_moored_pierside.jpg) USNSArcher T. Gammon (T-AK-243) moored pierside. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake |
|
| Ordered | as type (VC2-S-AP2) hull,MCV hull 725 |
| Builder | Permanente Metals Corporation,Richmond, California |
| Laid down | 13 December 1944, as SSYale Victory |
| Launched | 31 January 1945 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Richard W. Owens |
| Completed | 24 February 1945 |
| Acquired | 18 June 1946 |
| Commissioned | 31 October 1947 as USATSgt. Archer T. Gammon |
| Decommissioned | 1 March 1950 |
| In service | 1 March 1950 as USNSSgt. Archer T. Gammon (T-AK-243) |
| Out of service | spring of 1973 |
| Stricken | 1 May 1973 |
| Identification | Hull symbol:T-AK-243 |
| Honours & awards | National Defense Service Medal |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 9 November 1973, to Chi Shun Hua Steel Co., Ltd., of Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| General characteristics[1] | |
| Class & type | Boulder Victory-classcargo ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 455 ft (139 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 29 ft 2 in (8.89 m) |
| Installed power | 8,500 shp (6,300 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 15.5 kn (17.8 mph; 28.7 km/h) |
| Complement | 51 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | none |
USNSSgt. Archer T. Gammon (T-AK-243) was aBoulder Victory-classcargo ship built at the end of World War II and served the war and its demilitarization as a commercial cargo vessel. From 1946 to 1950 she served theU.S. Army as a transport namedUSAT Sgt.Archer T. Gammon. In 1950 she was acquired by theUnited States Navy and assigned to theMilitary Sea Transportation Service. In 1973 she ended her career and was struck and scrapped.
Sgt. Archer T. Gammon was laid down underU.S. Maritime Commission contract asYale Victory (MCV hull 725) on 13 December 1944 by thePermanente Metals Corporation,Richmond, California; launched on 31 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Richard W. Owens; and delivered to theU.S. Maritime Commission'sWar Shipping Administration (WSA) on 24 February for operation by theOlympic Steamship Company.
On 18 June 1946,Yale Victory was transferred to theU.S. Army and commenced operations betweenSan Francisco, California, and theFar East. Six months later, she changed her home port toSeattle, Washington; and, 31 October 1947, she was renamedSgt. Archer T. Gammon. Two years later, theMilitary Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) was established; and, in March 1950, the cargo ship was transferred to the Navy for use in that organization and was placed in service as USNSSgt. Archer T. Gammon (T-AK-243).
During the early 1950s, she operated out of Seattle to Japan, Korea and Alaska. After the end of theKorean War, her range was extended. In the mid and late 1950s, she operated out of San Francisco to central and western Pacific Ocean ports and, during the periods of conflict in the Middle East, to Caribbean and western and eastern Atlantic Ocean areas.
In 1961, administrative control of the ship was transferred to MSTS, Atlantic, at New York City; and, since that time,Sgt. Archer T. Gammon continued to carry cargo for the Navy's transportation service, since renamed theMilitary Sealift Command, until the spring of 1973 when she was transferred to the U.S. Maritime Administration for disposal
Her name was struck from theNavy List on 1 May 1973, and her hulk was sold to Chi Shun Hua Steel Co., Ltd., ofKaohsiung,Taiwan, on 19 November 1973.
Qualified vessel personnel were eligible for the following:
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.Victory cargo ships of the United States Navy | |
|---|---|
| Boulder Victory class |
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| Greenville Victory class |
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| Lt. James E. Robinson class |
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