USS Acme ( MSO - 508 ) USS " Acme " ( MSO - 508 ) was an acquired by the United States Navy for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships . " Acme " was laid down on 16 November 1954 by the Frank L . Sample Shipyard , Boothbay Harbor , Maine ; launched on 23 June 1955 ; sponsored by Mrs . Cornelius M . Sullivan , the wife of Capt . Sullivan who was then serving as chief of staff of the 3rd Naval District ; and commissioned on 27 September 1956 , Lt . James W . Foust in command . First Far East deployment . Following shakedown along the U . S . East Coast , the ocean minesweeper proceeded , via the Panama Canal , to the west coast . She arrived at Long Beach , California , on 8 December and was assigned to Mine Division 73 , Mine Squadron 7 . After a short upkeep period , " Acme " got underway on 4 March 1956 for a deployment to the Far East , During this cruise , she visited Pearl Harbor , Hong Kong , and various ports in Korea , Taiwan , and Japan before returning home on 20 August . West Coast activities . On 7 October , the vessel entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for extensive sound reduction repair work which was completed on 6 March 1958 . She next participated in a training program as a unit of Mine Force , Pacific Fleet . In October 1958 , she took part in a joint operation with the Royal Canadian Navy off the coast of British Columbia . The ship began the year 1959 operating in the Long Beach , California area . In April , she began a three - week period of refresher training at San Diego . Next , " Acme " undertook a mine countermeasures refresher training program at Port Hueneme , California . Second Far East deployment . On 17 August , she deployed to the Far East with Mine Division 73 . Following stops at Pearl Harbor and Midway Island , the minesweeper arrived at Yokosuka , Japan , on 14 September . A fortnight later , she moved to Sasebo and continued to operate in Japanese and Korean waters through mid - December . She visited Fukuoka and Kure , Japan , and Pusan and Chinhae , Korea . She also participated in joint minesweeping operations with the Republic of Korea Navy at Chinhae and with the Japanese Maritime Self - Defense Force at Kure . On 17 December , " Acme " got underway and proceeded independently to Hong Kong , where she arrived on 22 December and rejoined other sweepers of Mine Division 73 . On 30 December , the ship arrived at Subic Bay , Philippines . After beginning 1960 in an upkeep status at Subic Bay , " Acme " arrived in Bangkok , Thailand , on 13 January . Following five days of liberty in Bangkok , she got underway with units of the Royal Thai Navy and conducted tactical exercises en route to Sattahip . The exercises were completed on 22 January , and " Acme " returned to Subic Bay on 29 January . Following a week of voyage repairs , she sailed on 8 February for her home port , Long Beach , and made brief stops at Guam , Midway Island , and Pearl Harbor before reaching California on 13 March . West Coast activities . The ship participated in a joint United States - Canadian mine - sweeping exercise in the Long Beach area from 18 to 23 April ; then began four months of availability . On 15 August , she got underway for Esquimalt , British Columbia , to rendezvous with Canadian naval forces for joint exercises which continued into September . On the 10th , " Acme " returned to Long Beach and , from 26 October through 6 November , took part in exercises with Canadian units off Camp Pendleton , California . " Acme " returned to Long Beach on 15 November and remained there through the end of the year , 1960 . The minesweeper began another overhaul on 13 January 1961 . Previously , she had been chosen to test special mine countermeasures equipment ; and , during this yard period , it was installed . The ship got underway on 29 May , conducted refresher training at San Diego , and returned to Long Beach early in July . For the next two months , technical and operational checks were made on " Acme ' s " experimental equipment . From 28 August to 10 September , " Acme " held type training . On 13 September , the ship got underway to take part in Operation Gray Fox , a mine warfare exercise held along the California coast . She finished this task on 30 September and returned to Long Beach . From 2 to 27 October , " Acme " was in restricted availability for installation of more equipment and put to sea on 7 November for shakedown . She returned to her home port on 22 November and spent the remainder of the year in an upkeep and leave period . Experimental equipment operations . " Acme " spent the year 1962 conducting tests and operational evaluations of her new mine countermeasures equipment which took her to various points along the California coast . This routine was broken by periods of upkeep and drydocking before the vessel ended the year anchored in Long Beach . The first two months of 1963 saw her continuing experimental work . From 2 to 23 March , she participated in " Operation Steelgate " , with Canadian forces off the California coast near Camp Pendleton . After a week of liberty in San Francisco , " Acme " returned to Long Beach for an overhaul which was followed by three weeks of refresher training out of San Diego . Upon her return to Long Beach on 2 August , " Acme " took part in an operational evaluation of Seanettle , an underwater electronic system . From mid - September through 10 November , she held type training and returned to Long Beach on the 21st . " Acme " got underway for type training on 6 January 1964 and spent most of February assisting in the evaluation of the Seanettle system . From 24 February to 10 March , she conducted mine countermeasures operations off Santa Rosa Island , California and then devoted the next seven weeks to a tender availability . On 27 April , she commenced training operations in the area off Huntington Beach , California , and Santa Catalina Island . Following completion of shakedown , she began alternating mine recovery operations off the California coast with periods of upkeep at Long Beach . The sweeper completed her operations on 7 December and entered a holiday leave and upkeep status . " Acme " entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 11 January 1965 for the installation of a new sonar system . She was underway on 8 March and sailed to the naval electronics laboratory at San Diego for tests and evaluations of her newly installed equipment . The ship returned to Long Beach on 27 May and began preparations for major yard work . On 7 June , she arrived at the Harbor Boat Building Company in Long Beach for repairs which lasted until 19 August . Then came two months of exercises . On 22 November , " Acme " began further evaluation of experimental equipment . In mid - December , she spent one week in mine hunting operations before returning to Long Beach on 20 December . From mid - January until May 1966 , " Acme " evaluated her mine hunting and surveillance system before sailing north and participating in the Portland Rose Festival in Portland , Oregon , from 8 until 13 June . The minesweeper participated as a unit of Mine Squadron 7 in a mine exercise at Santa Rosa Island from 18 to 28 July . Following a month of restricted availability at Long Beach , she took part in Exercises " Eager Angler " and " Baseline II . " During November , the ship conducted type training and closed the year at Long Beach in a leave and upkeep status . Escorting the SS Queen Mary . During the first four months of 1967 , " Acme " was involved in various minesweeping exercises . On 1 May , she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a restricted availability during which all of her experimental equipment was removed , thus ending her research and development efforts . The availability concluded on 4 August ; but the ship began a regular overhaul on 1 September at San Pedro , California . During this time , a twin 20 - millimeter gun was mounted on the vessel ' s forecastle . She got underway on 9 December and sailed with five other minesweepers to rendezvous with the . They escorted her on her last voyage into the port of Long Beach . Third Far East tour of duty . " Acme " held refresher training from 3 to 19 January 1968 . On 28 January , she and 13 other minesweepers were alerted to prepare for an emergency deployment in view of the capture of by the North Koreans . By the first week of February , it became apparent that a deployment would not be necessary ; and " Acme " began preparations for mine countermeasures refresher training and an ensuing upkeep period . On 1 April , she sailed for the western Pacific Ocean . Ten days later , she arrived at Pearl Harbor and , after two days of replenishment , got underway with units of Mine Division 94 and to participate in Operation " Barstur . " On 14 April , " Acme " resumed her voyage west and arrived at Yokosuka , Japan , on 4 May . The vessel departed that port on 17 May , bound for Chinhae , Korea , and a joint American - Korean exercise . She returned to Sasebo on 28 May and began preparations for a deployment off the coast of Vietnam . On 6 June , " Acme " relieved as a barrier patrol ship . She was in turn relieved on 9 July and sailed to Singapore for an availability period . On 30 July , she sailed to Bangkok , Thailand , for a joint exercise with British and Thai naval forces . Upon arrival at Sattahip , " Acme " developed engineering problems . The vessel was detached from the exercise and sailed to Subic Bay for repairs . She got underway again on 2 September bound for Danang . Upon her arrival there , the engineering problems recurred , and " Acme " was rerouted to the Philippines . She finished the passage to Subic Bay under tow by and finally reached the American naval base on 15 September . " Acme " set sail for the United States on 27 October . En route , she made port calls at Guam , Kwajalein , the Johnston Island , and Pearl Harbor ; arrived at Long Beach on 3 December ; and spent the rest of the year in leave and upkeep . Stateside repairs and trials . On 13 January 1969 , " Acme " entered drydock at Terminal Island , California , for correction of difficulties with her controllable pitch propellers . The availability was completed on 20 March , and the minesweeper began sea trials . However , repeated casualties to the propeller system required further repair work before the ship was finally ready to return to duty on 21 April . Various training exercises occupied the ship from late April through July , and mine warfare Exercise " StrikeEx 3 – 69 " kept her busy from 15 to 27 August . Fourth tour of duty in the Far East . Then , after two months of preparations for a deployment to the Far East , she departed for the western Pacific . She stopped briefly at Pearl Harbor , Johnston Island , and Kwajalein for minor repairs , stores , and fuel , and remained at Guam in upkeep from 2 until 8 December , before proceeding to Subic Bay . The minesweeper steamed on to the Vietnamese coast where , on 19 December 1969 , she relieved and assumed " Operation Market Time " patrol duties which lasted through 11 January 1970 , the day the ship put in to port at Subic Bay . After a month of leave and upkeep , " Acme " began her last Market Time patrol on 12 February . She remained off the coast for almost two months before returning to Subic Bay on 6 April . " Acme " sailed to Keelung , Taiwan , on 25 April and pushed on to Sasebo , Japan , on 4 May . From this port , " Acme " began her journey back to Long Beach . Pausing briefly at Pearl Harbor , " Acme " reached her home port on 9 June . Her next action came on 14 August , when " Acme " took part in Operation " High Desert " off the southern California coast . The minesweeper was back in Long Beach on 21 August . Decommissioning . On 1 September , " Acme " reported to the Naval Inactive Ship Facility , Long Beach , for deactivation . She was decommissioned on 6 November 1970 , and her name was struck from the Navy list on 15 May 1976 . She was sold on 6 January 1977 to Oskco Edwards , of Capistrano Beach , California . Awards . " Acme " received two battle star s for her Vietnam service .