Tampa Shipbuilding Company
Tampa Shipbuilding Company, or TASCO, was one of a number of shipyards in Tampa, Florida. It operated from 1917 to after World War II, closing in 1947. The site is now Gulf Marine Repair which operates with floating dry docks.
USS Cates
Admirable-class minesweeper
The Admirable class was one of the largest and most successful classes of minesweepers ordered by the United States Navy during World War II. Typically, minesweepers detected and removed naval mines before the rest of the fleet arrived, thereby ensuring safe passage for the larger ships. They were also charged with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) duties with rear-mounted depth charge racks and a forward-firing Hedgehog antisubmarine mortar. Their job was essential to the safety and success of U.S. naval operations during World War II and the Korean War. These minesweepers were also employed as patrol vessel and convoy escorts.
USS Admirable underway, ca. 1944.
Soviet Navy Rear Admiral Boris Dmitrievich Popov, commander of the 5th Independent Brigade of Soviet Navy Ships at Cold Bay, Territory of Alaska, speaks aboard an unidentified Admirable-class minesweeper at Cold Bay on 21 or 22 May 1945 during the ceremony transferring the ship from the United States Navy to the Soviet Navy in the secret Project Hula training-and-transfer program.
