USS Swerve ( MSO - 495 ) USS " Swerve " ( AM - 495 / MSO - 495 ) was an 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 . " Swerve " was the second ship to be so named by the U . S . Navy . It was laid down on 20 December 1954 by Broward Marine Inc . , Fort Lauderdale , Florida as " AM - 495 " ; redesignated as " MSO - 495 " on 7 February 1955 ; launched on 1 November 1955 ; sponsored by Mrs . F . A . Denison ; and commissioned on 27 July 1957 , Lt . Comdr . K . H . Eaton in command . East Coast operations . " Swerve " was assigned a home port at Charleston , South Carolina , and , after her shakedown , participated in local exercises and operations until January 1959 when she deployed to the Mediterranean for duty with the U . S . 6th Fleet . Her first cruise in the Mediterranean ended in June . She then participated in two minesweeping exercises which took her to Savannah , Georgia , and Nassau , Bahamas . From January to June 1960 , she participated in various exercises and then , for a three - month period , operated an underwater camera for the Service Force from New York to Boston , Massachusetts and St . John ' s , Newfoundland . Another Mediterranean cruise . " Swerve " began an overhaul in October 1960 that lasted until February 1961 . After refresher training , she participated in minesweeping operations with units of the Royal Canadian Navy before making a midshipman cruise to the Caribbean . She returned to Charleston and began making preparations for another tour with the U . S . 6th Fleet in the fall . The minesweeper stood out of Charleston , on 11 September 1961 , and entered the Mediterranean two weeks later for a tour that ended on 24 March 1962 . In May , " Swerve " participated in Project Mercury as a recovery unit for America ' s second orbital space shot . The remainder of the year was spent in local operations and in overhaul . Central American good will tour . " Swerve " sailed to Panama City , Florida , on 29 January 1963 and assisted the Mine Defense Laboratory during February and March . She and her division then deployed to the Caribbean from 2 June to 18 October . On 4 November , " Swerve " and got underway on a good - will tour to Central America . The two ships called at ports in Panama , Costa Rica , Nicaragua , and Guatemala before returning to Charleston on 8 December 1963 . " Swerve " conducted operations along the coast with Mine Division 44 until 24 August 1964 when it sailed for Naval Station Argentia , Newfoundland on a five - week cruise . The minesweeper spent the remainder of the year at Charleston for an overhaul and leave . In March 1965 , she served as a recovery unit for Project Gemini 3 off Cape Kennedy , Florida . " Swerve " was deployed to the 6th Fleet from 15 June to 8 November 1965 . On 29 March , she deployed to the Caribbean . On 1 July , " Swerve " was assigned the task of finding and recovering a practice weapon that was lost off Vieques , Puerto Rico . After 51 days of searching , with the aid of the minisubmarine " Asherah " , the device was found and recovered . The ship returned to Charleston and resumed operations along the Atlantic seaboard from Halifax to the Dominican Republic for the next five years . Decommissioning . In September 1970 it was decided that " Swerve " would be decommissioned . Pre - inactivation was begun at Mayport , Florida , on 1 October ; and , on 20 January 1971 , she was placed in a caretaker status . " Swerve " was decommissioned on 1 July 1971 and assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . She was sold for scrap on 1 February 1978 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service .