USS Esteem
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Builder | Martinolich Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, California |
| Laid down | 1 September 1952 |
| Launched | 20 December 1952 |
| Commissioned | 10 September 1955 |
| Decommissioned | 20 September 1991 |
| Reclassified | MSO-438, 7 February 1955 |
| Stricken | 30 September 1991 |
| Homeport | Long Beach, California, Seattle, Washington |
| Motto | First in the Field |
| Fate | Scrapped in 2000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Agile-class minesweeper |
| Displacement | 853 tons (full load) |
| Length | 172 ft (52 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Propulsion | 4 Waukesha Main Propulsion Diesel Engines, 2 shafts, controllable pitch propellers |
| Speed | 14 knots |
| Complement | 72 |
| Sensors & processing systems | AN/SQQ-14 Minehunting Sonar, AN/SPS-64 Surface Search Radar |
| Armament | 2 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns |
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USS Esteem (AM-438/MSO-438) was an Agile-class minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.
The first ship to be named Esteem by the Navy, AM-438 was launched 20 December 1952 by Martinolich Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, California; sponsored by Mrs. C. H. Davis; reclassified MSO-438, 7 February 1955; and commissioned 10 September 1955.
Deployed to Persian Gulf from 1987 to 1990 under President Reagan's direction to protect the world's oil supply from the threat of Iranian mines (the "Tanker War"). Participated in Operation EARNEST WILL.