![]() Sea Marlin as painted by Captain George Ekstrom | |
History | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Name | Sea Marlin |
Owner | War Shipping Administration |
Operator | Grace Line |
Port of registry | New Orleans, LA |
Builder | Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula Mississippi |
Yard number | 401, USMC 857 |
Laid down | 21 April 1943 |
Launched | 27 September 1943 |
In service | 31 January 1944 |
Out of service | 2 May 1946 |
Identification |
|
Notes | U.S.N. Armed Guard aboard awarded Battle Star – Invasion of Okinawa |
![]() | |
Acquired | 1947 |
Renamed | SS Steel Director |
Port of registry | New York |
Identification |
|
Fate | 6 March 1956 Isthmian was sold to States Marine Lines. |
![]() | |
Name | SS Steel Director |
Acquired | 6 March 1956 |
Port of registry | New York |
Identification |
|
Fate | Scrapped June 1971 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | C3-S-A2 |
Tonnage | |
Length |
|
Beam | 69.6 ft (21.2 m) [1] |
Draft | 28.5 ft (8.7 m) |
Depth | 29.5 ft (9.0 m) [1] |
Propulsion | Westinghouse DR geared turbine, 2 x single screwed shaft horsepower 8,500 |
Speed | 16.5 knots |
Capacity |
|
Complement | Merchant Marine, US Army and US Navy |
Armament | 1 single 5 inch mount aft. 12 AA mounts fore, amidship and aft |
SS Sea Marlin was a C3-S-A2 cargo ship operated for the War Shipping Administration (WSA) by Grace Lines during World War II. [2] WSA allocated Sea Marlin to United States Army requirements. [3] Sea Marlin was crewed by United States Merchant Marines, with a contingent of the US Naval Armed Guards for the guns and had a complement of the US Army Transportation Corps (Water Division) aboard for troop administration. [4]
The ship was laid down 21 April 1943 for the U.S. Maritime Commission (USMC) as hull #401, USMC #857 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula Mississippi. Sea Marlin was launched on 27 September 1943, completed conversion to a 2,111 berth transport on 31 January 1944 and immediately delivered to WSA at Mobile, Alabama. [2] [5] [6]
Sea Marlin was registered with U.S. Official Number 244978, signal KVMO with home port of New Orleans at 7,886 GRT, 4,600 NRT with a registry length of 468.5 ft (142.8 m), 69.6 ft (21.2 m) beam and depth of 29.5 ft (9.0 m). [1]
Sea Marlin departed New Orleans on 9 February 1944 bound for the South West Pacific destinations including the ports of Townsville, Brisbane and Sydney in Australia, Milne Bay, Langemak in New Guinea and Auckland, New Zealand. After return to San Francisco 28 April the ship departed in May for the New Guinea area with stops at Milne Bay, Oro Bay, Finschhafen, Langemak and Seeadler on Manus Island with a return to San Francisco 9 July 1944. [7] [note 1]
In the last half of 1944 the ship began supporting operations in the Central Pacific making two trips from San Francisco to Honolulu and then Eniwetok and Saipan via Honolulu August to October 1944. Shifting to Seattle the ship departed 30 November 1944 for Honolulu, Eniwetok and Saipan with the addition of calls at Tinian, Ulithi, Angaur, Peleliu, Manus Island, Guadalcanal, Noumea and Espiritu Santo with eventual return to San Francisco on 15 February 1945. On 10 March the ship again sailed for Honolulu, Eniwetok, Saipan, Nouméa, Guadalcanal and Ulithi with the addition of Okinawa arriving back in San Francisco 19 July to depart again 31 July for Eniwetok and Ulithi with the addition of Manila. [7] The ship was delayed for repairs there after a collision in Manila Bay with the T2 type tanker Bemis Heights on 26 August 1945. Sea Marlin reached Los Angeles on 13 November 1945. [2] [7] [8] The last Pacific operation for Sea Marlin was departure from Los Angeles on 12 December for Okinawa and return 18 January 1946 to Portland, Oregon with 1,962 troops. [7] [9]
In February the ship transferred to the Atlantic making trips to Liverpool and Le Havre to return troops to the United States arriving in New York 1 April 1945. Sea Marlin then sailed for Norfolk, Virginia arriving 2 May for deactivation and lay up. [7]
Among the units transported were: 17th Naval Construction Battalion & 31st Special Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees), [10] 96th Infantry Division Headquarters personnel, [11] Fuerza Aérea Expedicionaria Mexicana (Mexican Air Force) Escuadrón 201, [12] 193rd Tank Battalion, [13] and the US Army Air Force Sixth Bombardment Group. [14]
Merchant ships did not receive battle stars but the ship's Naval Armed Guard received a Battle Star for the Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto for the period 24—30 June 1945. [15]
On May 2, 1946 Sea Marlin arrived at Norfolk for deactivation and entered the Reserve Fleet at Lee Hall, VA in the James River on 9 May. On 4 September the ship was removed from the reserve fleet under agreement with Moran Towing & Transportation Company for conversion under Maritime Commission contract to commercial configuration by the J.K Welding Company, Yonkers, NY for a cost of $300,000. [2] [6] Isthmian Steamship Company purchased Sea Marlin on 24 February 1947 for $1,280,730 changing its name to Steel Director. [2] In 1956 the ship was sold to States Marine Lines and operated under the same name until scrapped in 1971. Steel Director departed Saigon, South Vietnam on 17 May 1971 for Kaohsiung, Republic of China prior where she was to be scrapped the next month. [6]
USS Lyon (AP-71) was a type C3 ship of the United States Navy which played an extensive role in naval transportation during World War II. The Lyon was built as Mormactide under a Maritime Commission (MC) contract by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Company of Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was laid down 21 August 1939, and was launched on 12 October 1940; sponsored by Gloria McGehee.
