USS Glacier (AK-183) was an Alamosa-class 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 for a short period of time before being decommissioned and returned to the U.S. Maritime Administration for dispositioning.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Glacier |
| Namesake | Glacier County, Montana |
| Ordered | as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2114[1] |
| Builder | Walter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin |
| Yard number | 32[1] |
| Laid down | 1944 |
| Launched | 22 April 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Miss Agnes Kennedy |
| Acquired | 29 March 1945 |
| Commissioned | 14 April 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 19 February 1946 |
| Stricken | 12 March 1946 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sold, 17 April 1948, to Koninklijke Nederlandsche StoombootMattschappij N.V., Amsterdam |
| History | |
 Netherlands | |
| Name | Hydra |
| Owner | Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mattschappij N.V. |
| Acquired | 17 April 1948 |
| Fate | Sold 1962 |
| History | |
 Saudi Arabia | |
| Name | Asma B |
| Owner | Saudi Lines |
| Acquired | 1962 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping in July 1970 at HSINKANG, China |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type | Alamosa-class cargo ship |
| Type | C1-M-AV1 |
| Tonnage | 5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1] |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 388 ft 8 in (118.47 m) |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft | 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 1 × propeller |
| Speed | 11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
Construction edit
The third ship to be so named by the Navy, Glacier was launched 22 April 1944, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2114, by Walter Butler Shipbuilding, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin; sponsored by Miss Agnes Kennedy; acquired 29 March 1945, and commissioned 14 April 1945.[3]
Service history edit
edit
Following shakedown off Galveston, Texas, Glacier loaded lumber and metal drums at New Orleans, Louisiana, and sailed 18 May 1945 for Pearl Harbor, where she put in 12 June to off-load her cargo.[3]
Underway 29 June with building supplies for Kwajalein, she returned via Eniwetok to San Francisco, California, 5 August. Subsequently, a 5-month voyage out of San Francisco brought general cargo to Pearl Harbor, Tarawa, Majuro, Eniwetok, Guam, and Saipan before Glacier moored at Norfolk, Virginia, 1 February 1946, her missions accomplished.[3]
Post-war decommissioning edit
Decommissioned there 19 February 1946, she was returned to the Maritime Commission 3 days later and stricken from the Navy List 12 March 1946.[3]
Merchant service edit
Acquired by the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mattschappij, N.V., of Amsterdam, Holland, and renamed Ydra, the former Navy cargo ship operated out of Amsterdam, under the Dutch flag, from 1947 to 1962.[2]
She was sold in 1962, to a Saudi Arabian concern, the Saudi Lines, and renamed Asma B, she served commercially from 1962 to 1970 before being sold for scrap in July 1970 at HSINKANG, China.[2]
Honors and awards edit
Qualified Glacier personnel were eligible for the following:[2]
Notes edit
- Citations
- ^ a b c C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
- ^ a b c d DANFS 2015.
Bibliography edit
Online resources
- "Glacier (AK-183)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 17 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 17 November 2016.
- "USS Glacier (AK-183)". Navsource.org. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
External links edit
- Photo gallery of USS Glacier (AK-183) at NavSource Naval History
