_off_the_Norfolk_Naval_Shipyard_on_5_January_1945_(NH_107757).jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSAlcor |
| Builder | Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company,Kearny, New Jersey |
| Laid down | 1926, as SSDixie |
| Launched | 31 January 1927 |
| Acquired | 3 March 1941 |
| Commissioned | 4 September 1941 |
| Decommissioned | 5 August 1946 |
| Reclassified |
|
| Stricken | 28 August 1946 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Destroyer tender |
| Displacement | 12,250 long tons (12,447 t) |
| Length | 445 ft (136 m) |
| Beam | 60 ft (18 m) |
| Draft | 25 ft 8 in (7.82 m) |
| Speed | 16.5knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Complement | 734 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSAlcor (AD-34) was adestroyer tender, the lone ship in her class, named for a star (also known as the80 Ursae Majoris) in theconstellationUrsa Major.
Originally built in 1928 asSSDixie at the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company inKearny, New Jersey, she was formally acquired by theUnited States Navy on 3 March 1941 from the Southern Pacific Steamship lines (Morgan Line) and converted for naval service at theBethlehem Steel Key Highway Plant inBaltimore, Maryland. The vessel was commissioned asUSSAlcor (AG-34) on 4 September 1941.
The ship got underway on 7 December to sail toCasco Bay, Maine. After completing shakedown training, she shaped a course forNorfolk, Virginia and, upon reaching that port on 19 December, became theflagship of Commander, Train, Atlantic Fleet. Re-classified arepair ship and redesignatedAR-10 on 22 December 1941Alcor began a tour of duty at Norfolk (repairing damage and making alterations to warships) that lasted for more than 30 months.
Her protracted sojourn at Norfolk came to an end on 4 July 1944 when the repair ship got underway for theNew England coast. She reached Casco Bay on 14 July and became the flagship of Commander, Destroyers, Atlantic Fleet. She remained in Casco Bay for the next five months making repairs for various ships of the fleet. While carrying out this assignment, her designation was changed toAD-34 on 6 November 1944. In early January, 1945 the destroyer tender left the east coast, bound for thePacific. She transited thePanama Canal and joined the Pacific Fleet on 16 January.Alcor continued on toHawaii and arrived atPearl Harbor on 3 February. She provided tender services there until 4 June, when she sailed for thePhilippine Islands. While en route, the vessel was diverted toEniwetok. After a four-day layover for a special construction project, the tender resumed her original course and arrived atLeyte on 26 June. There, she reported to Service Squadron 10 for duty and began repair work for various ships. DuringAlcor's service in thePhilippines,Japan capitulated on 15 August 1945.
Alcor left Philippine waters on 14 September and headed forOkinawa. She reachedBuckner Bay on the 18th and resumed her tender duties. She sailed forJapan on 28 February 1946. Her first stop was atSasebo, where she carried out repair work through late March.Alcor then moved her operations toYokosuka. The tender finished her tour there on 8 May, then shaped a course for theUnited States. After a pause en route at Pearl Harbor, the ship reachedSan Diego on 3 June. She sailed back through the Panama Canal and reached Norfolk on 22 June. Preparations were begun for her deactivation, andAlcor was decommissioned on 5 August 1946. The vessel was sold on 6 August 1946. Her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 28 August 1946; she was later scrapped in 1950.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.