USS Chatham (AK-169)

USS Chatham (AK-169) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Chatham.
USS Chatham (AK-169), departing an island port in the Pacific, c. mid-1945.
History
United States
Name: Chatham
Namesake:
Ordered: as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2142[1]
Builder: Froemming Brothers, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Yard number: 14[1]
Laid down: date unknown
Launched: 13 May 1944
Sponsored by: Mrs. G. C. Salisbury
Acquired: 20 January 1945
Commissioned: 22 February 1945
Decommissioned: 2 April 1946
Stricken: 17 April 1946
Identification:
Fate: Removed from the Reserve Fleet, 28 February 1947, under GAA contract by Dickman, Wright and Pugh
History
 Netherlands
Name: Helena
Owner: Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mattschappij N.V.
Acquired: 15 April 1947
Status: Sold 1963
History
 Panama
Name: Lincoln Express
Owner: Bahamas Lines, Panama
Acquired: 1963
Fate: broke in two and sank in December 1972
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

The third Chatham commissioned by the Navy, was launched 13 May 1944 by Froemming Brothers, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2142,; sponsored by Mrs. G. C. Salisbury; acquired by the Navy 20 January 1945; and commissioned at Galveston, Texas, 22 February 1945, Lieutenant Commander N. C. Harrison, Jr., USNR, in command.[3]

Service history

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

Chatham arrived at Pearl Harbor 6 May 1945 to carry cargo to Eniwetok, Saipan, and Guam, before returning to San Francisco, 18 July for a brief overhaul. She cleared San Francisco 13 August, and until 30 January 1946, when she returned to San Francisco once more, carried cargo from Okinawa to Guam, Manus, Saipan, Eniwetok, and the Philippines, aiding in the redeployment of American strength in the Pacific Ocean which followed the war.[3]

Post-war decommissioning

From the US West Coast, she sailed to Baltimore, Maryland, where she was decommissioned 2 April 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission, 4 April 1946.[3]

Merchant service

Chatham was acquired by the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mattschappij, N.V. of Amsterdam, Holland, and renamed Helena, the former Navy cargo ship operated out of Amsterdam, under the Dutch flag, from 1949 to 1963.[2]

She was sold in 1963 to the Bahamas Line, Panama, and renamed Lincoln Express.[4] She broke in two and sank 15 December 1972, in heavy weather West of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a load of Gypsum.[2] All but one of her crew were rescued by the USCG buoy tender Sagebrush.[5]

Military awards and honors

The record does not indicate any battle stars for Chatham. However, her crew was eligible for the following medals:

Notes
    Citations
    1. C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
    2. Navsource 2014.
    3. DANFS 2015.
    4. Swiggum & Kohli 2009.
    5. USCG.

    Bibliography

    Online resources

    • "Chatham III (AK-169)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 15 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 15 November 2016.
    • "USS Chatham (AK-169)". Navsource.org. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
    • "Sagebrush, 1944". United States Coast Guard. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
    • Swiggum, S.; Kohli, M. (10 June 2006). "Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij, Amsterdam / Royal Netherlands Steamship Co". TheShipsList. Retrieved 18 November 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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