USS Claiborne (AK-171) was an Alamosa-class 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.

History
United States
NameClaiborne
Namesake
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2144[1]
BuilderFroemming Brothers, Inc, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Yard number16[1]
Laid down1944
Launched3 September 1944
Sponsored byMiss L. Kapczynski
Commissioned19 April 1945
Decommissioned7 February 1946
Stricken5 June 1946
Identification
FateSold for scrapping, 6 January 1971
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
  • 10 Officers
  • 69 Enlisted
Armament

Construction

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Claiborne was launched 3 September 1944, by Froemming Brothers, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2144; sponsored by Miss L. Kapczynski; and commissioned 19 April 1945 at New Orleans, Louisiana.[3]

Service history

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World War II Pacific Theatre operations

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Claiborne departed Gulfport, Mississippi, 20 May 1945 and arrived at Hollandia, New Guinea, 5 July. For the next 6 months she operated in the Philippines and New Guinea areas, carrying food, and supplies, and helping to redeploy troops among the various islands. Claiborne sailed from Manila 6 January 1946, for Yokosuka, Japan, anchoring there 13 January.[3]

Post-war decommissioning

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Claiborne was decommissioned and transferred to the War Shipping Administration at Tokyo 7 February 1946. The ship was operated by the War Department until placed in the Reserve Fleet berthing area at Olympia, Washington, on 5 May 1950. Ultimately, she was sold to the Marine Power & Equipment Company, on 6 January 1971, and was delivered to her purchaser at Olympia on 1 February 1971 for scrapping.[3]

Notes

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Citations

Bibliography

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  • "Claiborne (AK-171)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  • "Claiborne (AK-171)". Navsource.org. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
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  • Photo gallery of USS Claiborne (AK-171) at NavSource Naval History