USS Lucid

The MSO is a little known and poorly documented, extremely interesting facet of naval history. The USS Lucid and the Minesweeper Museum is dedicated to telling the story of the mine-sweeping men and their wooden ships, the last all wooden US Naval ships to navigate the oceans.

Of the 101 MSO’s built, only a very few remain in the hands of foreign countries and all of the U.S. ships have been sold and/or scrapped. USS Lucid (MSO-458) was received as a donation from a private individual, in honor of the 50,000 men who served on MSOs. Lucid MSO-458 Foundation and the Minesweeper Museum are currently located in the Sacramento delta region on Bradford Island. Lucid is open to the public as the restoration progresses.

It should be noted that Lucid is the last salvageable MSO in the U.S. She had all machinery and equipment removed during a previous scrapping operation. The hull, compartmentation and superstructure remain intact and the oak frame and southern pine and fir planking is in remarkably good condition considering her history since her naval service. Work is underway to restore and retrofit her and bring her back to her previous glory.