USS Propus (AK-132)

USS Propus (AK-132) was a Crater-class cargo ship, converted from a Liberty Ship, commissioned by the US Navy for service in World War II. She was first named after Frederick Tresca, a French-born lighthouse keeper, sea captain, pioneer shipping man, and Union blockade runner in Florida. She was renamed and commissioned after Propus, a star in the constellation Gemini. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

History
United States
Name: Frederick Tresca
Namesake: Frederick Tresca
Owner: War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Ordered: as a type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2471
Awarded: 23 April 1943
Builder: St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost: $1,124,835
Yard number: 35
Way number: 5
Laid down: 31 January 1944
Launched: 29 March 1944
Sponsored by: Lt. Virginia P. Tresca
Completed: 10 April 1944
Fate: Transferred to US Navy, 10 April 1944
United States
Name: Propus
Namesake: The star Propus
Acquired: 10 April 1944
Commissioned: 22 June 1944
Decommissioned: 20 November 1945
Stricken: 5 December 1945
Identification:
Fate: Laid up in the, James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, 21 November 1945
Status: Sold for commercial use, 3 February 1947, removed from fleet, 17 February 1947
Notes: Name reverted to Frederick Tresca when laid up in Reserve Fleet
Greece
Name: Nicolaou Georgios
Owner: Nicolas G. Nicolaou
Fate: Abandoned, 24 May 1951
Italy
Name: Gabbiano
Owner: Achille Lauro
Acquired: 1951
Fate: Scrapped, 1969
General characteristics [3]
Class and type: Crater-class cargo ship
Displacement:
  • 4,023 long tons (4,088 t) (standard)
  • 14,550 long tons (14,780 t) (full load)
Length: 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam: 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft: 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Installed power:
  • 2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C) boilers, operating at 220 psi (1,500 kPa) ,  (manufactured by Combustion Engineering)
  • 2,500 shp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion:
  • 1 × Vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine,  (manufactured by General Machinery Corp., Hamilton, Ohio)
  • 1 × screw propeller
Speed: 12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
Capacity:
  • 7,800 t (7,700 long tons) DWT
  • 444,206 cu ft (12,578.5 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement: 206
Armament:

Construction

Frederick Tresca was laid down 31 January 1944, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2471, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Lieutenant Virginia P. Tresca, the great-granddaughter of the namesake, and launched 29 March 1944; chartered by the US Navy, 10 April 1944; she was converted by Merrill-Stevens Drydock & Repair Co., Jacksonville; and commissioned 22 June 1944, Lieutenant Commander Harvey A. Seeley in command.[1][2][3][4]

Service history

Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Propus proceeded via the Panama Canal, to the Pacific Ocean. In 1944, she operated at San Francisco, California, in September; Pearl Harbor and San Francisco, in October; and San Pedro, in December. In 1945, her cargo duties took her to Noumea and Espiritu Santo, in January; Pearl Harbor, San Francisco, and back to sea in February and March; Eniwetok, Saipan, and Tinian in April; San Francisco in May; Manus in June; Emirau and Manus in July; Pearl Harbor in August; San Francisco in September; and Norfolk, Virginia, in October 1945.[4]

Decommissioning

Decommissioned 20 November 1945, she was redelivered to the War Shipping Administration 21 November, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register 5 December.[4] Her name reverted back to Frederick Tresca, and she entered the James River Reserve Fleet, in Lee Hall, Virginia. She was struck from the Navy List 5 December 1945. She was sold for commercial use to Nicolas G. Nicolaou, 17 March 1947, for $544,506. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 20 March 1947.[4][5]

Merchant service

Frederick Tresca was renamed Nicolaou Georgios and reflagged in Greece. She was abandoned in the Red Sea, on 24 May 1951, because of a fire. She was towed to Suez by SS Montebello Hills and declared a total loss. Achille Lauro bought her in 1951, and had her towed to Italy, for repair and to be re-engined at Trieste. She was refitted with a 3,000 bhp (2,200 kW) Babcock & Wilcox diesel engine that had been built by Harland and Wolff in 1940. Nicolaou Gerogios was renamed Gabbiano and reflagged in Italy. She was scrapped in 1970.[3]

Military awards and honors

No battle stars are indicated for Propus in current Navy accounts. However, her crew was eligible for the following medals:

  • American Campaign Medal
  • Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
  • World War II Victory Medal

[3]

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References
  1. St. John's River SBC 2010.
  2. MARCOM.
  3. Navsource.
  4. DANFS.
  5. MARAD.

Bibliography
  • "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  • Maritime Administration. "Frederick Tresca". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  • "USS Propus (AK-132)". Navsource.org. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  • "Propus". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • "SS Frederick Tresca". Retrieved 20 January 2020.


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