USS Caledonia (AK-167)

USS Caledonia (AK-167) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

History
United States
Name: Caledonia
Namesake: Caledonia County, Vermont
Ordered: as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2112[1]
Builder: Kaiser Shipbuilding Co., Richmond, California
Yard number: 69[1]
Laid down: date unknown
Launched: 1 January 1945
Sponsored by: Mrs. V. Brown
Acquired: 13 March 1945
Commissioned: 13 March 1945
Decommissioned: 25 March 1946
Stricken: 12 April 1946
Identification:
Fate: sold 7 March 1947, to Rederi A / S Hauk (Bucha Goding & Co.), Oslo, Norway
Norway
Name: Norse Captain
Owner: Rederi A / S Hauk (Bucha Goding & Co.)
Acquired: 7 March 1947
Fate: Sold 1962
Philippines
Name:
  • Mabini (1962–1964)
  • President Quezon (1964–1965)
Namesake:
Owner: Philippine President Lines Inc.
Acquired: 1962
Fate: Sold to Seven Brothers Shipping Corp., Manila in 1965
Philippines
Name: Seven Kings
Namesake:
Owner: Philippine President Lines Inc.
Acquired: 1965
Identification: IMO number: 5216240
Fate: sold for scrapping to Li Chong Co., Ltd. in September 1980
General characteristics [2]
Class and type: Alamosa-class cargo ship
Type: C1-M-AV1
Tonnage: 5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1]
Displacement:
  • 2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard)
  • 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length: 388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam: 50 ft (15 m)
Draft: 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power:
Propulsion: 1 × propeller
Speed: 11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity:
  • 3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT
  • 9,830 cu ft (278 m3) (refrigerated)
  • 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement:
  • 15 Officers
  • 70 Enlisted
Armament:

Construction

The second ship to be named Caledonia by the US Navy, was launched 1 January 1945 by Kaiser Cargo, Inc., Richmond, California, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2112; sponsored by Mrs. V. Brown; acquired by the Navy 13 March 1945; commissioned the same day, Lieutenant F. G. Stelte in command; and reported to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.[3]

Service history

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

Assigned to a role in the Navy's gigantic logistic task of supplying military forces in the Pacific while still carrying out naval, air, and amphibious warfare, Caledonia sailed from San Francisco, California, 1 May 1945, laden with cargo for the base at Manus, where she began discharging 23 May. The cargo ship completed offloading at Samar, Philippine Islands, on 22 June, then steamed to Darwin, Australia, and Milne Bay, New Guinea, to reload supplies essentially needed in the Philippines. After offloading at Samar and Subic Bay in August and September, Caledonia made another voyage to Noumea, New Caledonia, for cargo, returning to Samar, from which she cleared 30 December for Baltimore, Maryland.[3]

Post-war decommissioning

Caledonia was decommissioned there 25 March 1946, and was returned to the Maritime Commission four days later.[3]

Merchant service

In 1947 Caledonia was sold to Bucha Godager & Co., Oslo, Norway. She was renamed Norse Captain.[4]

In 1962 she was sold to the Philippine President Lines Inc., Manila, the Philippines. She was renamed Mabini in 1962 and then President Quezon in 1964.[4]

In 1965 she was again sold, this time to the Seven Brothers Shipping Corp., Manila. She was again renamed, for the last time, Seven Kings. In 1980 she arrived in September at Kaohsiung, Taiwan for demolition by Li Chong Co. Ltd.[4]

Notes

    Citations
    1. C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
    2. Navsource 2015.
    3. DANFS.
    4. Navsource 2016.

    Bibliography

    Online resources

    • "Caledonia". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 13 November 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
    • "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
    • "USS Caledonia (AK-167)". Navsource.org. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
    • Photo gallery of USS Caledonia (AK-167) at NavSource Naval History


    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.