USS Leader ( MSO - 490 ) USS " Leader " ( AM - 490 / MSO - 490 ) was an " Aggressive " - class minesweeper 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 . " Leader " ( " AM - 490 " ) was laid down by J . M . Martinac Shipbuilding Corp . , Tacoma , Washington , 22 September 1953 ; launched 15 September 1954 ; sponsored by Mrs . Norman Wordlund ; reclassified " MSO - 490 " 7 February 1955 , and commissioned 16 November 1955 , Lt . Comdr . Harvey E . Toponce in command . This MSO class of minesweeper was constructed of non - magnetic materials , including a wooden hull and aluminum engines , and had a degaussing system to reduce the magnetic field of the vessel , so that it could move over magnetic mines without detonating them . It was equipped with a " magnetic tail " , two thick cables spooled on a large reel aft of the superstructure . The power - generation system could send current through this split tail after it was streamed behind the ship , creating a magnetic field designed to set off magnetic mines after the ship passed over them . It carried conventional mine - sweeping gear as well . Pacific Ocean operations . After shakedown , " Leader " joined Mine Squadron 9 at Long Beach , California , 21 December . During 1956 , she performed mine evaluation exercises and tactical training until 1 October when she departed on her first WestPac cruise . Arriving Yokosuka 30 October , she operated with the U . S . 7th Fleet for the next 5 months performing mine warfare exercises in the Far East . Returning home 12 April 1957 , the minesweeper resumed mine evaluation tests along the U . S . West Coast ; and she continued these operations for the next 2 years . Cambodia and Vietnam operations . From 1959 through 1968 " Leader " alternated six WestPac cruises with U . S . West Coast mine warfare and mine countermeasure exercises . During her 1961 cruise . " Leader " became the first warship ever to visit the Cambodia n capital of Phnom Penh when she completed the 180 - mile transit up the Mekong River on 27 August , under the command of Lt . Commander Frank Kauzlarich . On this same cruise she directed South Vietnam ese units in minesweep training operations . During her tour with the U . S . 7th Fleet in 1965 , " Leader " again operated off South Vietnam , this time under more serious circumstances . From June to August she performed special minesweeping operations and played a major role in the expanded American effort to assist the courageous people of Vietnam in their fight against Communist aggressors . Her tour completed , " Leader " returned to Long Beach 14 December to resume training operations . Market Time operations . 1966 saw an extensive overhaul for the minesweeper , from 9 May to 30 September . After further training and readying for deployment , " Leader " once again sailed for WestPac 6 January 1967 . She participated in Market Time operations for the better part of her tour , returning to Long Beach 18 November . She operated locally through the first half of 1968 . Then , on 12 August , " Leader " departed Long Beach for another extensive deployment , and continued operating off Vietnam into 1969 . Persian Gulf War service . " Leader " was lifted to the Persian gulf following Iraq ' s invasion of Kuwait . She was loaded aboard the Dutch heavy lift ship Super Servant 3 on 19 August 1990 at Norfolk along with USS Impervious ( MSO - 449 ) , USS Adroit ( MSO - 509 ) and USS Avenger ( MCM - 1 ) . She was offloaded 5 October 1990 in the middle east . " Impervious " returned to Norfolk on 14 November 1991 with USS Impervious ( MSO - 449 ) and USS Adroit ( MSO - 509 ) aboard " Super Servant 4 " . She participated in minesweeping operations to clear mines for anticipated d - day style landing by US Marines as part of the diversionary force which allowed land forces to take Iraqi Artillery positions from behind . On 28 February 1991 at 0500 they were ordered to storm the beaches at 0300 they were ordered to stand down as Iraq had surendered and the war was over . She also did escort duty for the battleships USS Missouri and USS Wisconsin . as part of two naval battle groups built around the aircraft carriers USS Dwight D . Eisenhower and USS Independence to the Gulf , where they were ready by 8 August . She did riggings for HM - 14 Airborne Mine Countermeasures minesweeping helicopters stationed aboard the USS Tripoli . This was the minesweeping gear use to clear anchored mines such as the one that hit Tripoli . Tripoli proceeded into the northern Persian Gulf and assumed duties as flagship for