_underway_in_the_East_China_Sea_on_13_January_1945.jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Pamanset |
| Namesake | Pamanset River in Massachusetts |
| Builder | Marinship,Sausalito, California |
| Laid down | 30 March 1943 |
| Launched | 25 June 1943 |
| Commissioned | 30 April 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 18 March 1946 |
| Stricken | 28 March 1946 |
| Acquired | 10 February 1948 |
| In service | 1 October 1949, asUSNSPamanset (T-AO-85) |
| Out of service | 24 February 1956 |
| In service | 26 June 1956 |
| Out of service | 26 September 1957 |
| Identification | IMO number: 6709141 |
| Honors & awards | 6battle stars (World War II) |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Escambia-classreplenishment oiler |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 523 ft 6 in (159.56 m) |
| Beam | 68 ft (21 m) |
| Draft | 30 ft 10 in (9.40 m) |
| Propulsion | Turbo-electric,single screw, 8,000 shp (5,966 kW) |
| Speed | 15knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Capacity | 140,000 barrels (22,000 m3) |
| Complement | 267 |
| Armament |
|
USSPamanset (AO-85) was aEscambia-classreplenishment oiler acquired by theUnited States Navy for use duringWorld War II. She had the dangerous but necessary task of providing fuel to vessels in combat and non-combat areas.
She was laid down as MC hull 1264 by theMarinship Corp.,Sausalito, California, under aMaritime Commission contract on 30 March 1943, launched on 25 June 1943, sponsored by Mrs. W. B. Murray, acquired by the Navy and commissioned on 30 April 1944.
Followingshakedown,Pamanset sailed forPearl Harbor and duty with the Pacific Fleet during the final months ofWorld War II. Departing Pearl Harbor on 24 July 1944, she steamed to theMarshall Islands, then to theAdmiralty Islands where she spent the next several months refueling units of the3rd Fleet. She continued her support of the 3rd Fleet during the WesternCaroline andPhilippine Islands engagements in the fall of 1944 as well as during theFormosa andChina coast attacks early in 1945. Refueling operations in very heavy seas in January 1945, resulted in injuries to several of her crew.Pamanset arrived offIwo Jima on 26 February and participated in that campaign until returning toUlithi on 2 March, thence proceeding toSan Pedro, California, for extensive repairs. She was underway again on 4 June for the Western Pacific and serviced the 3rd Fleet in various fueling areas until the end of the war.
After extensive operations in support of the occupation fleet in Japanese home waters, she departedYokohama, Japan, on 8 November forSan Francisco,California, where she decommissioned on 18 March 1946. She was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 28 March and transferred to the Maritime Commission on 11 October.
Reacquired on 10 February 1948, she was assigned toMilitary Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) on 1 October 1949, asUSNSPamanset (T-AO-85), manned by a merchant crew. After necessary fitting out and trials, she added to her wartime record by rendering valuable service during theKorean War. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register and transferred to theMaritime Administration (MARAD) Reserve Fleet on 24 February 1956, reinstated again on 26 June for MSTS contract operations, then struck on 26 September 1957.
The ship was sold to the Hudson Waterways Corporation on 3 May 1966 and renamedSeatrain Florida. She was subsequently lengthened using part of the midsection of another T2 tanker, theFruitvale Hills, and rebuilt byNewport News Shipbuilding into one of sevenSeatrain Lines multi-purpose cargo ships capable of carrying general bulk and palletized cargo,intermodal containers, vehicles and rail cars. Upon completion of the conversion and delivery in March 1967Seatrain Florida, IMO 6119807, was chartered to the MSTS in support of overseas U.S. military operations, including the transport of material, equipment and aircraft toVietnam. The ship was transferred to theNational Defense Reserve Fleet (James River) in October 1974 and on 8 August 1978, her name was changed to justFlorida. The ship was retired and broken up in 1986.[1]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.