_at_Norfolk%2c_Virginia_(USA)%2c_on_16_December_1943_(BS_60181).jpg) USSMindanao on 16 December 1943 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | |
| Ordered | as aType EC2-S-C1 hull,MCE hull 983[1] |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland |
| Yard number | 2133[1] |
| Laid down | 11 April 1943 |
| Launched | 13 May 1943 |
| Acquired | 20 May 1943 |
| Commissioned | 6 November 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 17 May 1947 |
| Stricken | 1 September 1961 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics[2] | |
| Class & type | Luzon-class Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship |
| Type | Type EC2-S-C1 |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m) |
| Draft | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) (ship's trials) |
| Complement | 31 officers, 552 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSMindanao (ARG-3) was aLuzon-classinternal combustion enginerepair ship in service with theUnited States Navy from 1943 to 1947. She was sunk as anartificial reef in 1980.
Mindanao was named for theIsland of Mindanao, second largest and southernmost island in thePhilippines, it was the second U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. She was laid down 11 April 1943, as theliberty ship SSElbert Hubbard, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 983, by theBethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Inc., inBaltimore, Maryland; launched 13 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. C. R. Spalding; acquired by the Navy on 20 May 1943; and commissioned asMindanao on 6 November 1943.[3]
Aftershakedown inChesapeake Bay,Mindanao joined Task Group 29.7 (TG 29.7) on 20 December 1943, and sailed forCuba, thePanama Canal, andNouméa, New Caledonia, arriving 27 January 1944, to report for duty withService Squadron South Pacific. The repair ship immediately found herself with more than enough work. On 25 February, she sailed to continue her vital task atEspiritu Santo, and in September she arrived atManus to serve the forces staging for thePhilippine campaign.[3]
_damaged_by_explosion_of_USS_Mount_Hood_(AE-11)_in_Seeadler_Harbor_on_10_November_1944.jpg)
Now with TG 30.9, she was anchored inSeeadler Harbor on the morning of 10 November, when at about 08:50 theammunition shipMount Hood blew up.Mindanao, 350 yd (320 m) away, suffered extensive damage particularly to her superstructure, and aft. Of her crew, 82 were killed and 98 wounded.[4] The survivors, withSeabees from shore, immediately began to aid the wounded and clear the debris, a job which took seven days. Repairs began on 18 November, performed by her own crew with aid again from Seabees, as well as men and equipment fromMedusa. By 21 December,Mindanao was ready to resume her key function in repairing engines for other ships.[3]
After a brief voyage to theSolomon Islands in February and March 1945,Mindanao arrived atUlithi 27 March, to prepare ships for theOkinawa campaign. There she served until 9 October, when she sailed for periods of duty atOkinawa andShanghai.[3]
Her duty supporting the occupation forces complete,Mindanao got underway for home 26 March 1946. She called atSan Pedro, Los Angeles;Balboa andColón, in thePanama Canal Zone;New Orleans, Louisiana; andGalveston, Texas, before arrivingOrange, Texas, on 12 July. She decommissioned there 17 May 1947, to join theAtlantic Reserve Fleet, and remained at Orange, even after being struck from theNaval Vessel Register and transferred to theMaritime Commission (MARCOM) in 1961.[3] On 9 May 1961, she joined theNational Defense Reserve Fleet atBeaumont, Texas, where she remained until 19 April 1976, when she was withdrawn by the Navy to have her equipment removed. On 28 September 1976,Mindanao entered theJames River NDRF,Lee Hall, Virginia, until she was finally withdrawn 12 March 1980, to become part ofFlorida'sartificial reef program.[5]
On 11 November 1980, the ex-Mindanao was scuttled to form anartificial reef offDaytona Beach, Florida, in 85-foot-deep (26 m) water at29°12.00′N80°44.87′W / 29.20000°N 80.74783°W /29.20000; -80.74783, 11 mi (18 km) northeast ofPonce de León Inlet.[6]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1980 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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