USNS Fred C. Ainsworth (T-AP-181)

USNS Fred C. Ainsworth (T-AP-181) was a troop transport that served with the United States Military Sea Transportation Service during the Korean War. Prior to her MSTS service, she served as US Army transport USAT Fred C. Ainsworth during World War II.

USNS Fred C. Ainsworth (T-AP-181) off San Francisco, 11 August 1955
History
Name: USNS Fred C. Ainsworth (T-AP-181)
Namesake: US Army General Fred C. Ainsworth
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down: 1943
Christened: Pass Christian
Completed: June 1943
Acquired: (By the Army): 4 June 1943
In service:
  • Army: 1943 - 1950
  • MSTS: 1 Mar 1950 - 2 Nov 1959
Renamed: USS Fred C. Ainsworth (1943)
Stricken: 1 July 1961
Identification: MC hull type C3-1N-P&C, MC hull no. 166
Fate: Sold 26 June 1973, fate unknown
General characteristics
Displacement: 12,093 tons
Length: 489 ft
Beam: 69 ft 6 in
Draft: 27 ft 4 in
Propulsion: Steam turbine, single propeller
Speed: 16.5 knots
Troops: 1,976

Career

The ship was originally laid down as SS Pass Christian by Ingalls Shipbuilding at Pascagoula, Mississippi, and completed in June 1943. She was transferred to the Army, and renamed USAT Fred C. Ainsworth. The ship operated in the Pacific during World War II, except for a brief voyage to Europe in mid-1945 to redeploy troops to the Pacific Theater.

Fred C. Ainsworth continued her Army service after the end of World War II. When the Army's Water Transport Service was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service on 1 March 1950, she became the USNS Fred C. Ainsworth (T-AP-181). The ship served actively on troop transportation duties through the 1950s, including trans-Pacific operations during the Korean War. She participated in several Korean War operations including the Inchon landings.

Fred C. Ainsworth was placed out of service and transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) on 2 November 1959, after which she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Her title was formally transferred to MARAD on 1 November 1960, and she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 July 1961. On 1 March 1973 she was sold for scrap, but the deal was cancelled due to buyer default. Instead, she was sold for non-operational use to Inter-Ocean Grain Storage Ltd on 26 June 1973, and physically removed from the Reserve Fleet 23 August. Her final disposition is unknown.[1]

Footnotes
  1. Navsource
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References
  • Fred C. Ainsworth - Naval History & Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS).
  • USAT Fred C. Ainsworth - Naval History & Heritage Command, Online Library of Selected Images - Ships of the United States Army - USAT Fred C. Ainsworth (Transport, 1943-1950).
  • USNS Fred C. Ainsworth T-AP-181 - Naval History & Heritage Command, Online Library of Selected Images - U.S. Navy Ships - USNS Fred C. Ainsworth (Transport, 1943-1950).
  • T-AP-181 Fred C. Ainsworth, Navsource Online.


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