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USS Pelican (MHC 53)

USS PELICAN was the third OSPREY - class coastal mine hunter and the third ship in the Navy to bear the name of the bird. From January 1, 1997 on, the PELICAN was part of the Naval Reserve Force. In that role the ship was used as training platform for naval reservists. Both decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on March 16, 2007, the PELICAN was transfered to the Hellenic Navy the same day. There she was recommissioned as EVNIKI.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS PELICAN. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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USS PELICAN History:

USS PELICAN's keel was laid on June 6, 1991, by Avondale Industries at Gulfport, Mississippi. PELICAN was one of the OSPREY-class ships constructed by Avondale rather than Intermarine USA, although the class as a whole was based on technology derived from the Italian LERICI-class minehunter. PELICAN was launched and christened at Gulfport on February 27, 1993, with Clarice Tashman serving as sponsor. Construction, fitting out, installation of equipment and acceptance work continued for more than two years. The Navy accepted delivery of the ship on August 11, 1995. Following her final precommissioning period, PELICAN proceeded to Beaumont, Texas, a city that would maintain a close association with the ship during her U.S. Navy career.

USS PELICAN was commissioned at Beaumont on November 18, 1995, with Lieutenant Commander Kevin Thomas Holden as her first commanding officer. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison was the principal speaker at the commissioning, and other guests included Representative Charles Wilson and Beaumont Mayor David W. Moore. Four days later, on November 22, PELICAN arrived at Naval Station Ingleside, Texas, which became her operational homeport.

Naval Station Ingleside, near Corpus Christi, was becoming the principal U.S. Navy concentration point for dedicated surface mine-warfare forces. OSPREY-class coastal minehunters operated there alongside the larger AVENGER-class mine countermeasures ships, while nearby organizations provided command, maintenance and training support. The ships also worked regularly with MH-53E Sea Dragon airborne mine-countermeasures helicopters and explosive ordnance disposal detachments, allowing surface minehunting, airborne minesweeping and underwater mine neutralization to be combined within a single mine-warfare force.

On January 1, 1997, PELICAN transferred to the Naval Reserve Force. She remained a commissioned operational U.S. Navy warship but thereafter operated under the reserve-force organization used for a substantial portion of the surface mine-countermeasures fleet. The system combined active-duty personnel with Selected Reserve participation and enabled the ships to support operational requirements while also providing specialized training for naval reservists. Lieutenant Commander Kenneth B. Conley relieved Holden as commanding officer on February 7, 1997.

From July 7-17, 1998, she participated in Gulf of Mexico Exercise 98-2 with USS OSPREY (MHC 51), USS HERON (MHC 52), USS KINGFISHER (MHC 56), USS FALCON (MHC 59), USS CORMORANT (MHC 57), USS CHIEF (MCM 14) and USS GLADIATOR (MCM 11). Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 and detachments from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Units 3, 6 and 11 added airborne and underwater elements to the exercise.

The Gulf exercise went beyond routine detection and neutralization of exercise mines. Training scenarios incorporated simulated small-boat attacks, small-unit amphibious activity and terrorist threats against ships in port in the Corpus Christi area. Representatives of the Royal Australian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy observed portions of the training.

On September 28, 1998, PELICAN joined USS OSPREY, USS HERON, USS KINGFISHER, USS FALCON and USS CORMORANT for Fleet Exercise 99-1 involving the battle group centered on USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65). The exercise continued into early October. The coastal minehunters used geotranslation through the Joint Maritime Command Information System so that mine contacts, searched areas and cleared routes could be incorporated into the tactical information available to the larger naval force. The exercise provided experience in the role of dedicated mine-countermeasures ships supporting carrier and amphibious forces that might require access through waters threatened by mines.

Only a few days later, PELICAN joined the same group of six OSPREY-class ships for an extended Caribbean deployment. USS OSPREY served as task group commander. The ships proceeded to Beaumont on October 7 and remained there from October 8-11 for Navy Days. The group's subsequent Caribbean itinerary included Cozumel, Mexico, in mid-October and Montego Bay, Jamaica, by October 23.

