Mine Squadron 7 Mine Squadron 7 , ( full : " Commander , Mine Squadron 7 " , or alternately Mine Squadron SEVEN ) is the designation for a United States Navy minelaying and retrieval command and unit . COMINRON SEVEN was assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet from some time before 1943 ( exact date is unknown ) until the unit ' s decommissioning in 1968 . The word Commander in the unit ' s nomenclature refers both the entire unit , the headquarters section , and to the actual commanding officer . Mission and responsibilities . Mission of Commander Mine Squadron Seven . The mission and responsibilities of COMINRON SEVEN ' s command were : Exercise operational control ; coordinate shakedown and refresher training ; coordinate activation and inactivation of ships assigned to Mine Squadron 7 ; conduct type training and support inter - type training for ships of Mine Squadron 7 ; provide ships and services to other commands ; conduct trials and tests of Mine Squadron 7 ships , mines , and equipment ; lay , actuate and recover mines ; conduct training of personnel assigned ; carry out special assignments as directed ; emphasize maintenance and repair of Mine Squadron 7 ships and equipment in order to insure a high state of combat readiness ; conduct training in defense against atomic ( including radiological ) , bacteriological and chemical warfare and provide forces for search and rescue as required . Mission of other ships attached to Mine Squadron 7 . and were inshore minesweepers . Their mission was to sweep sea mines . They were capable of sweeping magnetic , acoustic , combination magnetic - acoustic and contact sea mines in water as shallow as five fathoms . They operate within the Mine Force as " in service " craft . They also acted as danning ships . USS Greer County . The mission of was to provide mobile logistic support for minecraft . The ship carried machinery , repair parts , electrical repair parts and tubes , minesweeping spares , GSK material provisions , the ship ' s store stock , clothing and small stores . The ship also functioned as the flagship for Commander Mine Squadron 7 . USS Mulberry . The mission of was to transport , lay and recover mines and buoys . " Mulberry " was capable of laying , maintaining and recovering anti - submarine nets and associated harbor defense equipment , and operated as net gate ship . WWII history . Mine Squadron 7 was established at an unknown date . Records available at this command ( located at Long Beach Naval Station ) begin January 1943 . In January 1943 Commander Mine Squadron 7 , homeported in Norfolk , Virginia , and commanded by Captain A . G . Cook , Jr . , was composed of approximately thirteen ships of the AM ( Minesweeper ) and DMS ( Destroyer Minesweeper ) class . COMINRON SEVEN at this time was undergoing intensive training of fire spotting practice , maneuvers and escort work . The feasibility of these ships for anti - submarine work was being tested and the anti - aircraft armament was being increased . In June 1944 COMINRON SEVEN was deployed off the shores of France , engaged in minesweeping operations and participated in the invasion of France in June 1944 . The squadron lost several ships sunk by mines and torpedoes . In July 1944 ships of COMINRON SEVEN swept enemy mines along the south coast of England , operating under Combined Task Force 125 and 129 and further participated in the Bombardment of Cherbourg . In September 1944 Commander Mine Squadron 7 as Commander Task Unit 80 . 10 . 3 composed of Mine Divisions 16 and 21 , ten YMS s ( Auxiliary Motor Minesweepers ) , three SCs ( Submarine chaser s ) , and twelve LCVP s , operated in the Marseille , France , area carrying out the tasks of harbor clearance and clearance of Port St . Louis , and canal , and other channels and areas . In October 1944 , having completed all clearance commitments at Marseille during September , COMINRON SEVEN continued daily maintenance sweeps of approach channels and anchorage areas . In November 1944 Commander Mine Squadron 7 operated under Commander 8th Fleet with Mine Division 21 remaining at Bizerte , Tunisia , for maintenance and training while the squadron commander ( temporarily aboard ) supervised sweeping operations in the Cannes , Golfe - Juan area , and another group assisted ships of Mine Division 32 in sweeping the Tunisian war channel . At this time COMINRON SEVEN was assigned the additional duty of Commander Escort Sweeper Group , Eighth Amphibious Force . During December 1944 Mine Squadron 7 was operating on several commitments under commander 8th Fleet . One group of ships of Mine Division 21 were undergoing repairs and maintenance , while the others were sweeping in areas off southern France and Magdalena . Ships of Mine Division 18 , composing the other divisions of MinRon 7 , were operating at Bizerte undergoing repairs for return to the United States , departing the