USS Habersham (AK-186)

USS Habersham (AK-186) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that served the US Navy during the final months of World War II. She was named for Habersham County, Georgia.

History
United States
Name: Habersham
Namesake: Habersham County, Georgia
Ordered: as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2117[1]
Builder: Walter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin
Yard number: 35[1]
Laid down: 1944
Launched: 7 June 1944
Sponsored by: Mrs. Carl Gray, Jr.
Acquired: 26 April 1945
Commissioned: 12 May 1945
Decommissioned: 9 April 1946
Stricken: 17 April 1946
Identification:
Fate: Sold, 6 February 1947
Sweden
Name: Rosa Thordén
Owner: Thordén Lines AB
Acquired: 6 February 1947
Fate: Sold 1952
South Korea
Name:
  • Pusan (1952–1974)
  • Busan (1974–1976)
Namesake: City of Pusan, South Korea
Owner: Korean Shipping Corporation
Acquired: 1952
Fate: sold 1976
South Korea
Name: Busan
Owner: Ah Jin Shipping Ltd
Acquired: 1976
Fate: sold 1976
South Korea
Name: Sam Dae
Owner: Sammisa Shipping Co., Ltd.
Acquired: 1976
Fate: 1978
South Korea
Name: Sam Dae
Owner: Tai Young Shipping Co., Ltd.
Acquired: 1978
Fate: Scrapped in Inchon, South Korea in 1979
General characteristics [2]
Class and type: Alamosa-class cargo ship
Type: C1-M-AV1
Tonnage: 5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1]
Displacement:
  • 2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard)
  • 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length: 388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam: 50 ft (15 m)
Draft: 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power:
Propulsion: 1 × propeller
Speed: 11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity:
  • 3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT
  • 9,830 cu ft (278 m3) (refrigerated)
  • 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement:
  • 15 Officers
  • 70 Enlisted
Armament:

Construction

Habersham was launched 7 June 1944, by the Walter Butler Shipbuilding Company in Superior, Wisconsin, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2117. She was sponsored by Mrs. Carl Gray, Jr. and acquired by the US Navy on 26 April 1945, and commissioned 12 May 1945, with Commander M.A. MacPhee in command.[3]

Service history

World War II service

Following shakedown training off Galveston, Texas the ship sailed 2 June 1945, for Gulfport, Mississippi, to take on cargo and departed four days later to join the Pacific Fleet. Habersham arrived at Pearl Harbor via the Canal Zone 30 June, unloaded her cargo, and returned to San Francisco with passengers and cargo 12 July. She then loaded cargo and sailed 21 July for Eniwetok, arriving on 7 August.[3]

Post-war decommissioning

Habersham was at Eniwetok when the surrender of Japan was announced, and departed 9 September to carry cargo for occupation forces in Japan. Arriving Tokyo Bay, 17 September, she unloaded cargo and departed for Guam and San Francisco 27 November. She arrived 12 January 1946 and sailed for the East Coast on 11 February, arriving Norfolk, Virginia 6 March. Habersham decommissioned at Baltimore, Maryland 9 April 1946 and was returned to the Maritime Commission.[3]

Merchant

Sold to the Thordén Lines AB, for $693,862,[4] for merchant service, she became Rosa Thordén. In 1952, she was sold to the Korean Shipping Corporation, and renamed Pusan. She was again renamed in 1974, to Busan, and then sold to Ah Jin Shipping Ltd., in 1976. She was sold again in 1976, to Sammisa Shipping Co, Ltd., and renamed Sam Dae. She was finally sold to Tai Young Shipping Co, Ltd., in 1978. On 14 April 1979 she was damaged by fire and scrapped later that year in Inchon, South Korea.[5]

Notes
    Citations
    1. C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
    2. Navsource 2014.
    3. DANFS.
    4. MARAD.
    5. Swiggum & Kohli 2009.

    Bibliography

    Online resources

    • "Habersham (Ak-186)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 17 November 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
    • "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
    • "USS Habersham (Ak-186)". Navsource.org. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
    • "Habersham (Ak-186)". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
    • Swiggum, S.; Kohli, M. (6 June 2009). "Thordén Rederierna / Thordén Lines AB / Finnish North America Line, 1926–1963". TheShipsList. Retrieved 18 November 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
    • Photo gallery of USS Habersham (AK-186) at NavSource Naval History


    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.