The deployment then became affected by Hurricane Mitch, which rapidly intensified in the western Caribbean. The six minehunters proceeded to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where PELICAN, USS OSPREY, USS HERON, USS KINGFISHER, USS FALCON and USS CORMORANT sheltered while the storm affected the region. Hurricane Mitch subsequently caused extensive destruction in Central America. The minehunter group continued eastward to Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, during early November and later called at Key West, Florida. PELICAN returned to Naval Station Ingleside with the group on November 19. The voyage was an operational and training deployment.

Lieutenant Commander Conley had remained commanding officer until October 10, 1998, when Lieutenant Commander Scott Stephen Gordon relieved him. During the Christmas and New Year period that followed the Caribbean deployment, PELICAN was paired with USS FALCON in another experiment involving personnel management within the mine-warfare force. The ships were nested together and selected in-port watches and emergency-response responsibilities were shared. The arrangement increased the number of effective duty sections and allowed longer intervals between duty days for individual sailors. Similar personnel concepts were being examined among other Ingleside mine-warfare units.

PELICAN entered 1999 under Gordon, with the holiday stand-down ending in January. The remainder of that month was devoted largely to general upkeep and preparations for forthcoming operations. On February 9, 1999, PELICAN departed Ingleside for a voyage along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. She proceeded through the Sabine River to Port Arthur, Texas, and moored at the city docks. The visit coincided with local Mardi Gras and Gumbo Festival activities, and crew members participated in community events that included a parade and a five-kilometer run.

PELICAN subsequently continued approximately 22 miles farther inland through the Sabine and Neches river system to Beaumont. The port call returned the ship to the city where she had been commissioned in November 1995 and maintained the relationship between the crew and the PELICAN Commissioning Committee. From the Beaumont area PELICAN proceeded eastward across the Gulf of Mexico to Panama City, Florida. Following a weekend port visit, she conducted mine-countermeasures operations and training in the Panama City operating area, one of the Navy's principal locations for mine-warfare testing, research and fleet training. She returned to Ingleside on March 5, 1999.

PELICAN remained pierside at Ingleside from March 5-22 while the crew prepared for an extensive maintenance period. On March 23, she transited through Aransas Pass and entered South Texas Ship Repair for depot-level maintenance and dry-docking. The yard period continued until May 17. Work included hull preservation, installation of an INMARSAT satellite-communications capability and numerous machinery and ship-system maintenance items. As the availability approached completion, PELICAN underwent a Light-Off Assessment on May 12-13. Dock trials followed on May 17 and sea trials on May 18. The ship then underwent a major sonar-system groom intended to restore, calibrate and verify the performance of equipment central to her minehunting mission.

During June 1999, PELICAN's crew concentrated on rebuilding proficiency following the lengthy maintenance period. Training covered mine warfare, engineering and shipboard team procedures and included both active-duty and reserve personnel. From July 19-23, PELICAN underwent Command Assessment of Readiness and Training Phase II under the supervision of the Afloat Training Group, continuing her progression through the post-maintenance readiness cycle.

On October 5, 1999, PELICAN departed with USS OSPREY, USS HERON, USS KINGFISHER, USS CORMORANT and USS FALCON for Beaumont. The minehunters participated in Navy Days activities during a period that also included observances marking the U.S. Navy's 224th anniversary. PELICAN subsequently returned to Ingleside and resumed her regular training and maintenance schedule.

The ship entered 2000 in the advanced stages of another inter-deployment training cycle. During late January and early February, she participated in Gulf of Mexico Exercise 00-1 in waters off the Texas Gulf Coast.

In early March, PELICAN departed Ingleside for Port Arthur, where she made a three-day visit associated with local Mardi Gras events. From Port Arthur the minehunter proceeded across the Gulf of Mexico to Veracruz, Mexico. The four-day visit represented PELICAN's first foreign port call in approximately two years. Members of the wardroom hosted Mexican naval officers aboard, while members of the crew had opportunities to visit the Mexican Naval Academy.

After leaving Veracruz, PELICAN returned toward Texas. During the transit, she deployed a Mk 6 mine shape in deep water to provide a target for subsequent detection and neutralization training by mine-warfare units. The position of the exercise object was transmitted to other participating ships. PELICAN reached Ingleside on March 23, 2000, and spent the remainder of the month in upkeep.

During the first two weeks of April, the ship underwent a Fleet Maintenance Availability together with her first Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Combat Systems Readiness Assessment. Maintenance included grooming and refurbishment of the main diesel engines and other engineering equipment, while communications and information systems received additional technical attention.