Airborne Mine Countermeasures operations there with HM - 14 deployed aboard . On the morning of 18 February 1991 , at 0436 ( 4 : 37 a . m . ) Tripoli was rocked by a mine explosion on her starboard bow . The explosion ripped a 16 by 20 ft hole in the ship ' s hull and injured four sailors . The Tripoli was towed off of three other unexploded mines by two MCM ships . After 20 hours of damage control , the ship was stabilized and was actually ready to resume operations . However her HM - 14 fuel tanks were damaged by the mine hit and she was unable to deploy her HM - 14 ' s due to a lack of fuel . The Impervious and sister MSO ' s were her escorts . USS Impervious was responsible for removing these mines that threatened the Tripoli . Soon after the Iraqi invasion , it became clear that Iraq was laying mines in international waters . U . S . ships discovered and des ' troyed six mines during December . The U . S . Mine Countermeasures Group ( USMCMG ) was established with the objective of cleanng a path to the beach for a possible amphibious landing and battleship gunflre support . The minesweepers USS Adroit ( MSO 509 ) , USS Impervious ( MSO 449 ) , and USS Leader ( MSO 490 ) along with the newly commissioned mine countermeasures ship USS Avenger ( MCM 1 ) arrived in the Gulf aboard the heavy - lift ship Super Servant III . More than 20 Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal ( EOD ) teams were also deployed to support the mine countermeasures force . Allied minesweepers from Saudi Arabia , Great Britain and Kuwait , and the MH - 53 Super Stallions of Mine Countermeasures Helicopter Squadron 14 joined the MCM effort . After months of training off Dubai , United Arab Emirates , USMCMG staff embarked in USS Tripoli ( LPH 10 ) on 20 January , and proceeded to the northern Gulf waters to perform their mission . As flagship for the combined operation , Tripoli ' s flight deck was the base for the mine - sweeping helicopters . Six British minesweepers joined their U . S . counterparts , with British and U . S . warships providing air defense . USMCMG began its work 60 miles east of the Kuwaiti coastline , working initially to clear a 15 - mile long , 1 , 000 - yard wide path . The mine - clearing task force spent the flrst few weeks of DESERT STORM pushing 24 miles to " Point FOXTROT , " a 10 - mile by 3 . 5 - mile box which became the battleship gunfire support area south of Faylaka Island . While sweeping further toward shore , the task group was targeted by Iraqi fire control radars associated with Silkworm missile sites inside Kuwait . Task force ships moved out of Silkworm range and worked to locate the radar site . During those maneuvers on 18 February , Iraqi mines found their mark . Within three hours of each other , Tripoli and USS Princeton ( CG 59 ) were rocked by exploding mines . As damage control teams successfully overcame flres and flooding aboard Tripoli and Princeton , Impervious , Leader and Avenger searched for additional mines in the area . Adroit led the salvage tug USS Beaufort ( ATS 2 ) toward Princeton to tow her to safety . Tripoli was able to continue her mission for several days before she was relieved by USS La Salle ( AGF 3 ) and USS New Orleans ( LPH 11 ) and proceeded to Bahrain for repairs . New Orleans provided the helicopter deck while the mine group staff moved aboard La Salle to coordinate the operation . Princeton restored her TLAM strike and AEGIS anti - air warfare defense capabilities within fifteen minutes of the mine strike , whereupon she reassumed duties as local anti - air warfare coordinator and remained on station , providing defense for the mine countermeasures group for an additional 30 hours , until relieved . Charts and intelligence captured from Iraq showed the mine field where Tripoli and Princeton were hit was one of six laid in a 150 - mile arc from Faylaka Island to the Saudi - Kuwaiti border . Within that arc , there were four additional mine - lines — a total of more than 1 , 000 mines — laid over a five - month period . Three days later , the massive 31 - ship amphibious task force moved north to assist in battlefield preparation as the deadline for the ground offensive neared . As Wisconsin and Missouri steamed in the vicinity of recently - cleared " Point FOXTROT , " their gun crews continued to pound Iraqi targets . Marine AV - 8B Harriers launched from the flight deck of Nassau conducted strikes ashore . Leader was decommissioned on 12 December 1991 and was struck from the Navy list on 18 March 1992 . She was sold for scrapping in 1994 .