USNS Mission San Antonio (AO-119)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 15 January 1944 |
| Launched: | 8 April 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 24 May 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | n/a |
| Fate: | Unknown |
| 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 mariners |
| Armament: | None |
The USNS Mission San Antonio was 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 near Jolon, California.
Mission San Antonio was laid down on 15 January 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract by Marinship Ship Corporation, Sausalito, California; launched 8 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Marian McClure; and delivered 24 May 1944. Chartered to Los Angeles Tanker Operators Inc., on her delivery date for operations, she spent the remainder of the War carrying vital fuel products to allied forces in the western Pacific (during which time she was awarded the National Defense Service Medal). She was returned to the Maritime Commission on 30 April 1946 and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Mobile, Alabama.
Acquired by the Navy on 22 October 1947 she was placed in service with the Naval Transportation Service as Mission San Antonio (AO-119). After 1 October 1949 she was under the operational control of the new Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission San Antonio (T-AO-119). She served with MSTS until 22 November 1954 when she was returned to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at James River, Virginia. Reacquired by the Navy on 6 July 1956 she was placed in service with MSTS until 16 December 1959 when she was returned to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Beaumont, Texas.
Her stay in the Reserve Fleet was short, for on 9 June 1960 Mission San Antonio was reacquired by the Navy and placed in service with MSTS on the same date. She served faithfully until 11 January 1965 when she was once again returned to MARAD and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at James River. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on the same date, she was sold to Transwestern Associates on 9 June 1965 for conversion to a bulk carrier. She was renamed Transartic, but was reacquired by MARAD on 27 August 1965. She was resold to Hudson Waterways Corporation on 24 January 1966 for conversion into a combination train ferry and container ship. Transartic was renamed Seatrain San Juan in September 1966. Into 1969, she carried cargo between the east and west coasts of the United States and occasionally to Vietnam.
The ship's final disposition is unknown.
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Mission San Antonio. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved on April 2, 2006.
- T-AO-119 Mission San Antonio. Fleet Oiler (AO) Photo Index. Retrieved on April 2, 2006.
[edit] See also
| Mission-class tankers |
|---|
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Mission Buenaventura · Mission Capistrano · Mission Carmel · Mission De Pala · Mission Dolores · Mission Loreto · Mission Los Angeles · Mission Purisima · Mission San Antonio · Mission San Carlos · Mission San Diego · Mission San Fernando · Mission San Francisco · Mission San Gabriel · Mission San Jose · Mission San Juan · Mission San Luis Obispo · Mission San Luis Rey · Mission San Miguel · Mission San Rafael · Mission Santa Barbara · Mission Santa Clara · Mission Santa Cruz · Mission Santa Ynez · Mission Solano · Mission Soledad · Mission Santa Ana |
| Converted to distilling ships Mission San Xavier • Mission San Lorenzo |
| List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy |
