USS Pilot ( AM - 104 ) USS " Pilot " ( AM - 104 ) was an acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing . " Pilot " , a U . S . Navy ocean - going minesweeper , and the second U . S . Navy ship to bear this name , was named after the word " pilot , " which is defined as one employed to steer a vessel ; a helmsman . " Pilot " was laid down by the Pennsylvania Shipyards Inc . , Beaumont , Texas , 27 October 1941 ; launched 5 July 1942 ; sponsored by Miss Jacqueline Perry ; and commissioned 3 February 1943 , Lt . Comdr . S . W . Wetmore , USNR , in command . Atlantic Ocean operations . After sea trials , " Pilot " sailed 10 February via New Orleans , Louisiana , and Key West , Florida , for Norfolk , Virginia , arriving 1 March . After training at the Naval Mine Warfare School , Yorktown , Virginia , and in the Chesapeake Bay , " Pilot " sailed 1 April with Task Group 68 . 2 , made rendezvous with a convoy and the next day , set course for Port Royal Bay , Bermuda , arriving on the 4th . On 14 April " Pilot " screened another convoy headed to French Morocco , arriving Casablanca on 29 April . " Pilot " stood out again the same day en route to Admiralty Harbor , Gibraltar , where she arrived the next day . On 3 May she sailed for Bermuda and on 6 May made two attacks on possible submarines . She arrived Norfolk , Virginia , 20 May . On 12 June " Pilot " stood out from New York with Task Force 61 en route to the Mediterranean . When a French naval tanker of the convoy was torpedoed 22 June and sank stern first , " Pilot " rescued 111 survivors . The following day she transferred the passengers to . " Pilot " arrived off Casablanca harbor 3 July . On the 5th , she got underway for Gibraltar to fuel , and the following day departed , escorting a convoy toward the United States , arriving Norfolk , Virginia 24 July . Mediterranean operations . On 5 August , " Pilot " stood out en route to the Mediterranean again . She arrived at Casablanca , French Morocco , 23 August and Mers - el - Kebir , Algeria , 29 August where several more vessels joined her convoy . She sailed again on 1 September for Salerno , Italy . On 8 September " Pilot " was detached from escort duty and assigned mine - sweeping duties with seven other minesweepers , sweeping a channel off the Salerno beachhead . After the beachhead had been established , " Pilot " patrolled the area . On 18 September her alert gunners shot down a German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft . " Pilot " continued escort and training duties in the Mediterranean until she sailed up the northwest coast of Italy 21 January 1944 , with five other fleet type minesweepers conducting sweep operations under cover of darkness . On 25 January when a mine sank " YMS – 30 " , " Pilot " picked up several survivors and four bodies while other ships also recovered members of the crew . On 26 January when a British LST , carrying the 83rd U . S . Army Chemical Battalion , sank , " Pilot " again rescued survivors . On 29 January " Pilot " swept a new fire support area , despite fire from the beach . On 3 February , " Pilot " sailed for Bizerte , Tunisia escorting . She returned to Palermo on the 17th and sailed on for Naples the same day . The next day " Pilot " received orders to rendezvous with and escort her to Anzio , Italy in company with " YMS – 55 . " Unfortunately SS " Samuel Ashe " collided with " Pilot " and one man was killed . Later , " Pilot " was towed into port at Naples for repairs . Return to the US . " Pilot " sailed 7 March for Palermo , Sicily ; and , on 14 April , joined homebound convoy GUS 36 and arrived Norfolk , Virginia 2 May . After repairs and training at Little Creek , Virginia , until September , " Pilot " served for the remainder of the year as a mine sweeping school ship . Jan . 1st . 1953 while based in Charleston , SC . USS Pilot sailed on another Mediterranean cruise of approximately six months stopping first in Oran then to Italy , France , Grece . then returned to Charleston . Pacific Ocean operations . " Pilot " set course for the Panama Canal on 20 June 1945 , and proceeded via San Pedro , California , to Pearl Harbor . On 3 September " Pilot " got underway via Eniwetok , Saipan , and Okinawa , to Sasebo , Kyūshū , Japan arriving on the 17th . On 26 October she set out en route to Kokuzan To , Japan escorting " PGM – 26 " . On the next day she was detached from escort duties to sweep an area at Me Shima until arriving at Kiirun , Formosa 25 November . She set out again on the 27th for Takao , Formosa to sweep more mines . On 21 December " Pilot " sailed for Shanghai , China . In January 1946 " Pilot " returned to the United States and was placed out of commission in reserve 15 January 1947 . Final commission and sale . On 5 March 1952 she recommissioned for service on the U . S . West Coast . She decommissioned and reentered the Reserve Fleet in October 1954 . She was redesignated MSF - 104 on 7 February 1955 . " Pilot " was struck from the Naval Register on 1 July 1972 and transferred to Mexico on 19 July . Awards . " Pilot " received three battle star s for World War II service . Mexican Navy service . On 19 July 1972 , the former " Pilot " was sold to the Mexican Navy as ARM " Juan Aldama " ( C85 ) . Employed as a patrol vessel , her pennant number was later changed to " G18 " , and , in 1993 , changed again to " P116 " . By 2004 , " Juan Aldama " had been retired from active service .