USS Fairfield (AK-178)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Fairfield.
History
United States
NameFairfield
Namesake
  • Fairfield County, Connecticut,
  • Fairfield County, Ohio, and
  • Fairfield County, South Carolina
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2374[1]
BuilderKaiser Shipbuilding Co., Richmond, California
Yard number70[1]
Laid down1944
Launched6 February 1945
Sponsored byMrs. Henry W. Creeger
Acquired28 March 1945
Commissioned28 March 1945
Decommissioned11 January 1946
Stricken12 April 1946
Identification
FateWrecked 18 December 1946
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 Fairfield (AK-178) was an cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during the final months of World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations and was decommissioned shortly after war’s end.

Construction[]

The second ship to be so named by the Navy, Fairfield was launched on 6 February 1945, by Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, California, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2374; sponsored by Mrs. Henry W. Creeger; acquired by the Navy on a loan-charter basis; and commissioned on 28 March 1945, Lieutenant C. R. Snyder, USNR, in command.[3]

Service history[]

World War II-related service[]

Fairfield completed shakedown and fitting out before 8 May, when she arrived at San Francisco, California, to load cargo for Manus, Samar and Calicoan Islands. In early July she loaded US Army cargo at Parang, Mindanao, and was en route to Agusan province when on the 14th she picked up six Filipino guerillas from the wreckage of their boat which had been cut in two and sunk by a submarine.[3]

Fairfield continued her cargo operations among the islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean through October 1945 when she was drydocked at Newcastle, Australia, for a brief period before being assigned to carry Australian Army cargo from Sydney, Australia, to Borneo, Tacloban, and Manila, Philippines.[3]

Post-war decommissioning[]

During December the Navy removed all excess gear and she steamed into Yokosuka, Japan, on the 25th. On 8 January 1946 a Japanese crew came on board for training and on the 11th she was decommissioned and turned over to the War Shipping Administration for disposal.[3]

US Army service[]

Fairfield was transferred to the US Army on 5 February 1946, and wrecked on 18 December 1946.[2][4][5]

Notes[]

Citations
  1. ^ a b c C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
  2. ^ a b Navsource 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d DANFS 2015.
  4. ^ MARAD.
  5. ^ "Fairfield (6121046)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 1 February 2022.

Bibliography[]

Online resources

External links[]

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