On May 8, 2000, PELICAN joined a surface mine-countermeasures squadron exercise with USS OSPREY, USS HERON, USS FALCON, USS CHAMPION (MCM 4) and USS PIONEER (MCM 9). Operations extended through the Pascagoula, Pensacola and Panama City areas and allowed the ships to practice coordinated minehunting, communications and command relationships in preparation for more complex integrated training.

During July, PELICAN participated in Gulf of Mexico Exercise 00-2/Mercury 2000, a bilateral mine-warfare event involving the United States and Singapore. Other documented U.S. forces included USS INCHON (MCS 12), USS OSPREY, USS HERON, USS FALCON, USS CHAMPION and USS PIONEER, together with Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 and explosive ordnance disposal detachments.

Mine Warfare Readiness and Effectiveness Measurement 13 was conducted in conjunction with the exercise. The tactical scenario included preparations for an unopposed amphibious landing and required mine-countermeasures forces to search and clear Q-routes, an inner transport area, landing-craft air-cushion lanes and conventional boat lanes. Approximately two days into the exercise, PELICAN suffered a serious casualty involving her AN/SLQ-48 mine-neutralization system. The problem required the ship to return to port for emergent repairs. Because complete restoration could not immediately be achieved, PELICAN later returned to the exercise in a modified role, continuing as a mine-search platform while supporting an embarked explosive ordnance disposal detachment. EOD divers provided an alternative means of investigating and neutralizing mine contacts while the remotely operated mine-neutralization vehicle was unavailable.

Following the exercise, PELICAN entered a period of maintenance and crew rest. From August 2-4, she operated in the Corpus Christi area while preparing for a change of command. On August 9, 2000, Lieutenant Commander Carol Ann Hottenrott relieved Lieutenant Commander Gordon as commanding officer. The change of command occurred immediately before a serious accident involving another element of the local mine-warfare community. On August 10, an MH-53E Sea Dragon from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 crashed in the Gulf of Mexico about 17 miles off Corpus Christi during a minesweeping training mission. Four of the six people aboard were killed. Although PELICAN had entered a predeployment leave period, the ship was directed to prepare at short notice to assist with search-and-rescue operations. Before she reached the search area, the main wreckage and debris field had been located and PELICAN was released from the tasking.

After completing predeployment preparations, PELICAN departed Ingleside on September 12, 2000, for the first extended operational deployment of her commissioned career. She initially proceeded to Beaumont and arrived there on September 14 for Navy Days. PELICAN served as flagship for Captain Randolph Young, Commander Mine Countermeasures Squadron One. The ship hosted an official reception and received large numbers of visitors, continuing her long association with Beaumont.

On September 18, PELICAN departed Beaumont as Mine Warfare Readiness Group 2 began its East Coast movement. The group included USS OSPREY, USS HERON, USS FALCON, USS CHAMPION and USS PIONEER. Severe weather altered portions of the planned itinerary. PELICAN was diverted to Pascagoula, Mississippi, where she remained from September 22-25. The unscheduled stop was used to conduct emergent repairs to the No. 2 uninterruptible power supply.

PELICAN departed Pascagoula on September 26 and reached Key West on September 29. She remained there through October 2 before continuing north. The ship arrived at Mayport, Florida, on October 5 and spent approximately a week alongside conducting maintenance and preparations for the principal fleet exercise of the deployment. On October 11, 2000, PELICAN departed Mayport and proceeded toward the Virginia Capes operating area for Unified Spirit 2000 and Joint Task Force Exercise 01-1. The exercise involved U.S., Canadian and other allied forces and was integrated into the predeployment training of the battle group centered on USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75).

Under Commander Mine Countermeasures Squadron Two, PELICAN served as Commander Task Unit 405.6.2. This placed the ship in operational control of USS HERON, USS CHAMPION, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 6 Detachment 2 and the Canadian mine-warfare ships HMCS MONCTON (MM 708) and HMCS GOOSE BAY (MM 707). The task unit was assigned exploratory and clearance mine-warfare operations over more than 175 square miles of the Virginia Capes operating area.

During the exercise PELICAN herself searched more than 42 square miles, reported 26 positive sonar contacts and participated in the neutralization of six exercise mines using a combination of surface mine-countermeasures and explosive ordnance disposal assets. Following the principal mine-warfare phase, embarked EOD divers also assisted HMCS GOOSE BAY after the Canadian ship lost a deep sweeping array following an equipment casualty. The task unit made brief fuel stops at Morehead City, North Carolina, during the exercise.

