USS Amador

USS Amador (AK-158) at anchor in the Columbia River, Oregon, December 1944.
History
United States
NameAmador
NamesakeAmador County, California
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2103[1]
BuilderKaiser Shipyards Co., Richmond, California
Yard number60[1]
Laid down27 December 1943
Launched15 June 1944
Sponsored byMrs. S. J. Davis
Acquired10 August 1944
Commissioned9 October 1944
Decommissioned23 October 1944
Recommissioned25 November 1944
Decommissioned20 June 1946
Refit23 October 1944, converted to ammunition tender
Stricken19 July 1946
Identification
FateSold 23 March 1948, to Sudden & Christensen, Inc., agents for Rederacti Edolajet Signy
Sweden
NameSkagern
NamesakeSkagern Lake
OwnerRederacti Edolajet Signy
Acquired13 April 1948
FateSold 1963
Greece
Name
  • Nicoloas
  • Dina
  • Alkistis
Acquired1963
IdentificationIMO number5407370
FateScrapped in Spain in 1980
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeAlamosa-class 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
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

USS Amador (AK-158) was an Alamosa-class 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.[3]

Service history

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Amador was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2103, on 27 December 1943, at Richmond, California, by Kaiser Cargo Inc.; launched on 15 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. S. J. Davis; acquired by the Navy on 10 August 1944; commissioned on 9 October 1944, decommissioned at Portland, Oregon, on 23 October 1944 to undergo conversion to an ammunition tender by the Commercial Iron Works, and recommissioned on 25 November 1944.[4] Amador got underway early in December for shakedown training off San Pedro, California. She loaded cargo and ammunition at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, then sailed for Eniwetok on 11 January 1945. The ship reached Eniwetok on the 29th and was routed on to Ulithi. Upon her arrival there on 18 February, Amador was assigned to Service Squadron 10.[4]

Amador remained at Ulithi through 15 March for ammunition handling operations. She next set sail on the 16th for Leyte, Philippines, via Kossol Roads. The ship anchored in Leyte-Samar Naval Base's San Pedro Bay on 22 March and began issuing ammunition to ships of the fleet, as well as reworking defective projectiles and fuses. On 23 October, she moved to Guinan Roadstead, Samar, and began receiving ammunition from ammunition lighters for transportation back to the United States.[4] On 12 November, Amador got underway for Seattle, Washington. She arrived in Puget Sound on 8 December and remained in that area until 29 March 1946, when she began preparations for deactivation. She was decommissioned on 20 June 1946, and her name was struck from the Navy list on 19 July 1946. The ship was transferred to the Maritime Commission on 23 July 1946. She was subsequently sold and fitted out for service as a merchant ship.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
  2. ^ "Cargo Ship Photo Index: USS Amador (AK-158)". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Cargo Ship Photo Index: USS Amador (AK-158)". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d DANFS 2015.

Bibliography

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