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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIPS --

USS Gladiator (AM-319, later MSF-319), 1944-1973

USS Gladiator, an 890-ton Auk class minesweeper, was built at Alameda, California. Commissioned in February 1944, she served on Pacific Ocean escort and patrol duties during the next year. While performing minesweeping and screening missions during the Okinawa campaign in April 1945, she suffered casualties from Japanese air attack, but helped shoot down three Japanese aircraft. In July, Gladiator participated in East China Sea mine clearance activities. She returned to the United States in late 1945 and was decommissioned in October 1946.

Gladiator recommissioned in February 1952 and deployed to the Korean War zone later in the year. She took part in minesweeping off Wonsan, Inchon and Hungnam into March 1953. After two years of peacetime operations along the U.S. West coast, Gladiator was placed in reserve in March 1955 and was redesignated MSF-319 at about that time. She remained in "mothballs" until 1973, when she was transferred to Mexico. Renamed Santos Delgollado, she is still in service with the Mexican Navy.

This page features our only view of USS Gladiator (AM-319) and provides information on others that may be available from the National Archives.

If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: 80-G-632291

USS Laertes (AR-20)


At Sasebo, Japan, with nine minesweepers and a harbor tug alongside. Original photo is dated 8 October 1952.
Ships nested to left of Laertes are (from left):
USS Impeccable (AM-320);
USS Gladiator (AM-319);
USS Shoveler (AM-382);
USS Defense (AM-317) and
USS Devastator (AM-318).
Those nested to right are (from left):
USS Condor (AMS-5);
USS Kite (AMS-22);
USS Curlew (AMS-8);
USS Chatterer (AMS-40) and
Wallacut (YTB-420).

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 68KB; 740 x 605 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 


In addition to the images presented above, the National Archives appears to hold at least a few other views of USS Gladiator (AM-319), taken during the 1950s. The following list features some of these images.

The images listed below are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections.
DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".



  • Photo #: USN 1045500
    USS Gladiator (AM-319) underway during the early 1950s.
    Port bow aerial view. This photograph was received by the Naval Photographic Center in December 1959.

  • Photo #: USN 1045498
    USS Gladiator (AM-319) underway during the early 1950s.
    Port stern aerial view. This photograph was received by the Naval Photographic Center in December 1959.


    Reproductions of these images should be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system for pictures not held by the Naval Historical Center.

    The images listed in this box are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections. DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions ".


  • If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


    Return to Naval Historical Center home page.

    23 October 1999