USS Parrot

This article is about the U.S. Navy minesweeper. For the U.S. Navy destroyer, see USS Parrott (DD-218).

USS Parrot (AMS/MSC-197) was a Bluebird-class minesweeper in the United States Navy for clearing coastal minefields.

USS Parrot (MSC-197)
History
United States
Name	Parrot
Namesake	Parrot
Builder	Broward Marine, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Laid down	23 December 1953
Launched	27 November 1954
Commissioned	28 June 1955
Decommissioned	26 September 1968
In service	26 September 1968
Out of service	20 July 1972
Reclassified	Coastal Minesweeper, 7 February 1955
Stricken	1 August 1972
Identification	Hull symbol: AMS-197 Hull symbol: MSC-197
Fate	Sold for scrap, 1 December 1976
General characteristics [1]
Class & type	Bluebird-class minesweeper
Displacement	362 long tons (368 t)
Length	144 ft 3 in (43.97 m)
Beam	27 ft 2 in (8.28 m)
Draft	12 ft (3.7 m)
Installed power	4 × Packard 600 hp (450 kW) diesel engines 2,400 hp (1,800 kW)
Propulsion	2 × screws
Speed	13.6 kn (25.2 km/h; 15.7 mph)
Complement	39
Armament	2 × twin 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon cannons anti-aircraft (AA) mounts 2 × caliber .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns 1 × 81 mm mortar

Construction

Parrot was laid down 23 December 1953, as AMS–197, by Broward Marine, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida; launched on 27 November 1954; sponsored by Mrs. S. Heuer; reclassified MSC–197 on 7 February 1955; and commissioned on 28 June 1955.^[2]

North Atlantic operations

After fitting out and training, Parrot, along with four other minesweepers, participated in cold weather minesweeping exercises in the North Atlantic. Parrot then moved to Charleston, South Carolina, her base for exercises and training operations in the Caribbean and the Gulf Stream. She remained there until January 1958, when she sailed north to participate in her first NATO exercise.^[2] In February 1958, Parrot was dispatched to the waters off Savannah, Georgia, to participate in a search for a nuclear weapon jettisoned by a bomber.^{[citation needed]} Upon completion, she returned to the Caribbean area where she remained into 1961, conducting training exercises and serving as training ship for the Mine Warfare School. In March 1961, she assisted in helping to evaluate the new helicopter method of minesweeping. After completion of this duty, she returned to her training and patrol duties.^[2]

On 22 October 1962, Parrot was ordered to get underway, with no destination being specified. She was later directed to assist in the Cuban Quarantine operation. After this duty, she returned to Charleston. Once again she resumed her training and patrolling duties. On 1 March 1963, she left Charleston with orders to search for the overdue SS Marine Sulphur Queen. Finding nothing, Parrot returned to port on 18 March. Resuming patrol duties and training exercises, Parrot also made annual deployments to the Caribbean until August 1968.^[2]

Decommissioning and reassignment

Decommissioned and placed in service on 26 September 1968, Parrot became a Naval Reserve Training Ship at Atlantic City.^[2] Placed out of service on 20 July 1972, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1972, Parrot was sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service for scrapping on 1 December 1976.^[1]