History
United States
Name	USS Knave (AM-256)
Builder	American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio
Laid down	23 October 1942
Launched	13 March 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Geraldine Donohue
Commissioned	14 October 1943
Decommissioned	1 May 1946
Reclassified	MSF-256, 7 February 1955
Stricken	2 October 1962
Fate	Transferred to Mexican Navy, 2 October 1962
History
Mexico
Name	ARM DM-13
Acquired	2 October 1962
Renamed	ARM Cadete Juan Escutia (C56), 1994[1]
Namesake	Juan Escutia
Stricken	2000[1]
Fate	Sunk as an artificial reef about one half mile off of the coast of Puerto Morales in the Yucatán Peninsula.
General characteristics
Class and type	Admirable-class minesweeper
Displacement	650 long tons (660 t)
Length	184 ft 6 in (56.24 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draft	9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Propulsion	2 × ALCO 539 diesel engines, 1,710 shp (1,280 kW) Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear 2 shafts
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement	104
Armament	1 × 3"/50 caliber (76 mm) DP gun 2 × twin Bofors 40 mm guns 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar 2 × Depth charge tracks
Service record
Part of:	U.S. Atlantic Fleet (1943–1946) Atlantic Reserve Fleet (1946–1962) Mexican Navy (1962–2000)

USS Knave (AM-256) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic during World War II and was decommissioned in May 1946 and placed in reserve. While she remained in reserve, Knave was reclassified as MSF-256 in February 1955 but never reactivated. In October 1962, she was sold to the Mexican Navy and renamed ARM DM-13. In 1994, she was renamed ARM Cadete Juan Escutia (C56). She was stricken in 2000, but her ultimate fate is not reported in secondary sources.

U.S. Navy career

Knave was launched 13 March 1943, by American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, Ohio; sponsored by Mrs. Geraldine Donohue; and commissioned 14 October 1943. Knave sailed for the Virginia Capes 24 October 1943, via the St. Lawrence River arriving Norfolk, Virginia, 24 November.

After a brief period as school ship at Little Creek, Virginia, Knave departed Hampton Roads for Rio de Janeiro via Trinidad, B.W.I., and Recife, Brazil, arriving 11 February 1944. She swept Brazilian waters until 4 April when she began 9 months of escorting convoys between Trinidad and Recife. On 1 January 1945, she got underway for the United States, escorting USS Pleiades (AK-46) and arrived Miami, Florida, 15 January.

After overhaul at Miami, Knave served as school ship at the Naval Training Center, Miami and at Yorktown, Virginia, visiting Charleston, South Carolina, New Haven, Connecticut, and Norfolk, Virginia. Detached from school ship duty 11 February 1948, Knave sailed from Norfolk to Orange, Texas, arriving 21 February.

Knave was decommissioned and was placed in reserve at Orange, Texas, on 1 May 1946. While in reserve, Knave was reclassified MSF-256 on 7 February 1955. Knave was sold to the Mexican Navy on 2 October 1962.

Mexican Navy career

The former Knave was acquired by the Mexican Navy on 2 October 1962 and renamed ARM DM-13. In 1994, she was renamed ARM Cadete Juan Escutia (C56) after Juan Escutia. She was stricken in 2000,^[1] but her ultimate fate is not reported in secondary sources. A ship by the same name "Juan Escutia' was scuttled as an artificial reef just off the coast of the Yucatán peninsula near the town Puerto Morelos.