USS Fidelity (AM-443)

The USS Fidelity (AM-443) was an Aggressive class minesweeper: laid down, 15 December 1952 at Higgins Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana; launched, 21 August 1953; commissioned USS Fidelity (AM-443), 19 January 1955; redesignated as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-443, 7 February 1955.

Armament: as built, one single 40mm gun mount, two .50 cal machine guns, final configuration, bow gun replaced by one twin 20mm gun mount, two .50 cal. machine guns remain.

North Atlantic operations

"USS Fidelity" first arrived at her home port, Charleston, South Carolina, 1 May 1955, and through the next year ranged widely in the western Atlantic, serving with the Mine Countermeasures Station at Panama City, Florida, participating in fleet exercises, and calling at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Between 29 August 1957 and 13 February 1958, she served her first tour of duty in the Mediterranean with the U.S. 6th Fleet, joining in sweeping exercises as well as a large scale NATO training operation.

Supporting Middle East Crisis

The minesweeper sailed directly to Beirut, Lebanon, on her 1958 deployment to the Mediterranean, arriving 15 August to support the U.S. Marines landed a month earlier to stabilize the critical Middle Eastern situation. After an 8-day visit, she took up a regular Mediterranean tour schedule, which included visits to ports in Greece, Crete, and the Balearic Isles before her return to Charleston, South Carolina, 3 November. Between 24 July 1959 and 11 February 1960, USS Fidelity completed a third tour of duty in the Mediterranean, returning to coastwise operations through 1962.

Decommissioning

"USS Fidelity" was decommissioned, 19 May 1989; struck from the Naval Register, 16 June 1989; sold for scrapping, 10 September 1990 to Wyns Hoggs for $13,775.

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/f2/fidelity-ii.htm
*NVR|http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/MSO443.htm

External links

* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/02443.htm NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Fidelity (MSO 443) - ex-AM-433]
* [http://home.earthlink.net/~mso465/443/ USS FIDELITY MSO 443]