USS Assurance (MSO-521) - 1966 Tender Availability and Mediterranean Operations

1966 Tender Availability and Mediterranean Operations

Assurance began 1966 with a tender availability alongside USS Pandemus (ARL-18). On 7 March, she sailed for refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and visited Montego Bay, Jamaica, before returning to Panama City on 6 April. The next one and one-half months were spent preparing for overseas deployment. On 12 June, Assurance got underway and joined other units of MinDiv 81 at Valencia, Spain, on 2 July. She shifted to La Spezia, Italy, on the 16th and took part in an exercise with minesweeping craft of the Italian Navy. On 8 August, she participated in "Phiblex 1–66", held south of Porto Scudo, Sardinia. On the 18, the ship headed for Malta. En route, she was diverted to conduct a special surveillance mission off the coast of Tunisia. Having completed this task, Assurance arrived at Valletta, Malta, on 25 August. She also visited Piraeus, Greece; Naples and Rota, Spain, before sailing on 21 September for the United States. The vessel spent the remainder of the year in a leave and upkeep status at Panama City.

Assurance sailed to Charleston, South Carolina, on 11 January 1967 for interim overhaul and returned to her home port on 11 March to commence type training. She sailed back to Charleston on 5 July to provide services to the naval mine warfare school and then briefly visited Panama City before returning to Charleston for overhaul. This yard period ended on 15 December, enabling the minesweeper to return to Florida on 19 December.

The first three months of 1968 found the ship conducting refresher training. She returned to Panama City in April and worked with the Mine Defense Laboratory. In October, Assurance was at Pensacola, Florida, for a restricted availability before finishing the year in port at Panama City.