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USNS Sgt. Archer T. Gammon

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USNS Archer T. Gammon (T-AK-243) moored pierside.
History
United States
Name
  • Yale Victory
  • Sgt. Archer T. Gammon
Namesake
Orderedas type (VC2-S-AP2) hull, MCV hull 725
BuilderPermanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California
Laid down13 December 1944, as SS Yale Victory
Launched31 January 1945
Sponsored byMrs. Richard W. Owens
Completed24 February 1945
Acquired18 June 1946
Commissioned31 October 1947 as USAT Sgt. Archer T. Gammon
Decommissioned1 March 1950
In service1 March 1950 as USNS Sgt. Archer T. Gammon (T-AK-243)
Out of servicespring of 1973
Stricken1 May 1973
IdentificationHull symbol:T-AK-243
Honours and
awards		National Defense Service Medal
FateSold for scrapping, 9 November 1973, to Chi Shun Hua Steel Co., Ltd., of Kaohsiung, Taiwan
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeBoulder Victory-class cargo ship
Displacement
  • 4,480 long tons (4,550 t) (standard)
  • 15,580 long tons (15,830 t) (full load)
Length455 ft (139 m)
Beam62 ft (19 m)
Draft29 ft 2 in (8.89 m)
Installed power8,500 shp (6,300 kW)
Propulsion
  • 1 × steam turbine
  • 1 × shaft
Speed15.5 kn (17.8 mph; 28.7 km/h)
Complement51 officers and enlisted
Armamentnone

USNS Sgt. Archer T. Gammon (T-AK-243) was a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship built at the end of World War II and served the war and its demilitarization as a commercial cargo vessel. From 1946 to 1950 she served the U.S. Army as a transport named USAT Sgt. Archer T. Gammon. In 1950 she was acquired by the United States Navy and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service. In 1973 she ended her career and was struck and scrapped.

Victory ship built in California

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Sgt. Archer T. Gammon was laid down under U.S. Maritime Commission contract as Yale Victory (MCV hull 725) on 13 December 1944 by the Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California; launched on 31 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Richard W. Owens; and delivered to the U.S. Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration (WSA) on 24 February for operation by the Olympic Steamship Company.

U.S. Army service

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On 18 June 1946, Yale Victory was transferred to the U.S. Army and commenced operations between San Francisco, California, and the Far East. Six months later, she changed her home port to Seattle, Washington; and, 31 October 1947, she was renamed Sgt. Archer T. Gammon. Two years later, the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) was established; and, in March 1950, the cargo ship was transferred to the Navy for use in that organization and was placed in service as USNS Sgt. Archer T. Gammon (T-AK-243).

Service with the MSTS

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During the early 1950s, she operated out of Seattle to Japan, Korea and Alaska. After the end of the Korean War, her range was extended. In the mid and late 1950s, she operated out of San Francisco to central and western Pacific Ocean ports and, during the periods of conflict in the Middle East, to Caribbean and western and eastern Atlantic Ocean areas.

In 1961, administrative control of the ship was transferred to MSTS, Atlantic, at New York City; and, since that time, Sgt. Archer T. Gammon continued to carry cargo for the Navy's transportation service, since renamed the Military Sealift Command, until the spring of 1973 when she was transferred to the U.S. Maritime Administration for disposal

Decommissioning

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Her name was struck from the Navy List on 1 May 1973, and her hulk was sold to Chi Shun Hua Steel Co., Ltd., of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on 19 November 1973.

Honors and awards

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Qualified vessel personnel were eligible for the following:

References

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  1. ^ "USNS Sgt Archer T. Gammon (T-AK-243)". Navsource.org. Retrieved June 2, 2015.


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