USS Autauga

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History
United States
NameAutauga
NamesakeAutauga County, Alabama
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2105[1]
BuilderKaiser Shipbuilding Co., Richmond, California
Yard number62[1]
Laid down10 May 1944
Launched7 August 1944
Sponsored byMrs. Leroy Lloyd
Acquired24 November 1944
Commissioned24 November 1944
Decommissioned24 June 1946
Stricken19 July 1946
Identification
FateSold, 6 April 1948, to Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mattschappij, N.V., Amsterdam
History
NetherlandsNetherlands
NameHersilia
OwnerKoninklijke Nederlandsche StoombootMattschappij N.V.
Acquired6 April 1948
FateSold 1963
History
Saudi Arabia
NameFauzia B
OwnerSaudi Lines
Acquired1963
FateScrapped 1971
General characteristics [2]
Class and type cargo ship
TypeC1-M-AV1
Tonnage5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1]
Displacement
  • 2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard)
  • 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam50 ft (15 m)
Draft21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power
  • 1 × Nordberg, TSM 6 diesel engine
  • 1,750 shp (1,300 kW)
Propulsion1 × propeller
Speed11.5 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
  • 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber dual-purpose gun (DP)
  • 6 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons

USS Autauga (AK-160) was an cargo ship commissioned by the US Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

Construction[]

Autauga was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2105, on 10 May 1944 at Richmond, California, by the Kaiser Cargo Co.; launched on 7 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Leroy Lloyd; delivered to the Navy at her builder's yard on 24 November 1944; and commissioned the same day, Lieutenant Commander George L. Eastman, USNR, in command.[3]

Service history[]

World War II Pacific Theatre operations[]

After conversion to a cargo ship at the Navy Dry docks, Terminal Island, California, between 6 December 1944 and 9 January 1945, Autauga conducted her shakedown training out of San Pedro, Los Angeles, from 10 to 22 January before shifting to Port Chicago, California early in February to load cargo. Autauga then departed San Francisco, California, on 16 February and, following a stop in the Marshalls, reached the Carolines one month later. After reporting to Commander, Service Squadron (ServRon) 10, at Ulithi as an ammunition issue and rework ship, she received from bulk carriers and then issued them to ships and craft that ranged from patrol boats to battleships.[3]

End-of-war activity[]

Leaving Ulithi in her wake on 9 July, the cargo ship sailed for the Marshalls and reached Eniwetok on the 16th to resume operation as an ammunition issue and rework vessel of Service Division 102. After hostilities with Japan ended in mid-August, she sailed for the United States on 8 November, having serviced almost 400 ships.[3]

Autauga reached the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on the 29th. Although initially earmarked for delivery to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) at Norfolk, Virginia, she was later directed to remain in the 13th Naval District because of the heavy workload at Norfolk.[3]

Decommissioning[]

Decommissioned on 24 June 1946, Autauga was delivered to the WSA the next day, and her name was struck from the Navy List on 19 July 1946.[3]

Merchant history[]

Acquired by the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mattschappij, N.V. of Amsterdam, Holland, and renamed Hersilia, the former Navy cargo ship operated out of Amsterdam, under the Dutch flag, from 1949 to 1962. Subsequently, bought by the Saudi Arabian concern, the Saudi Lines, and renamed Fauzia B, she served until being scrapped in January 1971 at Hsinkang.[4][3][5]

Notes[]

Citations
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
  2. ^ Navsource 2014.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f DANFS 2015.
  4. ^ "Autauga (5403984)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  5. ^ Swiggum & Kohli 2009.

Bibliography[]

Online resources

External links[]

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