.jpg) USSInvestigator (AGR-9), under way 11 September 1960, location unknown. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Charles A. Draper |
| Namesake | Charles A. Draper |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | Polarus Steamship Co. Inc. |
| Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C5) hull,MC hull 2336 |
| Builder | J.A. Jones Construction,Panama City, Florida[1] |
| Cost | $1,131,702[2] |
| Yard number | 77 |
| Way number | 4 |
| Laid down | 28 November 1944 |
| Launched | 9 January 1945 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. E. L. Cills |
| Completed | 24 January 1945 |
| Identification | |
| Fate |
|
 United States | |
| Name | Investigator |
| Namesake | One who makes an inquiry or examination |
| Commissioned | 16 January 1957 |
| Decommissioned | 3 March 1965 |
| Reclassified | Guardian-classradar picket ship |
| Refit | Charleston Naval Shipyard,Charleston, South Carolina |
| Stricken | 1 April 1965 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics[4] | |
| Class & type |
|
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 57 feet (17 m) |
| Draft | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.5knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity | 490,000 cubic feet (13,875 m3) (bale) |
| Complement | |
| Armament |
|
| General characteristics (US Navy refit)[3] | |
| Class & type | Guardian-classradar picket ship |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement |
|
| Armament | 2 ×3 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber guns |
USSInvestigator (AGR/YAGR-9) was aGuardian-classradar picket ship, converted from aLiberty Ship, acquired by theUS Navy in 1954. She was reconfigured as a radar picket ship and assigned to radar picket duty in the NorthAtlantic Ocean as part of theDistant Early Warning Line.
Investigator (YAGR-9) was laid down on 28 November 1944, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2336, as theLiberty ShipCharles A. Draper, byJ.A. Jones Construction,Panama City, Florida. She was launched 9 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. E. L. Cills; and delivered 24 January 1945, to thePolarus Steamship Co., Inc.[5][2]
The ship carried replacement aircraft and cargo until the end of the war. She entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet,James River Reserve Fleet,Lee Hall, Virginia, 26 October 1945.[5]
After a brief period of service in 1947, she entered the Reserve Fleet atMobile, Alabama, until she was acquired by the US Navy, 2 July 1956. She was converted to aradar picket ship at theCharleston Navy Yard,Charleston, South Carolina, and commissionedInvestigator (YAGR-9), 16 January 1957.[5][3]
Equipped with the latest in air search and tracking systems, the ship conducted hershakedown training in theCaribbean, and departedGuantanamo Bay, for her new home port,Davisville, Rhode Island.Investigator began her operational pattern of three- to four-week cruises in the NorthAtlantic Ocean as the seaward extension of theContinental Air Defense Command's (CONAD) air early warning system. Operating with search aircraft, she could detect, track, and report aircraft at long ranges, and could control high speed US interceptor aircraft and direct them to targets.[5]
The ship was reclassifiedAGR-9, effective 28 September 1958. She continued radar picket station duties for CONAD, detecting and tracking inbound airborne objects and controlling jet interceptor aircraft until decommissioned 29 March 1965.[5]
Her name was struck from theNavy List 1 April 1965. She was transferred the same day to theUS Maritime Commission (MARCOM) and entered theHudson River Reserve Fleet,Jones Point, New York, where she remained until sold for scrapping in Spain, 15 May 1971.[5][3]
Investigator's crew was eligible for the following medals:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
