Alacrity520
Ability Class 
We Lead The Fleet With
YUCCA "J"
3 Ships
Commander's Flagships
Ships Compliment : 75 Enlisted
8 Officers
Length : 190 Feet
Max Beam : (Width) 36 Feet
Draft : 12 Feet
Displacement : 934 Tons
Armament : One 40MM Gun
Two 50 Cal Machine Guns
Speed : 15 Knots free hit counter download 
Mine Division 45
Alacrity
From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
The third Alacrity (MSO-520) was laid down on 5 March 1956 at Sturgeon Bay, Wis., by the Peterson Builders, Inc.; launched on 8 June 1957;
sponsored by Mrs. Henry Armstrong, the wife of Capt. Armstrong, the chief of staff and aide to the Commandant of the 9th Naval District;
ferried to Boston via the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River; fitted out at the Boston Naval Shipyard; and commissioned there on 1
October 1958, Lt. Theodore W. Pstrak in command.
The following month, Alacrity moved south to Charleston, S.C., whence she conducted shakedown training before becoming a unit of the
Atlantic Fleet Mine Force. The minesweeper began operations in the western Atlantic and in the West Indies. Those duties occupied her time
until late in 1960 when she embarked upon her first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. After her return from duty with the 6th Fleet late in
the spring of 1961, she resumed normal operations along the east coast and in the West Indies. That employment lasted until February of 1964
at which time Alacrity headed back to the Mediterranean. Her arrival back on the east coast late in the summer of 1964 brought more duty in
the western Atlantic. In February 1965, the minesweeper began a four-month tour of duty in the West Indies.
Near the end of that assignment, in late April 1966, civil war erupted in the Dominican Republic, as supporters of exiled President Juan Bosch
instituted a military uprising to seize power from the ruling civilian junta. The resultant strife the city of Santo Domingo became a battleground
saw the commitment of American marines and paratroopers; Alacrity spent almost the entire month of May helping to evacuate foreign
nationals and supporting the troops of an inter-American force sent to restore order.
While operating in the western Atlantic and the West Indies Alacrity frequently conducted tests for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory Test
Facility located at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and served as a training platform for students at the Mine Warfare School. Those duties, as well as
refresher training and independent ship's exercises, occupied her from the beginning of 1966 into the spring of 1969. On 8 May 1969, Alacrity
put to sea, once more bound for the Mediterranean. After five months with 6th Fleet engaged in training exercises and port visits, the
minesweeper headed back to the United States on 11 October. She reached Charleston on 30 October. Then, except for 12 days underway for
special operations at the beginning of December, the warship spent the remainder of the year in port at Charleston.
In 1970, Alacrity conducted exercises out of her homeport until mid-June. On the 17th of that month, she entered Avondale Shipyards, Inc., for
a regular overhaul. The minesweeper completed repairs and left New Orleans on 1 December. She returned to Charleston on the 6th and,
after holiday leave and upkeep, resumed normal operations. After seven months of exercises drills and inspections out of Charleston Alacrity
headed back toward the Mediterranean on 2 August. She entered the "Middle Sea" late in August and spent September and the
first week in October steaming in the western Mediterranean and making port visits. Alacrity returned to Rota, Spain, on 7 October and two
days later sailed for the United States. She returned to Charleston on 27 October and, except for a week at sea for special operations in the
middle of December, spent the remainder of the year in her homeport.
On 10 January 1972, Alacrity departed Charleston for an eight-day, cold weather, amphibious exercise off the shores of Maine. By the end of
January, the minesweeper was back in Charleston and, in February, resumed normal operations. In April she interrupted her schedule to
provide support for the Apollo 16 moon shot. She resumed operations out of Charleston late in April and remained so occupied almost until
the end of the year. Early in December, she returned to the vicinity of Port Canaveral, Fla. to assist in gathering data during the Apollo 17
moon shot. Alacrity concluded that duty at Charleston on 8 December and remained in port for the rest of 1972.
The warship spent the first four months of 1973 working out of Charleston On 10 May; she entered Detyen's Shipyard in Mount Pleasant, S.C.,
for modifications. On 1 June 1973 Alacrity was redesignated AG-520. She left Detyen's Shipyard on 23 July and returned to the Naval Station,
Charleston where she remained until 6 August. On that day, the ship headed south to Jacksonville Fla., where she began further alterations at
the Atlantic Dry-dock Co. on 7 August. The changes were completed by 19 October, and Alacrity returned to Charleston to prepare for
refresher training. During November and early December, she conducted refresher training in the West Indies before returning to Charleston
on the 10th to begin the annual holiday leave and upkeep period.
Alacrity began 1974 engaged in normal operations, which kept her busy until midsummer. On 16 July she stood out of Charleston and
embarked upon the final Mediterranean deployment of her active career. The minesweeper operated with the 6th Fleet conducting training
evolutions and port Visits until the end of November. She departed Rota on 30 November and arrived back in Charleston on 20 December. The
ship continued in active service for another 33 months. Throughout that period, she operated in the western Atlantic and in the West Indies on
training missions and test-and-evaluation assignments. On 30 September 1977, Alacrity was placed out of commission at Charleston, and her
name was struck from the Navy list that same day. In December of 1979, she was sold to the Ampol Corp. for scrapping.
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