USS Propus (AK-132)

History
United States
Name:	Frederick Tresca Propus
Namesake:	Propus
Ordered:	as a type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 2471, SS Frederick Tresca
Laid down:	31 January 1944
Launched:	29 March 1944
Acquired:	10 April 1944
Commissioned:	22 June 1944
Decommissioned:	20 November 1945
Refit:	converted for Naval service at Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Co., Jacksonville, FL.
Struck:	5 December 1945
Identification:	Hull symbol:AK-132
Fate:	sold for commercial servic, 17 March 1947, to Nicolas G. Nicolaou, Athens, renamed SS Nicolaou Georgios, reflagged Greek abandoned, 24 May 1951 because of fire in the Red Sea while bound from Dairen to Trieste with a cargo of maize, towed to Suez by SS Montelbello Hills, declared a total loss sold in 1951 to Achille Lauro, Naples, towed to Italy repaired and re-engined at Trieste, 1952, with 3000bhp B. & W. Diesel built by Harland & Wolfe, Belfast in 1940, speed 11.5 kts, renamed SS Gabbiano, reflagged
Status:	sold to Italian breakers, arrived Spezia 12 September 1969
General characteristics [1]
Class & type:	Crater-class cargo ship
Displacement:	4,023 long tons (4,088 t) (standard) 14,550 long tons (14,780 t) (full load)
Length:	441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam:	56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft:	28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Installed power:	2,500 shp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion:	2 × Combustion Engineering header-type boilers, 220psi 450° 1 × General Machine Corp. vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine 1 × shaft
Speed:	12.5 kn (14.4 mph; 23.2 km/h)
Complement:	206
Armament:	1 × 5 in (130 mm)/38 caliber dual purpose gun 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber dual purpose gun 2 × 40 mm (1.6 in) 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun mounts 6 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons anti-aircraft gun mounts

USS Propus (AK-132) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

Built in Jacksonville, Florida

Propus (AK–132) was laid down 31 January 1944 by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida, as MCE hull 2471; launched 29 March 1944; chartered by the Navy 10 April 1944; converted by Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Co., Jacksonville, Florida; and commissioned 22 June 1944, Lt. Comdr. Harvey A. Seeley in command.

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Propus (AK–132) proceeded via the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean. In 1944 she operated at San Francisco, California, in September; Pearl Harbor and San Francisco in October; and San Pedro, California, in December. In 1945 her cargo duties took her to Noumea and Espiritu Santo in January; Pearl Harbor, San Francisco and back to sea in February and March; Eniwetok, Saipan, and Tinian in April; San Francisco in May; Manus in June; Emirau and Manus in July; Pearl Harbor in August; San Francisco in September; and Norfolk, Virginia, in October.

Post-war decommissioning

Decommissioned 20 November 1945, she was redelivered to the War Shipping Administration 21 November and struck from the Naval Vessel Register 5 December. She was sold for commercial service by the Maritime Commission in 1947, to a Greek shipping company and renamed SS Nicolaou Georgios. She was burnt in 1951, repaired, and renamed MV Gabbiano (Motorized). Final Disposition: scrapped in 1970.

Military awards and honors

No battle stars are indicated for Propus in current Navy accounts. However, her crew was eligible for the following medals:

• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
• World War II Victory Medal

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Photo gallery of Propus at NavSource Naval History