 USNSMarine Lynx (T-AP-194) underway during the 1950s. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Marine Lynx |
| Owner | United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) |
| Operator |
|
| Ordered | as aType C4-S-A3 hull,MCE hull 2363[1] |
| Builder | Kaiser Shipbuilding Company,Vancouver, Washington |
| Cost | $8,000,000[2] |
| Yard number | 510[1] |
| Way number | 1 |
| Laid down | 9 December 1944 |
| Launched | 17 July 1945 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Henry Brockrick |
| Acquired | 22 October 1945 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate |
|
| United States | |
| Name | Marine Lynx |
| Namesake | A merchant name retained |
| Operator | Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) |
| In service | 23 July 1950 |
| Out of service | 1 May 1958 |
| Stricken | 1 May 1958 |
| Identification | Hull symbol: T-AP-194 |
| Fate |
|
 United States | |
| Name | Transcolumbia |
| Owner | Hudson Waterways Corp. |
| In service | 4 August 1967 |
| Out of service | 3 October 1968 |
| Fate | Chartered toMilitary Sealift Command (MSC), 3 October 1968 |
| United States | |
| Name | Transcolumbia |
| Owner | Hudson Waterways Corp. |
| Operator | MSC |
| In service | 3 October 1968 |
| Out of service | 25 August 1985 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5224912 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, June 1988 |
| General characteristics[3] | |
| Class & type | Marine Adder-classtransport |
| Type | Type C4-S-A3 |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 523 ft (159 m) |
| Beam | 72 ft (22 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Installed power | 13,750 shp (10,250 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Capacity | 53,000 cu ft (1,500 m3) |
| Troops | 3,451 |
| Service record | |
| Operations: |
|
| Awards: | |
USSMarine Lynx (T-AP-194) was aMarine Adder-classtransport that saw service with theUS Navy for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas. She was of the C4-S-A3 design type.
Marine Lynx, approved 18 April 1944, was laid down byKaiser Shipbuilding Co.,Vancouver, Washington, 9 December 1944, as MC Hull no. 2363; launched 17 July 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Henry Brockrick; and delivered to her operator,Moore-McCormack Lines, 22 October 1945.[4]
Following the end of World War II,Marine Lynx steamed throughout the Pacific to carry occupation troops to theFar East and to return veterans of the Pacific campaigns to the United States. DepartingPortland, Oregon, 3 December, she carried troops to Japan and returned to the west coast 4 January 1946. During February and March she cruised out ofSan Francisco, to theMarianas and back; and, after transferring toMatson Navigation Co., 17 April, she departed 23 April, on a troop run in the South Pacific. She touched at ports in theFiji Islands and inAustralia; returned to the west coast in June; and in 1947, entered theMaritime CommissionReserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California.[4]
Following the outbreak ofCommunist aggression In South Korea,Marine Lynx was acquired by theUS Navy from the Maritime Commission 23 July 1950; placed in service; and assigned to duty withMilitary Sea Transportation Service (MSTS). Manned by a civil service crew, she served throughout the years of the Korean conflict carrying US troops to Japan and the war‑torn Korean peninsula. Between mid‑December 1950 and 20 August 1954, she deployed to the Far East out ofSeattle, Washington, 22 times. She debarked combat‑ready troops atYokohama andSasebo, Japan, and atPusan andInchon, South Korea. After the establishment of theuneasy truce 27 July 1953, she cruised primarily to return veterans of the U.N. police action in Korea to the United States.[4]
On 25 August 1954,Marine Lynx sailed once more for the turbulent waters of the Far East. Steaming viaYokosuka, Japan, she reachedHaiphong, French Indochina, 13 September, and began duty in the US Navy'sOperation "Passage‑to‑Freedom". As part of the mighty peacekeeping force of US seapower in that troubled area of the world, she continued to support the forces for freedom in the incessant struggle against the menace of Asian communism. After embarkingVietnamese refugees who were fleeing the tyranny and oppression of the Communist dominated north, she departed Haiphong, 18 September, and carried her passengers toSaigon, where they could begin a new life of freedom in Southeast Asia. During the next 2 months she completed six round trips between northern and southern Vietnam, while carrying refugees,French troops, and military supplies to Saigon,Tourane, andNha Trang. She completed her duty 23 November; sailed to Japan, 30 November; and returned to Seattle, 4 to 16 December.[4]
Marine Lynx remained at Seattle, and was placed in reduced operational status from 11 May 1955 to 4 June 1956. Resuming her Far East service, she departed Seattle, 14 June 1956, and arrived Inchon, 28 June. There she embarked US peacekeeping troops and between 29 June and 15 July, carried them to San Francisco. She returned to Seattle, 16 to 18 July, and returned to reserve operational status 25 July. On 1 May 1958, she transferred permanently to theMaritime Administration and was berthed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet atAstoria, Oregon. Her name was struck from the Navy list the same day.Marine Lynx was sold toHudson Waterways Corp., 4 August 1967, converted to a cargo ship, and renamedTranscolumbia.[4]
From 3 October 1968 to 25 August 1985,Transcolumbia was chartered to theMilitary Sealift Command. In June 1988,Transcolumbia was sold for scrapping.[5]
Marine Lynx received seven battle stars for Korean service.[4]
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