Adjutant-class minesweeper

Broadside view of Bluebird off south end of Mare Island on 29 September 1953.
Class overview
Name	Adjutant class
Builders	Various builders
Operators	United States Navy  Belgian Navy  Royal Danish Navy  Republic of Fiji Navy  French Navy  Hellenic Navy  Indonesian Navy  Islamic Republic of Iran Navy  Italian Navy  Republic of Korea Navy  Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force  Royal Moroccan Navy  Royal Netherlands Navy  Royal Norwegian Navy  Pakistan Navy  Philippine Navy  Portuguese Navy  Royal Saudi Navy  Spanish Navy  Republic of Singapore Navy  Royal Thai Navy  Turkish Navy  Republic of China Navy  National Navy of Uruguay  Republic of Vietnam Navy
Preceded by	YMS-1 class
Succeeded by	Avenger class
Subclasses	Bluebird class Redwing class Falcon class MSC-218 class MSC-268 class MSC-292 class MSC-294 class Albatross class
Built	1952–1978
In service	1953–present
Planned	214
Completed	202
Cancelled	12
Lost	4
Preserved	2
General characteristics
Type	Minesweeper
Displacement	330 long tons (340 t) light 390 long tons (400 t) full load
Length	138 ft (42 m) p/p 144 ft (44 m) o/a
Beam	27 ft (8.2 m)
Draft	9 ft (2.7 m)
Installed power	4 × Packard 300 hp (220 kW) diesel engines or, 2 × General Motors 440 hp (330 kW) 8-268A diesel engines or, 2 × MAN 625 hp (466 kW) V6V 22/30 diesel engines or, 4 × General Motors 238 hp (177 kW) 6-71 diesel engines or, 2 × Waukesha Engine L-1616 diesel engines
Propulsion	Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear 2 × variable pitch propellers
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement	36–43
Sensors and processing systems	Varies by nation SPS-53 radar Decca 45 radar Decca 707 radar Decca TM626 radar Decca RM914 radar UQS-1 sonar UQS-10 sonar
Armament	Varies by nation 2 × twin 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon cannons anti-aircraft (AA) mounts 2 × single 20 mm Oerlikon cannon (AA) mounts 1 × 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors (AA) mount 2 × caliber .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns 1 × 81 mm mortar

The Adjutant-class auxiliary motor minesweepers were built for the United States Navy throughout the 1950s and 1960s, even as late as 1978. Most were loaned to foreign countries under the Military Defense Assistance Pact, with only 24 actually commissioned by the US Navy, with 13 of those eventually being transferred to foreign nations as well. Initially classified as auxiliary motor minesweepers (AMS), on 7 February 1955, they were reclassified as coastal minesweepers (minesweeper, coastal) (MSC).^[1]