USNS Albert J. Meyer (ARC-6)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Brig. Gen. Albert J. Meyer |
| Laid down: | 14 April 1945 |
| Launched: | 7 November 1945 |
| Commissioned: | 13 May 1963 |
| Struck: | 7 November 1994 |
| Honors and awards: |
Meritorious Unit Commendation (1974), four Navy "E" Ribbons (1981, 1982, 1984, and 1985) |
| Fate: | recycled in late 2005 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Neptune |
| Displacement: | 7815 tons |
| Length: | 112.5 meters (369 feet) |
| Beam: | 14.3 meters (47 feet) |
| Draft: | 5.5 meters (18 feet) |
| Propulsion: | 2 Skinner Uniflow Reciprocating Steam Engines; changed to turbo-electric in 1980; twin shafts |
| Speed: | 14 knots |
| Complement: | 71 civilians, 6 Navy, 25 technicians |
| Armament: | none |
USNS Albert J. Meyer (ARC-6), was a Neptune-class cable laying ship built for the US Army near the end of World War II. She is named for Brig. Gen. Albert J. Meyer (or Myer), the founder of the Army Signal Corps. The keel was laid down on 14 April 1945 by Pusey & Jones Corp. of Wilmington, Delaware. Albert J. Meyer was launched on 7 November 1945, and sponsored by Mrs. Grace Salisbury Ingles, the wife of Major General Harry C. Ingles, commanding officer of the Army Signal Corps.
Contents |
[edit] Function
Myer's projects have typically been to transport, deploy, retrieve and repair submarine cables, test acoustic devices, and conduct acoustic, hydrographic, and bathymetric surveys.
[edit] Career
Since World War II ended some eight months before her completion, the Albert J. Myer was delivered to the Maritime Commission and placed in the reserve fleet. In 1952, she was commissioned by the Navy as a cable repair ship to support the SOSUS program and operated as a regular Navy ship (USS Albert J. Meyer).
In 1973, Meyer was transferred to the Military Sealift Command (MSC), designated T-ARC-6, and operated by a mostly civilian crew. The Albert J. Meyer was extensively modernized in 1980 by Bethlehem Steel in Baltimore, Maryland. This included new turbo-electric engines. It is said that Meyer and her sister ship Neptune were the last ships in the Navy to operate using reciprocating steam engines.
Meyer performed cable repair duties all over the world until 1994, when she'd been in active service for nearly 42 years. During her career, she received a Meritorious Unit Commendation (1974), and four Navy E ribbons (1981, 1982, 1984, and 1985).
She was inactivated in 1994 and eventually placed in the James River reserve fleet near Ft. Eustis, VA. She was dismantled and recycled by International Shipbreaking Ltd of Brownsville, TX in late 2005.
[edit] References
This article includes information collected from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, Norman Polmar, Naval Institute Press, 13th edition, 1984.
- OPNAV NOTICE 1650, Master List of Unit Awards and Campaign Medals, 9 Mar 2001.
- MARAD press release 14-05, 28 July 2005, Maritime Administration announcement of the disposal of ex-Meyer & ex-Neptune.
