USS Metomkin (AG-136)

Last updated
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS Metomkin
Namesake Metomkin Island, a barrier island off the east coast of Virginia
BuilderJohn A. Mathis Co., Camden, New Jersey
Laid downin 1944
Completedas Coastal Freighter U.S. Army FS-316, date not known
Acquiredby the U.S. Navy, 28 February 1947, at Subic Bay in the Philippines
Commissioned16 August 1947 as USS Metomkin (AG-136) at Apra Harbor, Guam
Decommissioned3 August 1951
RenamedMetomkin 3 April 1947
ReclassifiedAKL-7, 31 March 1949
Stricken16 January 1952
FateTransferred to the U.S. Department of the Interior, 3 August 1951, at Guam
General characteristics
TypeCamano-class cargo ship
Displacement465 tons
Length177'
Beam32'
Draft10'
Propulsiontwo 500hp GM Cleveland Division 6-278A 6-cyl V6 diesel engines, twin screws
Speed13 knots
Complement26 officers and enlisted
Armamenttwo machine guns

USS Metomkin (AG-136/AKL-7) was a Camano-class cargo ship constructed for the U.S. Army as USA FS-316 shortly before the end of World War II and later acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1947. She was configured as a transport and cargo ship and was assigned to serve the World War II Trust Territories in the Pacific Ocean.

Contents

Constructed in Camden, New Jersey

The first ship to be so named by the Navy, Metomkin (AG 136) was built by John A. Mathis Co., Camden, New Jersey, in 1944; operated by the Army as a freight supply ship in the Pacific Ocean during and after World War II; acquired by the Navy as FS-316 at Subic Bay, Luzon, 28 February 1947; renamed Metomkin 3 April 1947; and commissioned at Apra Harbor, Guam, 16 August 1947.

Pacific islands operations

Following completion of conversion for Navy use, Metomkin began passenger and cargo shuttle duty in the central and western Pacific. Assigned to the Service Force, Pacific Fleet, she made runs to American bases in the Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, and the Caroline Islands.

Operating out of Apra Harbor, she completed numerous runs from the Palau Islands eastward to Pearl Harbor, and during the next 4 years she maintained a busy schedule while transporting military and civilian passengers as well as tons of general cargo. On 31 March 1949 she reclassified as AKL-7.

Metomkin continued her important logistics support duty to military bases in the Pacific until 22 June 1951 when she completed her final run from the Carolines.

Transfer to Department of Interior

She decommissioned at Guam 3 August 1951 and was transferred the same day to the U.S. Department of Interior. Her name was struck from the Navy List 16 January 1952. Her subsequent fate is not known.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Estero</i> (AG-134) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Estero (AG-134/AKL-5) was a Camano-class cargo ship in the United States Navy. She was named after Estero Island off the coast of Florida.

USS <i>Butternut</i>

USS Butternut (AN-9/YN-4/ANL-9/YAG-60) was laid down as a yard net tender on 11 March 1941 at Houghton, Washington, by the Lake Washington Shipyard; launched on 10 May 1941; and placed in service at the Puget Sound Navy Yard on 3 September 1941.

USS <i>Menkar</i> (AK-123) Liberty ship of WWII

USS Menkar (AK-123) was a Crater-class cargo ship, converted from a Liberty Ship, commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was first named after John White, a settler among those who sailed with Richard Grenville, to present-day North Carolina, in 1585, to found the Roanoke Colony. White acted as artist and mapmaker to the expedition. He became the governor, in 1587, of the colony, and his granddaughter, Virginia Dare, was the first English child born in the Americas. She was renamed and commissioned after Menkar, the second-brightest star in the constellation of Cetus. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

USS <i>U. S. Grant</i> (AP-29) Transport ship

USS U. S. Grant (AP-29) was a transport ship that saw service with the United States Navy in World War II. Originally a German ocean liner named König Wilhelm II, she was seized by the United States during the First World War and renamed USS Madawaska (ID-3011) in 1917 before being renamed USS U. S. Grant (AP-29) in 1922.

USS <i>Tuluran</i> (AG-46) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Tuluran (AG-46) was under construction for the British at the Toledo Shipbuilding Company as the cargo ship War Bayonet in 1917 when requisitioned by the United States Shipping Board (USSB) for World War I service. The ship was launched and completed as Lake Superior. The Navy acquired the ship from the USSB with assignment to the Naval Overseas Transport Service (NOTS) with the identification number ID-2995. The ship was returned to the USSB which sold the vessel in 1926. The ship was renamed C. D. Johnston III and that vessel operated out of Oregon until again sold and based in San Francisco. Another sale resulted in the vessel being renamed Anna Shafer which was acquired by the War Shipping Administration (WSA) in 1942 and allocated to the Navy for World War II service.