latter part of the month . While at Bizerte during the period 24 November to 24 December 1944 , COMINRON SEVEN served in the additional capacity of Commander Escort Sweeper Group , 8th Fleet , and had charge of all U . S . naval sweeping units of the Mediterranean theatre . During January 1945 COMINRON SEVEN was engaged in supervising and coordinating sweeping operations and furnishing supplies to all minesweeping units operating under Amphibious Force , 8th Fleet . These units were composed of ships of Mine Divisions 21 and 32 , and YMSs . During February 1945 COMINRON SEVEN was engaged in supervising and coordinating all sweeping operations and distribution of supplies , mail and personnel to all minesweeping units operating under Commander Amphibious Force , 8th Fleet . Post - war structure . Mine Squadron 7 was disestablished in 1946 and reestablished at unknown date , the earliest records available after disestablishment being in late 1954 . From 1954 - 56 , Mine Squadron 7 was composed of : Post - war history and organization . In 1956 , several MSFs were decommissioned or redeployed . The entire Squadron was reorganized . MSCs from Mine Division 92 became the new Mine Division 71 , while MSCs from Mine Division 94 became Mine Division 72 , and MSCs from Mine Division 96 became Mine Division 73 . " Shea " , assigned to COMINRON SEVEN was decommissioned in early 1958 . " Greer County " and " Mulberry " remain part of COMINRON SEVEN . Since becoming Mine Squadron 7 ' s Flagship in late 1956 , " Greer County " participated in various local and interservice operations , including PACMINEX of 1957 , 1958 , and 1959 , PACPHIBLEX of 1958 and 1959 , and operated with COMINDIV 73 in exercise PACSWEEPEX 3 . " Mulberry " , being the only minelayer in EASTPAC , has participated in many exercises and operations in the capacity of mine / buoy layer and recoverer . Those operations included fleet service mine tests , all PACMINEX s and PACPHIBLEX s . Mine Division 71 . COMINRON SEVEN received two new prototype inshore minesweepers for evaluation ; " Cove " ( MSI - 1 ) in November 1958 , and " Cape " ( MSI - 2 ) in February 1959 . " Cape " had an allowance of eighteen enlisted personnel and three officers and can remain at sea for a period of 5 – 7 days . " Cove " participated in PACMINEX 2 - 59 . Both vessels underwent mine countermeasures refresher training . In 1952 , Mine Division 71 became Mine Division 92 . From July 1954 until July 1955 , this division was employed in type training in the Long Beach , California area under operational control of Commander Task Group 59 . 2 . During this period , much time was spent in the Naval Shipyard to correct design faults of these new type ships . In July 1955 , Mine Division 92 deployed to the Western Pacific and reported to Commander Mine Flotilla 1 for operational control . Type training was conducted off the coast of Korea . In February 1956 , the division returned to Long Beach . From then until January 1958 , the division operated in the Long Beach area conducting type training . In April 1957 , all ships visited Acapulco , Mexico . Also in April 1957 and in conjunction with a reorganization of the Mine Force , Pacific Fleet , Mine Division 92 became Mine Division 71 . In January 1958 , the division again deployed to the Western Pacific for operations under operational control of Commander Mine Flotilla 1 . The division returned to Long Beach in July 1958 . In September , all ships participated in the minesweeping phase of an amphibious exercise at Oceanside , California . The remainder of 1958 was spent in holiday leave and upkeep . Mine Division 72 . Mine Division 72 was reinforced with five non - magnetic wooden - hulled s . They were , , , , and . These ships were constructed on the West Coast of the United States and were commissioned in late 1954 and early 1955 . The ships were originally assigned to Mine Division 94 , however in 1957 that unit was merged into Mine Division 72 . Originally the ships were commissioned as " AM " with their particular hull numbers assigned . On 1 January 1955 the ships in Mine Division 72 , as with other ships of their type , were redesignated MSO ( Minesweeper Ocean ) . Mine Division 73 . Mine Division 73 was composed of , , , and . They were commissioned in the summer of 1955 , spring and summer of 1956 . Mine Division 73 came into being in January 1957 . In February 1957 , Mine Division 73 was making preparation for deployment to the Western Pacific , departing Long Beach on 4 March 1957 . Routine minesweeping operations and several joint minesweeping exercises with the Chinese and Korean navies were conducted while deployed . The division left the shipyard in February 1958 and underwent refresher and mine countermeasures training . Decommissioning . Commander Mine Squadron 7 was located in Building 145 , Long Beach Naval Station , when it was disestablished on 1 June 1968 .