The USS 483 motor minesweeper was built in 1952 at the shipyard of Peterson Builders Inc. in Wisconsin for the Mutual Defence Assistance Program (MDAP). These ships ware built not only for the Korean War, but also for foreign countries that didn't have this type of ship after the Second World War.


In 1954 the U.S. Navy transferred ownership of the ship to the Dutch Royal Navy and the hull number change from USS 483 to Hr. Ms. Onverschrokken M886.

In 1972 the M886 was rebuilt as a Torpedo Trial Tender for use by the underwater fleet (the submarines) and received a new name and hull number, Hr. Ms. Mercuur A856 (Auxiliary ship). She kept that designation until 1987, when she was decommissioned and taken out of the Royal Navy Service.


Since 1993 the Mercuur has been berthed in the harbour of Scheveningen and is a museum