USS Harlequin

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USS Harlequin (AM-365) was a US Navy Admirable-class minesweeper built during World War II. She served in the Atlantic and was decommissioned in 1946. Later, she was sold to Mexico and renamed several times, serving as an oceanographic research ship and then as a school ship. By the 2000s she remained in Mexican service, and she was eventually sunk to become an artificial reef and a dive site.

US Navy career
- Built in Portland, Oregon by Willamette Iron and Steel Works.
- Laid down: 3 August 1943; launched: 3 June 1944.
- Commissioned: 28 September 1945.
- Shakedown and early operations took place in the Gulf and southern United States; she spent time in San Pedro, California, and New Orleans, Louisiana, before heading to Orange, Texas.
- Decommissioned on 27 May 1946 and placed in reserve.
- Reclassified as MSF-365 on 7 February 1955, but she was never reactivated.
- Struck from the Navy List on 1 May 1962 and later sold to Mexico on 2 October 1962.

Mexican Navy career
- Renamed ARM DM-20 when acquired by the Mexican Navy in October 1962.
- 1976–1978: disarmed and converted to an oceanographic research vessel; renamed ARM Oceanográfico (H02).
- 1993: renamed ARM General Pedro María Anaya (A08).
- In the late 1990s: renamed ARM Aldabaran (BE02) and used as a school ship.
- As of 2007, Aldabaran remained in active service with the Mexican Navy. The vessel was later sunk to create an artificial reef and a popular dive site.

At a glance
- Class and type: Admirable-class minesweeper
- Displacement: about 650 long tons
- Length/beam/draft: roughly 184 ft 6 in long, 33 ft beam, 9 ft 9 in draft
- Propulsion: two ALCO diesel engines, about 1,710 shaft horsepower, two shafts
- Speed: about 15 knots
- Crew: around 104
- Armament (as US Navy): 1 × 3"/50 caliber gun, 2 × 40 mm guns, Hedgehog anti-submarine launcher, and depth-charge gear

USS Harlequin's story shows how a World War II minesweeper later found new life with another country, serving in science, education, and still contributing to naval history.