Unified Spirit concluded on October 22, 2000, after which PELICAN proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia. She remained in the Norfolk area through the remainder of October and the first part of November for upkeep, maintenance and crew training. Officers received additional shiphandling training while preparations were made for the second phase of the deployment. The mine-warfare force was subsequently divided into smaller groups for additional movements and port visits. USS OSPREY operated with USS PIONEER and USS FALCON, while USS HERON formed another group with PELICAN and USS CHAMPION.

PELICAN departed the Norfolk area on November 13, 2000, with USS HERON and USS CHAMPION and proceeded through Chesapeake Bay toward Annapolis, Maryland. The three ships arrived on November 14 and moored at the U.S. Naval Academy sailing center. The location allowed midshipmen to tour the mine-warfare vessels and receive instruction concerning their specialized equipment and missions. The ships remained at Annapolis until November 20.

After departing Annapolis, PELICAN and her consorts proceeded through the upper Chesapeake Bay and the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal toward New York City. They entered New York Harbor on November 21. PELICAN moored alongside the former USS EDSON (DD 946) at Pier 86 near the museum ship USS INTREPID (CV 11). The port visit coincided with Thanksgiving, and members of PELICAN's crew attended the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

PELICAN departed New York on November 24 with USS HERON and USS CHAMPION. Poor weather again affected the return voyage, and on November 25 the ships diverted to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia. They remained there until conditions permitted the southbound transit to resume. PELICAN eventually returned to Ingleside in December, completing an approximately three-month deployment. PELICAN's performance during 2000 resulted in the ship receiving the Battle Efficiency "E".

The beginning of 2001 brought another major Gulf of Mexico exercise, but PELICAN's participation was sharply curtailed by a serious engineering casualty. Gulf of Mexico Exercise 01-1 was conducted from January 9-19 and involved more than 1,700 personnel. Mine Countermeasures Squadron One directed the exercise from USS INCHON. Surface participants included USS OSPREY, USS HERON, PELICAN, USS FALCON, USS AVENGER (MCM 1), USS CHAMPION, USS DEVASTATOR (MCM 6), USS SCOUT (MCM 8), USS PIONEER, USS WARRIOR (MCM 10), USS GLADIATOR and USS CHIEF. USNS SATURN (T-AFS 10) provided logistics support, while airborne mine-countermeasures helicopters and explosive ordnance disposal detachments formed additional elements of the exercise force.

PELICAN got underway on January 11, 2001, to join the exercise. While still transiting the Corpus Christi Channel, however, the ship suffered a major casualty to the No. 2 main propulsion diesel engine. A connecting rod came loose and caused extensive internal engine damage, including damage to the cylinder head and engine block. The casualty prevented PELICAN from continuing normal participation in the exercise and forced the ship back into repair status. The damaged engine required replacement. Work continued through the following weeks, and the replacement No. 2 main propulsion diesel engine was successfully tested on February 26, 2001. Restoring the propulsion plant allowed PELICAN to proceed with a specialized assignment that became one of the most technically significant periods of her career.

The Navy selected PELICAN from among a number of surface mine-countermeasures ships to serve as an evaluation platform for the German-developed STN Atlas SEAFOX mine-neutralization system. SEAFOX represented a newer generation of remotely operated or guided mine-disposal technology intended to provide an alternative to existing mine-neutralization vehicles. PELICAN departed Ingleside on March 3, 2001. The crew conducted training while crossing the Gulf of Mexico and reached the Coastal Systems Station at Panama City on March 7. Between March 7-13, SEAFOX equipment was installed aboard the ship. The installation included the vehicle system, launch-and-recovery equipment and an associated hydrophone arrangement. Approximately 20 training runs were conducted to familiarize the crew and test team with the system.

Formal at-sea SEAFOX evaluation began on March 19. Over the course of the test program, PELICAN conducted 45 SEAFOX missions against four different types of exercise targets in varying water depths. Targets included Mk 52 bottom-mine shapes and Mk 6 moored-mine shapes, allowing the system to be assessed against different representative mine configurations. One SEAFOX vehicle was lost during a mission after damage to its umbilical cable. PELICAN subsequently conducted a search for the missing vehicle and succeeded in recovering it. The incident provided an additional unplanned test of the ship's search capability as well as experience with recovery of the experimental equipment.

