USNS Mission San Francisco (AO-123)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 5 May 1945 |
| Launched: | 18 September 1945 |
| Commissioned: | 11 October 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 20 March 1957 |
| Fate: | Sunk in 1957 |
| 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 Francisco was one of twenty-seven Mission Buenaventura Class fleet oilers built during World War II for service in the United States Navy, and one of two named for the Franciscan mission located in San Francisco, California.
Mission San Francisco was laid down 5 May 1945 under a Maritime Commission contract by Marinship Corporation, Sausalito, California; launched 18 September 1945; sponsored by Mrs. John J. Manning; and delivered 11 October 1945. Chartered to Deconhill Shipping Company, upon her delivery, for operations, she served until 14 April 1946 when she was returned to the Maritime Commission and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Mobile, Alabama.
Acquired by the Navy 28 October 1947, she was placed in service with the Naval Transportation Service as Mission San Francisco (AO-123). Taken over by the Military Sea Transportation Service on 1 October 1949 she was redesignated USNS Mission San Francisco (T-AO-123) and served under MSTS until 18 January 1954, when she was returned to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Beaumont, Texas.
Reacquired by the Navy on 20 October 1956, she was once again placed in service with MSTS and chartered to Mathiasens Tanker Industries. Her period of service with MSTS was short. On 7 March 1957 while passing New Castle, Delaware, she collided with the Liberian freighter Elna II. The shock of the collision caused Mission San Francisco to catch fire and explode, breaking her in two. The explosion killed 10 men, including her master, Capt. William Allen. Immediately after the collision, Elna II backed off but in her attempts to avoid the burning hulk she ran aground. Due to bad weather, rescue attempts were slow, but all aboard Elna II and the survivors of Mission San Francisco were rescued by the United States Coast Guard. Declared unsalvageable by the Navy, Mission San Francisco was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 20 March 1957.
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Mission San Francisco. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved on April 1, 2006.
- T-AO-121 Mission San Francisco. Fleet Oiler (AO) Photo Index. Retrieved on April 1, 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 |
