USNS Sagitta (T-AK-87)
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| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | as MV Moses Pike N3-M-A1 hull, MC hull 650 |
| Laid down: | 24 January 1944 |
| Launched: | 9 July 1944 |
| Acquired: | 18 July 1944 |
| Out of service: | 1959 |
| Struck: | date unknown |
| Fate: | Transferred to MSTS, 26 April 1952 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,677 t.(lt), 5,202 t.(fl) |
| Length: | 269 ft 10 in (82.2 m) |
| Beam: | 42 ft 6 in (13.0 m) |
| Draught: | 20 ft 9 in (6.3 m) |
| Propulsion: | diesel, single shaft, 1,300shp |
| Speed: | 10 kts. |
| Complement: | 83 |
| Armament: | 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount |
USNS Sagitta (T-AK-87) was an Enceladus-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering goods and equipment to locations in the war zone. After commissioning, she was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT Marvin Lyle Thomas.
Contents |
[edit] Building a ship for the Army
Sagitta (AK-87) was laid down as MC hull 650 on 24 January 1944 by Penn-Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, New Jersey; launched on 9 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Frank L. Hare; and transferred to the U.S. Army on 18 July 1944.
[edit] U.S. Army service
She was acquired by the U.S. Army, 18 July 1944, renamed USAT Marvin Lyle Thomas, used as a Port Rehabilitation Vessel.
[edit] MSTS service
Transferred from the Army to the Navy under assignment to the Military Sea Transportation Service on 26 April 1952, Sagitta operated as a summer DEW line resupply ship out of New York City from 1952 through 1959. She steamed annually to St. Johns and Argentia, Newfoundland; and to Goose Bay, Labrador. She also voyaged to Cartwright, Labrador, annually except in 1954; to Makkovick, Labrador, annually from 1957 through 1959; to Resolution Island, Northwest Territories, annually except in 1952 and 1957; and to Narsarsauk, Greenland, in June 1954 and 1957.
[edit] Winters in warmer waters
During the winters, she carried cargo to Bermuda; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone, annually from 1953 through 1955; and to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 1956. Occasionally sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, she visited Piraeus, Greece, from 9 to 12 February 1957, and Port Lyautey, Morocco, from 2 to 6 February 1958.
[edit] Other service
Transferred to the Maritime Administration on 23 February 1960, she remained in the National Defense Reserve Fleet until 25 April 1966 when she was transferred to the Army for duty, first at Fort Eustis, Virginia; and then, from 1968 into 1974, at Curtis Bay, Maryland, where she provided stevedore training. Final Disposition: scrapped in 1976.
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