Following completion of the principal SEAFOX evaluation, PELICAN also tested new bidirectional software associated with the AN/SYQ-13 navigation and mine-warfare command-and-control system. The software work was intended to improve the transfer and handling of information between shipboard mine-warfare systems. After more than a month away from Ingleside, PELICAN began her homeward transit on April 3, 2001. The remainder of 2001 involved recurring maintenance, inspections, reserve-force training and local mine-warfare proficiency work. The terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11 resulted in heightened security conditions throughout the U.S. military and altered force-protection requirements at naval installations, including Ingleside.

Lieutenant Commander Hottenrott remained commanding officer until February 12, 2002, when Lieutenant Commander John Ernest Shassberger relieved her. PELICAN subsequently entered another concentrated mine-warfare work-up period. In May 2002, PELICAN participated in Squadron Exercise 02-2 with USS OSPREY, USS FALCON, USS CHAMPION and USS PIONEER. Operations took place in waters between Pascagoula, Pensacola and Panama City and concentrated on coordinated mine-countermeasures tactics among the participating ships. The exercise coincided with the search for a U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle that had crashed in the Gulf of Mexico on April 30. USS OSPREY, operating as part of the same exercise force, located the aircraft's fuselage approximately 60 miles south of Panama City. PELICAN participated in the squadron exercise but was not the ship that located the wreckage.

A second major mine-warfare event followed in July. During Gulf of Mexico Exercise 02-2, PELICAN operated with USS OSPREY, USS FALCON, USS CHAMPION and USS PIONEER. Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 and detachments from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 6 provided airborne and underwater support, while shore and harbor-security organizations contributed force-protection and communications functions. The exercise formed part of Mine Warfare Readiness Group 2's progression toward deployable readiness.

During the autumn of 2002, PELICAN became part of the mine-warfare contribution to Joint Task Force Exercise 03-1, conducted from October 28-November 6 along the Atlantic seaboard, principally off Virginia and North Carolina. More than 15,000 U.S. and allied personnel participated. The exercise was intended to certify carrier and amphibious forces for deployment during a period in which Operation Enduring Freedom was continuing in Afghanistan and military preparations related to Iraq were increasing.

The principal carrier force was centered on USS HARRY S. TRUMAN. Other documented U.S. Navy ships included USS SAN JACINTO (CG 56), USS OSCAR AUSTIN (DDG 79), USS DONALD COOK (DDG 75), USS MITSCHER (DDG 57), USS DEYO (DD 989), USS BRISCOE (DD 977) and USS HAWES (FFG 53). The amphibious force was centered on USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7), accompanied by USS NASHVILLE (LPD 13) and USS CARTER HALL (LSD 50). The mine-warfare element included PELICAN, USS OSPREY and USS FALCON, together with Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14, an explosive ordnance disposal detachment and USNS PREVAIL (T-AGOS 8).

The exercise used a multinational and multi-service scenario intended to reproduce the complexity of operations that the deploying carrier and amphibious forces could encounter. PELICAN's participation placed the coastal minehunter within the component responsible for addressing simulated mine threats during the final certification exercise. The USS HARRY S. TRUMAN battle group subsequently deployed in December 2002 and operated in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, but PELICAN did not accompany the battle group on that overseas deployment.

PELICAN also became involved during 2003 in the Navy's development of unmanned underwater vehicles for mine warfare. In June, the Office of Naval Research and Mine Warfare Command were evaluating autonomous underwater vehicle technology in waters near Naval Station Ingleside. Tests of the relatively compact REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle were conducted from PELICAN. The evaluation formed part of the Navy's effort to determine how unmanned vehicles could perform mine-reconnaissance and survey functions and provide information before manned mine-countermeasures ships entered potentially hazardous areas.

Lieutenant Commander Shassberger remained in command until January 23, 2004, when Lieutenant Commander Keith Allen Knutsen relieved him. PELICAN continued operating from Ingleside while the Navy's mine-warfare community adjusted to the operational demands of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and broader changes in expeditionary mine countermeasures.

On May 7, 2004, PELICAN experienced a casualty requiring assistance from USS OSPREY, which provided towing assistance.

