USS Constant (AM-86)

Summary

USS Constant (AM-86) was an Adroit-class minesweeper of the United States Navy. Laid down on 21 February 1942 by the Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oregon, and launched on 9 May 1942, the ship was commissioned on 21 September 1942.

History
United States
NameUSS Constant
BuilderCommercial Iron Works, Portland, Oregon
Laid down21 February 1942
Launched9 May 1942
Commissioned21 September 1942
RenamedUSS PC-1590, 1 June 1944
Decommissioned19 June 1946
Recommissioned20 March 1951
Decommissioned22 October 1954
FateSunk as a target ship
General characteristics
Class and typeAdroit-class minesweeper
Displacement275 long tons (279 t)
Length173 ft 8 in (52.93 m)
Beam23 ft (7.0 m)
Draft7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)
Propulsion
Speed18 knots (33 km/h)
Complement65
Armament

World War II Pacific Theatre operations edit

From 20 December 1942 to 4 March 1943 Constant escorted convoys between San Francisco, California, and Pearl Harbor. She sailed from Pearl Harbor 8 March for Espiritu Santo, arriving 25 March for local escort duty, operating from Espiritu Santo and Noumea in support of the Guadalcanal operation.

On 3 September 1943 she arrived at Tulagi and remained in the Solomons on inter-island escort and minesweeping duty with occasional convoy voyages to Nouméa and Espiritu Santo until 3 April 1944, when she steamed to Auckland, New Zealand, for a brief overhaul. She returned to Port Purvis on Florida Island in the Solomons 13 May.

Reclassified as a submarine chaser edit

On 1 June 1944 her name was canceled and she was reclassified as a submarine chaser PC-1590. She continued her service at Espiritu Santo, Nouméa, Samoa and Tongatapu until 6 May 1946.

Post-war activity edit

She then returned to Pearl Harbor, where she was decommissioned 19 June 1946. Assigned to the 14th Naval District for Naval Reserve training 28 October 1946, PC-1590 was placed in commission in reserve 5 May 1950, and in full commission from 20 March 1951 until decommissioned 22 October 1954. She was sunk as a target.

References edit

External links edit

  • Photo gallery of USS Constant at NavSource Naval History