USS Camano (AG-130/AKL-1) was an Army Design 381 coastal freighter acquired by the United States Navy 16 July 1947 at Apra Harbor, Guam and became the lead ship of her class of cargo ship. She was configured as a Navy transport and cargo ship and operated with the U.S. Pacific Fleet until 1951, when she was turned over to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

USS <i>Deal</i> (AG-131) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Deal (AG-131/AKL-2) was constructed for the U.S. Army as U.S. Army FS-263 shortly before the end of World War II and later acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1947. She was configured as a transport and cargo ship, classed by the Navy as a Camano-class cargo ship and operated with the U.S. Pacific Fleet from post-World War II and on through the end of the Korean War.

USS Elba (AG-132/AKL-3) was a Camano-class cargo ship constructed for the U.S. Army as USA FS-267 shortly before the end of World War II and later acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1947. She was configured as a transport and cargo ship and was assigned to serve the World War II Trust Territories in the Pacific Ocean.

USS Errol (AG-133/AKL-4) was a Camano-class cargo ship constructed for the U.S. Army as USA FS-274 shortly before the end of World War II and later acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1947. She was configured as a transport and cargo ship and was assigned to serve the World War II Trust Territories in the Pacific Ocean.

USS Jekyl (AG-135/AKL-6) was a Camano-class cargo ship constructed for the U.S. Army as USA FS-282 shortly before the end of World War II and later acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1947. She was configured as a transport and cargo ship and was assigned post-war to support various island outposts in the Pacific Ocean.

USS Roque (AG-137/AKL-8) was a Camano-class cargo ship constructed for the U.S. Army as USA FS-347 shortly before the end of World War II and later acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1947. She was configured as a transport and cargo ship and was assigned to serve the World War II Trust Territories in the Pacific Ocean.

USS Ryer (AG-138/AKL-9) was a Camano-class cargo ship constructed for the U.S. Army as the Freight and Supply Ship USA FS-361 shortly before the end of World War II. On delivery the ship was U.S. Coast Guard crewed and assigned to serve the Southwest Pacific area during the war. The ship was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1947, configured as a transport and cargo ship, named and was Commissioned, Miscellaneous Auxiliary, USS Ryer (AG-138), 8 June 1947 and reclassified Light Cargo Ship, (AKL-9), 31 March 1949.

USS Sharps (AG-139/AKL-10) was a Camano-class cargo ship constructed for the U.S. Army as USA FS-385 shortly before the end of World War II and later acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1947. She was configured as a transport and cargo ship and was assigned to serve the World War II Trust Territories in the Pacific Ocean. She later served with distinction in the Korean War.

USS <i>Whidbey</i> (AG-141) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Whidbey (AG-141) was a Whidbey-class miscellaneous auxiliary acquired from the U.S. Army where it was known as USA FS-395 during World War II Army operations. She was transferred to the United States Navy in 1947, and the Navy assigned her to support the needs of the Pacific Ocean Trust Territory created as a result of the war.

USS <i>Hewell</i> (AG-145) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Hewell (AG-145/AKL-14) was a Camano-class cargo ship constructed for the U.S. Army as FS-391 shortly before the end of World War II. FS-391 operated with a U.S. Coast Guard crew in the Southwest Pacific area. The ship was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1948. She was configured as a transport and cargo ship and served with the U.S. Pacific Fleet – including highly decorated service during the Korean War – until decommissioned in 1955.

USNS <i>New Bedford</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USNS New Bedford (FS-289/AKL-17) was a Navy owned Military Sea Transportation Service civilian crewed Camano-class cargo ship originally constructed for the U.S. Army as the coastal freighter FS-289 shortly before the end of World War II.

USS <i>Banner</i> (AKL-25)

The USS Banner was originally U.S. Army FS-345 serving in the Southwest Pacific during the closing days of World War II as one of the Army's United States Coast Guard crewed ships. In 1950 the ship was acquired by the Navy and converted into a light auxiliary cargo (AKL). In 1967 the ship was converted for electronic intelligence and reclassified as Auxiliary General Environmental Research (AGER).

USS <i>Natchaug</i> Patapsco-class gasoline tanker

USS Natchaug (AOG-54) was a Patapsco-class gasoline tanker in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1959. She was directly transferred to the Greek Navy as Arethousa (A-377). The ship served a total of about 47 years in military service. Decommissioned in 2003, she was sunk as a target in 2005.

USS Torry (AKL-11) was a Camano-class cargo ship of the United States Navy. During World War II, she previously served as the United States Army Transport FS-394. After being acquired by the United States Navy, the ship was commissioned as USS Torry (AG-140), but was later reclassified as a light cargo ship. On 29 January 1952, she was transferred to the Department of the Interior and was sold to Socony-Mobil in 1961. The ship was successively sold to several companies before becoming a fishing vessel and was scuttled in 2015 off the coast of Delaware as an artificial reef.

USS <i>Brule</i> (AKL-28)

USS Brule (AKL-28) was a U.S. Army Design 381-A Coastal Freighter of the United States Navy and later the South Korean Navy that saw service during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

References