USS Tipton (AK-215)

USS Tipton (AK-215) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that was constructed for the US Navy during the closing period of World War II. She was commissioned; however, the war ended and she was declared "excess to needs." She was then transferred to the US Coast Guard in 1946.

History
United States
Name: Tipton
Namesake:
Ordered: as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2169[1]
Builder: Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Yard number: 335[1]
Laid down: 28 December 1944
Launched: 13 March 1945
Sponsored by: Mrs. W. F. Maister
Acquired: 7 September 1945
Commissioned: 9 October 1945
Decommissioned: 4 March 1946
Stricken: 20 March 1946
Identification:
Fate: transferred to the US Coast Guard on 4 March 1946
United States
Name: Unalga
Namesake: Unalga Island
Commissioned: 4 March 1946
Decommissioned: 1 June 1950
Identification: Hull symbol: WAK-185
Fate: sold for scrapping, 6 January 1971
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

Tipton was laid down under US Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2169, on 28 December 1944, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company; launched on 13 March 1945; sponsored by Mrs. W. F. Maister; transferred to the Navy Department on 7 September 1945; and commissioned on 9 October 1945, Lieutenant Commander H. E. Gray, USCGR, in command.[3]

Service history

Upon commissioning, the cargo ship was transferred to the custody of the US Coast Guard for maintenance and operation and was manned by a Coast Guard crew.[3]

Inactivation

Tipton was decommissioned and permanently transferred to the Coast Guard on 4 March 1946. She was struck from the Navy list on 20 March 1946.[3]

US Coast Guard service

Tipton was renamed Unalga by the Coast guard. She was one of two MARCOM C1-M-AV1 freighters acquired by the Coast Guard after World War II, along with her sister Kukui,[1][USCG 1] which provided service in the construction of the many LORAN stations planned for operation around the globe.[4]

She was converted for use as a construction supply freighter at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland. After her conversion was complete she was ordered to the Pacific Northwest.[4]

She was stationed at Seattle, Washington and used primarily for the construction of the Alaskan LORAN stations. On 28 November 1948 she rendered assistance to the M/V Kasilof. She was decommissioned on 19 January 1950 and turned back over to MARCOM.[4]

Merchant service

On 1 June 1950, she entered the Reserve Fleet in Olympia, Washington. Marine Power & Equipment Company, Inc. purchased her on 6 January 1971 for $32,200 to be scrapped. However, she was renamed Sea-Alaska and converted to a Fish Factory ship.[5] She was finally scrapped in 1978.[1]

Notes
  1. The USCG site says three ships were obtained but only two can be found in references.
Citations
  1. C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
  2. Navsource 2014.
  3. DANFS Tipton.
  4. USCG.
  5. MARAD.

Bibliography

Online resources

  • "Tipton". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 7 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 7 December 2016.
  • "USS Tipton (AK-215)". Navsource.org. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  • "Unalga". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  • "Unalga, 1946" (PDF). US Coast Guard. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
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