A serious personnel accident occurred on May 27. A sailor aboard PELICAN suffered a .50-caliber gunshot wound to the left leg after a weapon malfunction. The New Orleans Rescue Communications Center requested helicopter assistance. A responding aircraft lowered a Navy corpsman to the minehunter. The corpsman controlled the bleeding, restored a detectable pulse in the injured sailor's foot and stabilized the casualty before he was hoisted into the helicopter and transported to a hospital.

Lieutenant Commander Knutsen remained commanding officer until November 1, 2004, when Lieutenant Commander Thomas Patrick Hollingshead assumed command. PELICAN continued through maintenance, inspection and readiness activities during the remainder of the year. A further Phased Maintenance Availability was programmed for PELICAN during fiscal year 2005 as part of the Navy's continuing maintenance program for Naval Reserve Force mine-countermeasures ships. At the same time, the Navy was preparing to reduce the OSPREY-class force. Some ships were scheduled for retirement while others were being considered for transfer to allied navies. On December 20, 2005, U.S. legislation authorized the transfer of PELICAN to Greece as a grant Excess Defense Article. USS HERON was also authorized for transfer to Greece. The legislation established PELICAN's eventual destination but did not immediately end her U.S. Navy service.

Lieutenant Commander Hollingshead remained in command until February 10, 2006. During the final years of the OSPREY-class, the Navy increasingly used rotational coastal-minehunter crews rather than maintaining a permanently separate crew for every hull. Lieutenant Commander Derek Andrew Trinque assumed command on February 10 in connection with the coastal minehunter rotational-crewing organization.

On June 2, 2006, Lieutenant Commander Antonio D. Hull assumed command. Hull commanded Minehunter Crew Excel, which operated aboard PELICAN and later USS BLACK HAWK (MHC 58). During this rotational-crewing assignment, the crew participated in mine-warfare exercises and assisted in training foreign naval personnel connected with the Foreign Military Sales program, an increasingly relevant task as former OSPREY-class ships were prepared for transfer to foreign operators.

The reduction of the U.S. OSPREY-class force was already visibly under way. USS OSPREY and USS ROBIN (MHC 54) were decommissioned on June 15, 2006. USS FALCON and USS ORIOLE (MHC 55) followed on June 30. PELICAN nevertheless remained in commission while preparations continued for her eventual transfer to Greece. Lieutenant Commander Hull remained in command until October 10, 2006, when Lieutenant Commander James LeRoy Storm assumed command. Ten days later, PELICAN began one of the best documented port visits of her final year.

On October 20, 2006, PELICAN arrived at Naval Support Activity New Orleans for a weekend visit. New Orleans was still recovering from the extensive destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. During the port call, members of PELICAN's crew worked with Habitat for Humanity on local recovery projects. The visit also provided liberty opportunities for the crew. PELICAN departed Naval Support Activity New Orleans on October 23 and began the return transit toward Naval Station Ingleside. Contemporary documentation of the port call also showed the heightened force-protection measures that had become standard around naval vessels during the post-September 11 period.

By the end of 2006, preparations for transfer to Greece had become a major focus of PELICAN's remaining service. Transfer of a specialized minehunter required not only administrative arrangements but also technical familiarization and training for the incoming Hellenic Navy personnel. On January 10, 2007, Lieutenant Commander Shanti Rae Sethi assumed responsibility for PELICAN during the final transfer period, succeeding Lieutenant Commander James LeRoy Storm. Under the rotational crewing arrangements then used for the coastal minehunter force, Sethi simultaneously served as commanding officer of both PELICAN and USS HERON as the two ships were prepared for decommissioning and transfer to Greece. For slightly more than two months, American and Greek personnel continued the transfer process.

USS PELICAN was formally decommissioned at Naval Station Ingleside on March 16, 2007, after approximately eleven years and four months of commissioned U.S. Navy service. USS HERON was decommissioned at Ingleside on the same day. Both ships were removed from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register and transferred to Greece. The transfer documents were signed by representatives of the U.S. and Hellenic navies and marked the first formal transfer of U.S. naval vessels to another country conducted at the South Texas installation. On March 16, 2007, the former PELICAN was received by Commander N. Gounaris of the Hellenic Navy and entered Greek service as HS EVNIKI (M 61). The former USS HERON entered Greek service as HS KALYPSO (M 64).

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