.jpg) USSCrater (AK-70) underway inSan Francisco Bay, 2 November 1942, soon after conversion for naval service. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | John James Audubon |
| Namesake | John James Audubon |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | A.H. Bull & Co., Inc.[1] |
| Ordered | as aType EC2-S-C1 hull,MCE hull 420 |
| Builder | Richmond Shipyards,Richmond, California[2] |
| Cost | $1,181,541[3] |
| Yard number | 420 |
| Way number | 1 |
| Laid down | 28 August 1942 |
| Launched | 8 October 1942 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Cornelison Wetsel |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Transferred toUS Navy, 22 October 1942[1] |
| United States | |
| Name | Crater |
| Namesake | The constellationCrater |
| Acquired | 22 October 1942 |
| Commissioned | 31 October 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 25 June 1946 |
| Stricken | 23 June 1947 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 26 August 1974, removed from fleet, 7 October 1974 |
| Notes | Name reverted toJohn James Audubon when laid up in Reserve Fleet |
| General characteristics[4] | |
| Class & type | Crater-classcargo ship |
| Type | Type EC2-S-C1 |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m) |
| Draft | 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | 205 |
| Armament |
|
USSCrater (AK-70) was thelead ship of her class of convertedliberty shipcargo ships in the service of theUS Navy inWorld War II. She was first named afterJohn James Audubon, an Americanornithologist,naturalist, andpainter. She was renamed and commissioned after the constellationCrater, she was the only ship of the Navy to bear this name.
John James Audubon was laid down 28 August 1942, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 420, byPermanente Metals Corporation's,Yard No. 2,Richmond, California. She was launched 8 October 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Mary Elisabeth Cornelison Wetsel, the wife ofCaptain George Wetsel, the public works officer ofMare Island Naval Shipyard.John James Audubon was transferred to the US Navy, 22 October 1942. She was renamedCrater and commissioned 31 October 1942.[5][4]
ClearingSan Francisco 10 November 1942,Crater delivered cargo toEfate andEspiritu Santo,New Hebrides, andNouméa,New Caledonia before arriving atWellington, New Zealand, 28 June 1943 to repair and reload.[5]
Crater continued to carry cargo from New Zealand and other supply bases toGuadalcanal and throughout theSolomons until 21 June 1944, when she sailed to operate in theMarshalls andMarianas through the summer. She returned to Guadalcanal, resuming operations in the southwest Pacific until 1 March 1945, when she cleared for overhaul at San Francisco.[5]
She delivered cargo from the west coast atSamar, Philippines, and departed 26 July forAuckland.Crater carried cargo from Auckland andBrisbane, Australia, toSaipan, the Philippines,Manus, Nouméa, andEniwetok until 5 February 1946, when she sailed forPearl Harbor, arriving 24 February.[5]
After a voyage toSan Pedro, Los Angeles,Crater was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor 25 June 1946, and was transferred to MARCOM the next day.[5]
Resuming the nameJohn James Audubon on 26 June 1947, after being transferred to theWar Shipping Administration (WSA), she was laid up in theSuisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California.[4]
On 26 August 1974, she was sold for $466,668[6] to Seangyong Trading Company, Ltd.,Seoul, South Korea, for scrapping. The scrapping ofJohn James Audubon was completed on 30 March 1975.[4]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
