USNS Sgt. George Peterson (T-AK-248)

USNS Sgt. George Peterson (T-AK-248) was a US Maritime Administration (MARCOM) C1-M-AV1 type coastal cargo ship, originally planned as an Alamosa-class cargo ship. The contract for building was canceled by the Navy in August 1945. The ship, however, was completed as SS Coastal Guide. She was later acquired by the US Army, in 1948, and renamed USAT Sgt. George Peterson. She was reacquired by the Navy, in 1950, and placed in service by the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS Sgt. George Peterson (T-AK-248). She remained with the Navy until struck in 1966. She was sold in 1971.

History
United States
Name:
  • Coastal Guide
  • Washtenaw
Namesake: Washtenaw County, Michigan
Ordered: as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2172[1]
Builder: Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Yard number: 338[1]
Laid down: 9 March 1945
Launched: 13 May 1945
Sponsored by: Mrs. L. R. Sanford
Commissioned: delivered to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) prior to commissioning, 16 July 1945
Identification: US Official Number: 248,682[2]
United States
Name: Coastal Guide
Owner: MARCOM
Operator:
Acquired: 16 July 1945
In service: 17 December 1945
Out of service: 22 June 1948
Fate: delivered to the Army Transport Service (ATS), 23 June 1948
United States
Name: Sgt. George Peterson
Namesake: George Peterson (Medal of Honor), awarded Medal of Honor
Operator: ATS
Acquired: 23 June 1948
Out of service: 1 March 1950
Identification: Hull symbol: AK-248
Fate: transferred to the US Navy, 1 March 1950
United States
Name: Sgt. George Peterson
Operator: MSTS
Acquired: 1 March 1950
In service: 1 March 1950
Out of service: 27 March 1959
Stricken: 1966
Identification: Hull symbol: T-AK-248
Fate: transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to be laid up in the Reserve Fleet
Status: sold, 15 December 1971
United States
Name: Marsha Lynn
Owner: John E. Marsh, Brooksville, Florida
Acquired: 17 February 1972
Fate: sold, 1979
United States
Name: Al-Ind-Esk-A Sea
Owner: TransAlaska Fisheries Corp., The 13th Regional Corporation
Acquired: 1979
Refit: converted to Fish Factory Ship
Identification: IMO number: 7947386
Fate: destroyed by fire, 20 October 1982
General characteristics [3]
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

Construction

Sgt. George Peterson, originally projected as USS Washtenaw (AK-218), but built as Coastal Guide, was laid down under a MARCOM contract, MC hull 2172, on 9 March 1945 by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin; launched on 13 May 1945; sponsored by Mrs. L. R. Sanford; and delivered to the War Shipping Administration on 16 July 1945.[4]

Service history

Subsequently, operated by the United Fruit Company and the Polaris Steamship Company, Inc., Coastal Guide was transferred to the US Army on 23 June 1948; renamed Sgt. George Peterson (AK-248). and operated by the Army Transportation Service (ATS).[4]

She was transferred to the Navy in July 1950 and placed in service as USNS Sgt. George Peterson (T-AK-248). The cargo ship then commenced eight years of operations in the Gulf of Mexico, in the Caribbean, and along the southeastern seaboard of the United States for the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS). During that period, she interrupted her regular service only once—to carry supplies north to arctic stations in the summer of 1955.[4]

Early in 1959, the AK was ordered inactivated; and, in March, she was placed out of service at New Orleans, Louisiana. At mid-month, she was towed to Mobile, Alabama, where, on the 27th, she was transferred to the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) and berthed with the National Defense Reserve Fleet. She remained in reserve at Mobile until sold for non-transportation use in December 1971.[4]

Private service

On 15 December 1971, she was sold to John E. Marsh, Brooksville, Florida, for $41,000. She was sold under the condition that she wouldn't be used for transportation. She was converted into a private yacht and renamed Marsha Lynn.[2]

In 1979 she was sold to TransAlaska Fisheries Corporation, a subsidiary of The 13th Regional Corporation, and renamed Al-Ind-Esk-A Sea. She was converted into a Fish Factory Ship. On 20 October 1982, she caught fire while undergoing repairs in Port Gardner, Everett, Washington. She burned for two days before rolling over at 10:14am, 22 October 1982, and sinking in 240 ft (73 m) of water.[3] The owners collected a $14 million insurance claim.[5]

The wreck is located at: 47°59.032′N 122°14.772′W[6]

Notes
    Citations
    1. C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
    2. MARAD.
    3. Navsource 2016.
    4. DANFS 2015.
    5. Muhlstein 2012.
    6. Boyd.

    Bibliography

    Online resources

    • "Sgt. George Peterson". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
    • "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    • "USNS Sgt. George Peterson (T-AK-248)". Navsource.org. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    • "Coastal Guide". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    • Muhlstein, Julie (25 October 2012). "Remembering the sunken ship, the Al-Ind-Esk-A Sea". Everett, Washington: HeraldNet. Retrieved 8 December 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
    • Boyd, Scott. "Wreck of the Al-Ind-Esk-A-Sea". Emerald Sea Photography. Retrieved 8 December 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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    • Photo gallery of USS Sgt. George Peterson (T-AK-248) at NavSource Naval History


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