- USS Vital (AM-129)
USS "Vital" (AM-129) was an "Auk"-class minesweeper acquired by the
U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.Vital was laid down on
1 January 1942 atChickasaw, Alabama , by theGulf Shipbuilding Corp.; launched on7 September 1942 ; sponsored by Miss E. Herrmann; and completed on18 May 1943 .Lend-lease of USS "Vital" to the U.K.
Turned over to the
Royal Navy under provisions of thelend-lease agreement, "Vital" was renamed "HMS Strenuous" and subsequently served in theRoyal Navy for the duration ofWorld War II ."Vital" returned to the U.S. Navy
Returned to the
United States Government after the war, on10 December 1946 , the ship resumed her former classification,AM-129 , but not her former name. She was carried on theNaval Vessel Register as USS "Strenuous" (AM-129), and in the1 January 1947 edition of theNaval Vessel Register as merely AM-129.Disposition
She was declared surplus on
23 April 1947 and sold by theState Department 'sForeign Liquidation Commission to a foreign purchaser. She served in the merchant service until she was broken up for scrap inGermany in July1956 .References
See also
*
List of United States Navy ships
*Auk class minesweeper
*Lend-Lease
*World War II
*Minesweeper (ship)
*Minesweeping External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/#Anchor-Editoria-14954 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.