USS Peregrine (AM-373) - East Coast Operations

East Coast Operations

After fitting out at the Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, and shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Peregrine became school ship at the Naval Mine Warfare School, Yorktown, Virginia.

From 1945 to 1951 she conducted daily minesweeping operations in Yorktown, Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Norfolk, Virginia, and also conducted tests on anti-roll gear, and other tests of an experimental nature.

Peregrine spent most of the years from 1951 to 1955 operating out of Norfolk with cruises as far south as Balboa, Panama Canal Zone and as far north as Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland. On 7 February 1955 she became MSF-373. On 9 September 1955 she departed Key West, Florida, for Port Lyautey, North Africa. She operated off Casablanca and called at Gibraltar before sailing for Bermuda and Key West, Florida, arriving at that homeport 8 December.

From 1955 to 1960 Peregrine operated out of Key West, Florida, as far south as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic, and as far north as New York City. On 24 June Peregrine departed for special operations near Saint John's harbor, New Brunswick, Canada.

Peregrine departed the Key West, Florida area again 31 July 1961 en route to Argentia returning 5 October. During November 1962, while serving under ComServLant, Peregrine escorted the technical research ship Oxford (AG-159) on patrol off Havana, Cuba, during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

During 1963 Peregrine was involved in a mapping project from Bermuda to Argentia and Halifax, Nova Scotia, during which time she did not see her homeport for five months.