LT James Everett Hancock, USN - USNA Class of 1960
    Awarded two Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal - Retired as Captain    		1 January 1968 - 16 February 1968
    12LT Richard Gregory McHugh, USN16 February 1968 - 26 September 1968
    13LT Richard John McCarthy, USN26 September 1968 - 15 November 1968
    14LT Robert Frank Small, USN - (Officer-in-charge)15 November 1968 - 31 December 1968
    Courtesy of Wolfgang Hechler, Ron Reeves, Bill Gonyo and Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory)
    View the Frigate Bird (MSC 191)
    DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command website
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    This page created and maintained by Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory) & David Wright

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