USS Alhena (AKL-38)

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

USS Alhena (AKL-38)
History
United States of America
Name: Alhena
Namesake: Alhena, the third brightest object in Gemini (constellation).
Builder: Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering Corporation
Laid down: 1944
Acquired: 1945
In service: 1945
Out of service: 1960
Stricken: 1 February 1960
Fate: Sold for scrap, June 1960
General characteristics
Displacement: 550 tons
Length: 177 feet
Beam: 33 feet
Draft: 10 feet
Propulsion: two 500hp GM Cleveland Division 6-278A 6-cyl V6 diesel engines, twin screws
Speed: 12 knots
Complement: 42
Armament:
Aircraft carried: None
Aviation facilities: None

U.S.S. ALHENA (AKL-38) was a Light Cargo Ship that was owned by the United States of America and the Republic of Korea. She is the 2nd ship of the U.S. Navy to bear the name.

Ship History

U.S. Service (1944-1951)

Alhena was laid down in 1944 and delivered to the United States Army in 1945 as FS-257, too late to see service in World War II. On 12 December 1951 during the Korean War, she was acquired by the United States Navy and named U.S.S. ALHENA (AKL-38), after the third largest object in the Gemini Constellation. Nothing else is known about her American service. [1]

South Korean Service (1951-1960)

The same day of 12 December 1951, she was transferred from American control and entered service with the Republic of Korea Navy.[2] She left Korean naval service in January 1960, and was returned to U.S. custody shortly thereafter. On 1 February 1960, she was struck from the Naval Register.

Fate

She was sold for scrap to Hong Kong Rolling Mills, Ltd. in June 1960.[3] She is listed among a registry of naval vessels that contained asbestos in her construction. [4]

References
  1. http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/14/1438.htm
  2. https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-84000/NH-84180.html
  3. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/alhena.html
  4. https://mesohotline.com/what-is-asbestos/us-navy-asbestos-exposure/navy-auxiliary-ships/
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.