USS Lance

USS Lance (AM-257) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Atlantic Ocean.

History
United States
Name	USS Lance (AM-257)
Builder	American Ship Building Company
Laid down	26 October 1942
Launched	10 April 1943
Commissioned	4 November 1943
Decommissioned	28 August 1945
Fate	Transferred to the Republic of China, 28 August 1945
Stricken	12 March 1948
History
Taiwan
Name	ROCS Yung Sheng
Acquired	28 August 1945
Decommissioned	17 July 1972
Fate	Unknown
General characteristics
Class & type	Admirable-class minesweeper
Displacement	650 tons
Length	184 ft 6 in (56.24 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draft	9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Propulsion	2 × ALCO 539 diesel engines, 1,710 shp (1.3 MW) Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear 2 shafts
Speed	14.8 knots (27.4 km/h)
Complement	104
Armament	1 × 3"/50 caliber gun DP 2 × twin Bofors 40 mm guns 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar 2 × Depth charge tracks
Service record
Part of:	US Atlantic Fleet (1944-1946)

Lance was as laid down 26 October 1942 by American Shipbuilding Co., Cleveland, Ohio; launched 10 April 1943; sponsored by Ens. Josephine D. Cunningham, W-V (S) USNR; commissioned 4 November 1943.

World War II North Atlantic operations

After shakedown along the U.S. East Coast, Lance arrived Trinidad, British West Indies, 17 January 1944 for patrol and escort duty. From January 1944 until March 1945, Lance operated as an escort for convoys, making nine regular runs from Recife, Brazil, to Trinidad. The minesweeper also engaged in ASW training with aircraft operations designed to improve the defensive capability of the Navy.

Lance departed Trinidad 23 March, and steamed toward Miami, Florida, arriving the 28th. She operated as a school ship, out of the Naval Training Center, Miami.

Decommissioning

She was transferred to China, under the Lend-Lease Act on 28 August. She served the Chinese Navy under the name Yung Sheng. She was transferred outright on 7 February 1948, struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 12 March 1948, and decommissioned on 1 July 1972. Fate is unknown.

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

External links

• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: USS Lance
• Photo gallery of USS Lance at NavSource Naval History