The USS Alnitah (AK-127) was a Crater-class cargo ship in the service of the US Navy in World War II. Named a spelling variation of the star Alnitak in the constellation Orion, it was the only ship of the Navy to bear this name.
USS Zebra (AKN-5) was an Indus-class net cargo ship in the service of the United States Navy in World War II. The ship was originally the Matthew Lyon, an EC2-S-C1 Liberty ship, operated for the War Shipping Administration (WSA) as a cargo vessel by an agent until severely damaged by torpedo in August 1943. While at Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides awaiting likely scrapping the Navy acquired the vessel under bareboat charter to be used as a net cargo ship transporting reclaimed anti-submarine netting.
USS Leo (AKA-60), an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship, was named for the constellation Leo. She is the only ship of the United States Navy to hold this name. USS Leo served as a commissioned ship for 10 years and 5 months.
USS Ottawa (AKA-101) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1947. She was sold into commercial service and was lost in 1951.
USS Admiral W. L. Capps (AP-121), an Admiral W. S. Benson-class transport, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Rear Admiral Washington L. Capps (1864–1935). Unusually, the first — USS Capps (DD-550) — served concurrently with the Admiral W. L. Capps. Via a transfer to the United States Army and then back to the Navy, the ship was renamed USNS General Hugh J. Gaffey (T-AP-121), making her the only ship to be named for Hugh Joseph Gaffey.
USS Sherburne (APA-205) was a US Navy Haskell-class attack transport, built and used during World War II. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Sherburne was named for Sherburne County, Minnesota. She was later converted and renamed USS Range Sentinel (AGM-22), a missile range instrumentation ship.
USS Arenac (APA-128) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1974.
USS Bosque (APA-135) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1973.
USS Auriga (AK-98) was an Auriga-class cargo ship, the only ship in her class, commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II, named after the constellation Auriga. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
USS Matar (AK-119) 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 Napoleon B. Broward, an American river pilot, captain, and politician; he was elected as the 19th Governor of the US state of Florida. She was renamed and commissioned after Matar, a binary star in the constellation of Pegasus. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
USS Sabik (AK-121) was a Crater-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.
USS Allegan (AK-225) was a Crater-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.
USS Rockingham (APA/LPA-229) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1947. She was scrapped in 1979.
USS Bergen (APA-150) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1973.
USS Lauderdale (APA-179/LPA-179) was a Haskell-class attack transport acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
USS Meriwether (APA-203) was a Haskell-class attack transport that saw service with the US Army in World War II.
USS Bucyrus Victory (AK-234) was a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations through the end of the war, earning one battle star, and then returned to the United States for disposal.
USS Winged Arrow (AP-170) was a La Salle-class transport of the United States Navy. The La Salle class transport had a displacement of almost 14,000 long tons (14,000 t) and were designed to ferry troops and supplies to and from the war zone during World War II.
Aloha State built by Western Pipe and Steel Company, San Francisco, as Sea Snipe for the United States Maritime Commission as a standard Type C3-S-A2 transport ship. The ship was one of the first of the standard vessels modified into a troop transport. Sea Snipe was completed 29 May 1943 and delivered to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) upon completion. American President Lines operated the ship throughout the war under a WSA agreement. The ship, after brief charter to the British Ministry of War Transport in 1946 and lay up in 1947 served as a civilian transport ship for 24 years, first as Edward Luckenbach for Luckenbach Steamship Company then Aloha State for States Marine Lines. The ship was scrapped in August 1971.