USNS Paoli (T-AO-157)
| Career | 100x35px |
|---|---|
| Name: | USNS Paoli |
| Builder: | Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Laid down: | 18 July 1944 |
| Launched: | 31 October 1944 |
| In service: | 15 October 1956 |
| Out of service: | 2 October 1957 |
| Struck: | 2 October 1957 |
| Fate: |
Sold, 1966 Scrapped, 1997 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Suamico-class fleet replenishment oiler |
| Displacement: |
5,782 long tons (5,875 t) light 21,880 long tons (22,231 t) full |
| Length: | 523 ft 6 in (159.56 m) |
| Beam: | 68 ft (21 m) |
| Draft: | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Propulsion: | Turbo-electric, single screw, 8,000 hp (5,966 kW) |
| Speed: | 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) |
| Capacity: | 140,000 barrels |
| Complement: | 251 |
| Armament: | None |
USNS Paoli (T-AO-157) was a Suamico-class fleet replenishment oiler, built at Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Chester, Pennsylvania. A Type T2–SE–A1 tanker, it was hull number 401 and Maritime Commission number 1734. The ship was laid down on 18 July 1944, launched on 31 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Lina Martin, and delivered to the Maritime Commission on 11 November 1944 for operation by War Emergency Tankers, New York City.
Service history
Paoli made oil runs to the United Kingdom, between the Caribbean and the east coast; and to the Persian Gulf during World War II.
On 5 January 1946 the ship was transferred to Sieling & Jarvis of Newport News, Virginia, and then sold to Cities Service Oil Co., on 14 January 1947, for $1,797,871.78. The ship was returned to the Maritime Commission on 23 March 1955, at Beaumont, Texas, for lay up.
Paoli was reacquired by the United States Navy from the Maritime Administration as political tensions in the Middle East heightened. The ship was assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), as USNS Paoli (T-AO-157) on 15 October 1956, and was operated by Marine Transport Lines Inc. Paoli served until returned to MARAD custody and struck from the Navy List on 2 October 1957.
Later career
On 2 February 1966 the ship was transferred to Marine Navigation Sulphur Carriers Inc., and rebuilt into a liquid sulfur carrier at Baltimore and renamed SS Marine Floridian. In 1977, Marine Floridian allided with the Benjamin Harrison Bridge, a drawbridge over the James River near Richmond, Virginia. The collision closed the bridge to traffic for 20 months and resulted in damages totaling $9.7 million. The ship was later renamed SS Belofin Floridian shortly before being scrapped in 1997.
References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- Photo gallery of Paoli (T-AO-157) at NavSource Naval History
- T2 Tanker
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- Ship infoboxes without an image
- Pages with broken file links
- Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
- Type T2-SE-A1 tankers
- Ships built in Pennsylvania
- 1944 ships
- World War II tankers of the United States
- Suamico class oilers
- Type T2-SE-A1 tankers of the United States Navy
- Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States
