USS Beaverhead

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USS Beaverhead (AK-161).jpg
USS Beaverhead (AK-161) at anchor, date and location unknown.
History
United States
NameBeaverhead
NamesakeBeaverhead County, Montana
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2106[1]
BuilderKaiser Shipbuilding Co., Richmond, California
Yard number63[1]
Laid down15 June 1944
Launched2 September 1944
Sponsored byMrs. T. H. Purdom, Jr.
Acquired3 January 1945
Commissioned3 January 1945
Decommissioned8 March 1946
Stricken28 March 1946
Identification
FateSold, 28 March 1947, to Koninklijke Nederlandsche StoombootMattschappij N.V., Amsterdam
 Netherlands
NameHera
OwnerKoninklijke Nederlandsche StoombootMattschappij N.V.
Acquired28 March 1947
StatusSold 1963
 Panama
Name
  • Omar Express (1963–1967)
  • Cementos Ponce (1967–1976)
  • Vanessa (1976–1982)
Owner, Panama
Acquired1963
Refit1967, to a self-unloading cement carrier
IdentificationIMO number: 5407590
Fatescrapped at Veracruz, Mexico between 1982 and 1984
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 Beaverhead (AK-161) was an 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.

Construction[]

Beaverhead was laid down on 15 June 1944 at Richmond, California, by Kaiser Cargo, Inc., under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2106; launched on 2 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. T. H. Purdom, Jr.; and commissioned on 3 January 1945, Lieutenant Commander Olin F. Weymouth, USNR, in command.[3]

Service history[]

World War II Pacific Theatre operations[]

Beaverhead was fitted out at the Naval Supply Depot at Oakland, California, and then underwent a brief conversion at the Naval Sea Frontier Base, Treasure Island, California. Beaverhead departed the San Francisco Bay area on 22 January bound for San Pedro, Los Angeles, and shakedown. At the conclusion of that training, she conducted a post shakedown availability at the San Pedro Harbor Boat Co. between 8 and 14 February.[3]

On the 20th, the ship got underway from San Pedro bound for the Admiralty Islands. She arrived at Manus on 15 March but remained only until the 18th, moving via Hollandia in New Guinea to the Philippine Islands. She arrived in Leyte Gulf on 28 March. Over the next eight months, Beaverhead plied the waters of the Philippines, supplying various American bases. Although operating principally in that archipelago, the ship on occasion, voyaged to Borneo, Morotai, and Manus.[3]

Heading home for decommissioning[]

Ultimately, Beaverhead sailed for home on 5 December. She transited the Panama Canal on 19 January 1946 and arrived in New York 11 days later. She moved to Norfolk, Virginia, during the second week in February and was decommissioned there on 8 March 1946. The ship was turned over to the Maritime Commission for disposal on 13 March 1946, and her name was struck from the Navy list on 28 March 1946.[3] She was subsequently sold in February 1947.[4]

Merchant service[]

Beaverhead was sold to the Dutch shipping firm of , on 28 March 1947, for $693,862, and renamed Hera.[4]

In 1963 she was sold to , Panama, and renamed Omar Express.[5] She was converted in 1967, to a self-unloading cement carrier, at the Avondale Shipyard, in Avondale, Louisiana, and renamed Cementos Ponce. In 1976 she was renamed Vanessa. She was finally scrapped at Veracruz, Mexico, sometime between 1982 and 1984.[2]

Military awards and honors[]

Beaverheads's crew was eligible for the following medals and campaign ribbons:[2]

Notes[]

Citations
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Navsource 2014.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Mann 2015.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b MARAD.
  5. ^ Swiggum & Kohli 2009.

Bibliography[]

Online resources

  • Mann, Raymond A. (24 June 2015). "Beaverhead". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 12 November 2016.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • "C1 Cargo Ships". ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  • "USS Beaverhead (AK-161)". Navsource.org. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  • "Beaverhead". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  • Swiggum, S.; Kohli, M. (10 June 2006). "Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij, Amsterdam / Royal Netherlands Steamship Co". TheShipsList. Retrieved 18 November 2016.

External links[]

  • Photo gallery of USS Beaverhead (AK-161) at NavSource Naval History
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