USS Muskingum (AK-198)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States |
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| Name: | Muskingum |
| Namesake: | Muskingum County, Ohio |
| Ordered: | MC hull 2152 |
| Builder: | Globe Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin |
| Laid down: | 28 January 1944 |
| Launched: | 30 June 1944 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Henry Larson |
| Acquired: | date unknown |
| Commissioned: | 24 April 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 7 March 1946 |
| In service: | 1 July 1950, as USNS Muskingum (T-AK-198) |
| Struck: | 5 June 1946 and 15 June 1973 |
| Identification: |
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| Fate: |
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| Notes: | also served the U.S. Army as USAT V-108 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class & type: | Alamosa-class cargo ship |
| Type: | C1-M-AV1 |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 388 ft 8 in (118.47 m) |
| Beam: | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft: | 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m) |
| Installed power: | 1,750 shp (1,300 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 11.5 kn (13.2 mph; 21.3 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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USS Muskingum (AK-198) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship built for the United States Maritime Commission completed in April 1945. Muskingum was transferred to the Navy on loan and supported the end-of-war Navy effort and was subsequently placed in service with the U.S. Army under the Shipping Control Authority for the Japanese Merchant Marine with a Japanese crew. In 1950 she was reclaimed by the Navy as USNS Muskingum (T-AK-198) and remained in her service until struck in 1973.
Contents
Built in Superior, Wisconsin
Muskingum, a type C1-M-AV1 cargo ship constructed for the United States Maritime Commission with delivery 6 April 1945 and transfer to the United States Navy on a loan basis the same day.[2] The ship was laid down 26 January 1944 and launched by Globe Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin on 30 June 1944 sponsored by Mrs. Henry Larson.[3] Muskingum was then completed at Samuelson Ship Yard, Beaumont, Texas.[2] The ship, designated a Cargo ship (AK), commissioned as USS Muskingum (AK‑198) on 24 April 1945 at Houston, Texas, Lt. M. H. Bryant in command.[3][4]
After shakedown, she departed Gulfport, Mississippi, 26 May 1945 with cargo for the Pacific Ocean. She arrived at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, 4 August 1945 via the Panama Canal and Manus, the Admiralty Islands. The next few months were spent in carrying passengers and freight between Philippine ports.[3]
She departed Tacloban, Leyte, 24 January 1946, arriving Yokohama 31 January. The ship was decommissioned 7 March 1946 and turned over to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) for transfer to the U.S. Army Transportation Corps on a bareboat charter basis.[2] She was stricken from the Navy List 5 June 1946.[3]
Army control
Muskingum was given the Army designation V-208 and operated between ports in Japan, Korea, and the Mariana Islands under control of the Shipping Control Authority for the Japanese Merchant Marine (SCAJAP) with overall control exercised by Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, Japan. Muskingum was operated by Japanese until 1 July 1950 when title was transferred to Navy.[2][3]
Reacquired from the U.S. Army
Muskingum was reinstated on the Navy List for operations under Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) WesPac (Western Pacific). During the Korean War, she carried supplies between Japan and Korea.[3]
In 1951, Muskingum, designated T-AK-198, was under control of MSTS Far East, operating out of Japan. Besides providing logistical support for U.S. forces in Korea, Muskingum carried supplies to American and Allied forces in South Vietnam.[3]
Decommissioning
Muskingum continued with service with the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) until she was struck from the Navy List on 15 June 1973 and on 4 October 1973 title was returned to the Maritime Administration, successor to the Maritime Commission and loaned to the United States Department of Interior for Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands use.[2][3]
On 7 April 1982 Muskingum was permanently transferred to the Republic of Palau.[2] Her subsequent fate is not known.
Honors and awards
Qualified Muskingum personnel were eligible for the following:
- American Campaign Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
- World War II Victory Medal
- Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
- National Defense Service Medal
- Vietnam Service Medal[dubious ]
- Philippines Liberation Medal
- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal[dubious ]
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Muskingum AK-198 - USAT V-108 - USNS Muskingum (T-AK-198)
- Pages with reference errors
- All accuracy disputes
- Articles with disputed statements from May 2015
- Alamosa-class cargo ships
- Ships built in Superior, Wisconsin
- 1944 ships
- World War II auxiliary ships of the United States
- Type C1-M ships of the United States Army
- Korean War auxiliary ships of the United States
- Vietnam War auxiliary ships of the United States
- United States Navy Ohio-related ships
- Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
