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MHC 56 Kingfisher
"Steadfast and Resolute"

The Osprey Class Coastal Mine Hunter Kingfisher (MHC 56) was commissioned during an October 26, 1996 ceremony at the Intrepid Museum Foundation in New York City. She was christened on June 18, 1994 at Avondale Industries, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Kingfisher is the sixth of 12 Osprey Class ships authorized by Congress to be built. The ship's primary mission is reconnaissance, classification and neutralization of moored and bottom mines in littoral areas, harbors and coastal waterways. The ship is armed with two .50 caliber machine guns, a high definition, variable-depth sonar, and a remotely-operated, robotic submarine used to neutralize mines.

The ship's crest is dark blue which are the colors traditionally used by the Navy and reflect the sea and excellence. The belted Kingfisher, a tenacious hunter, is the ship's namesake. This graceful bird jealously guards it fishing rights, constantly patrolling its stretch of shoreline. The blue and gray border commemorates the courage and valor displayed by the first USS Kingfisher during the Civil War and alludes to a coastline and the littoral maritime area where an MHC operates.

The horned contact mine on the crest underscores the North Sea mine barrage clearance of the third USS Kingfisher during World War I. The stars honor the battle star that the ship earned rescuing a downed aviator during World War II. The life ring also highlights this lifesaving act. The four lightning bolts represent the four ships that have been named Kingfisher; their radiating configuration underscores the ship's modern electronic mine hunting capabilities in the search and clearing of enemy mines.

Previous Namesakes

USS Kingfisher is named after a bird of prey and commemorates the prior naval services of three minecraft named Kingfisher. The first, a bark (1861-1864), operated with the Gulf and South Atlantic Blockading Squadrons during the Civil War.

The second, a motor launch (SP 76) (1917-1919), patrolled Long Island Sound during World War I. The third, a minesweeper (AM 24), and later a Fleet Tug (ATO 135) (1918-1946), participated in the sweeping of the North Sea Mine Barrage (1919) and earned one battle star for service during World War II.