USS Salute ( AM - 294 ) USS Salute ( AM - 294 ) , was a U . S . Navy oceangoing minesweeper , laid down on 11 November 1942 by Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Co . , Seattle , Washington ; launched on 6 February 1943 ; sponsored by Miss Patricia Lindgren ; and commissioned on 4 December 1943 , Lt . R . H . Nelson in command . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . After shakedown , " Salute " sailed from San Francisco on 21 March 1944 for Hawaii . Between April and September 1944 , she escorted convoys between Pearl Harbor , Majuro , Kwajalein , Eniwetok , Guam , and Saipan , before reporting to the 7th Fleet at Manus on 8 October for the Leyte invasion . On 20 October , she joined her division , Mine Division 34 , off the Leyte beaches for a four - day sweep of the main transport channel , and then anchored with the transports to provide antiaircraft support . Between 27 and 31 October , she helped search for survivors at the scene of the Battle off Samar , where a group of escort carrier s , destroyer s , and destroyer escort s , had repulsed the attack of a more powerful Japanese fleet . For the next month , she carried out local patrols and sweeps in the vicinity of Leyte . " Salute " participated with her division in most of the subsequent landings in the Philippines . She carried out pre - invasion sweeps at Ormoc Bay on 6 December , Mindoro Island on 14 December , Lingayen Gulf on 6 January 1945 , and Zambales and Subic Bay on 29 and 31 January . During and after the initial troop landings , she helped extend the mineswept areas and provided antisubmarine and antiaircraft protection for the transports anchored off the beaches . Few mines were encountered , but kamikaze resistance was intense , and the ships saw much antiaircraft action . On 13 February , " Salute " and her division began pre - invasion sweeps in Manila Bay in preparation for the landings at Mariveles and Corregidor . While sweeping off Corregidor on the 14th , the minesweepers came within 5 , 000 yards of the island and were repeatedly straddled by Japanese fire before supporting ships silenced the island ' s guns . " Salute " continued sweeping in Manila Bay through 18 February , and her division earned a Navy Unit Commendation for the operation . During the next two and one - half months , " Salute " carried out several local sweeps in support of ground operations in the Philippines , the most notable being a pre - assault sweep for the landings at Legaspi , Luzon , on 1 April , and an 8 - day sweep in the Sulu Sea off Palawan beginning on 22 April . On 9 May , the ship arrived at Morotai to prepare for operations in the Netherlands East Indies . Sinking . With Mine Division 34 , " Salute " began the pre - invasion sweep for the landings in Brunei Bay , Borneo , on 7 June 1945 . The next day , she struck a mine , buckled amidships , and both bow and stern began to sink . Two landing craft attempted to salvage the minesweeper , but they were unable to control her flooding , and the ship sank . " Salute " was struck from the Navy list on 11 July 1945 . She now lies at in 30 meters of water , broken in two pieces , one lying across the other . It is a popular and challenging dive site with a lot of munitions both on and nearby the wreck . The Malaysian navy recently removed her unexploded depth charges . Awards . USS " Salute " received 5 battle star s for her World War II service .