USNS Mission Capistrano (AO-112)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 29 February 1944 |
| Launched: | 7 May 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 14 June 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | |
| Fate: | In service |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 5,532 tons light; 21,880 tons full |
| Length: | 524 ft (160 m) |
| Beam: | 68 ft (21 m) |
| Draft: | 30 ft (9 m) |
| Speed: | 16.5 knots (31 km/h) |
| Complement: | 52 |
| Armament (WW II): | 2 x 5 in (2x1) 8 x 20mm (8x1) |
The USNS Mission Capistrano is one of twenty-seven Mission Buenaventura Class fleet oilers built during World War II for service in the United States Navy, named for the Franciscan mission located in San Juan Capistrano, California.
Mission Capistrano was laid down on 29 February 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract at the Marine Ship Corporation in Sausalito, California; launched on 7 May 1944, sponsored by Mrs. James E. George; and delivered on 14 June 1944. Chartered to Pacific Tankers Inc., she spent the rest of the War supporting allied forces overseas (during which time she was awarded the National Defense Service Medal), until returned to the Maritime Commission on 20 April 1946 and laid up at the Maritime Commission Reserve Fleet at Mobile, Alabama.
Acquired by the Navy on 17 November 1947 she was designated as Mission Capistrano (AO‑112) and transferred to the Naval Transportation Service for duty. She served with this service until 1 October 1949 when the Naval Transportation Service was absorbed into the new Military Sea Transportation Service. Redesignated USNS Mission Capistrano (T‑AO‑112), she was transferred to the operational control of MSTS on the same date. She continued her service with MSTS until 10 January 1955 when she was transferred to the Maritime Administration and laid up at the Beaumont, Texas Reserve Fleet.
Reacquired by the Navy on 5 July 1956, she was transferred to MSTS on the same date and placed in service for further duty with MSTS. She continued her voyages along the world’s tanker routes transporting oil to and from the United States until early 1960, when she entered the Todd Pacific Shipyards at New Orleans, Louisiana, for conversion to a sound testing ship. Reclassified AG‑162 on 1 July 1960, she was modified to carry an ultra‑high‑powered sonar transducer array that is five stories high and several tons in weight. The transducer can be raised and lowered like a centerboard through the ship’s bottom. Upon completion of her conversion, she joined "Project Artemis," a project designed to ultimately produce a system that can detect submarines at long range.
Following this, the Mission Capistrano was decommissioned and served as part of the Ready Reserve Force fleet.
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Mission Capistrano. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved on March 31, 2006.
- AO-112 / T-AG-162 Mission Capistrano. Fleet Oiler (AO) Photo Index. Retrieved on March 31, 2006.
