USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup (T-AG-175)
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| Name: | USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup |
| Namesake: | Curtis F. Shoup who was awarded the Medal of Honor |
| Builder: | Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, California |
| Laid down: | 16 April 1945, as Spindle Eye, type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2381 |
| Launched: | 25 May 1945 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Edgar Buttner |
| Acquired: | by the U.S. Navy on 16 January 1963 |
| In service: | 1 March 1963 as USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup (T-AG-175) |
| Out of service: | 20 December 1969 |
| Refit: | converted to a helicopter freighter at Willamette Iron & Steel in Portland, Oregon |
| Struck: | 28 April 1970 |
| Fate: | sold for scrapping, 9 May 1973 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Alamosa-class cargo ship |
| Tonnage: | 2,474 tons |
| Tons burthen: | 6,240 tons |
| Length: | 338' 9" |
| Beam: | 50' 3" |
| Draft: | 16' 10" |
| Propulsion: | Diesel, single propeller, 1,700shp |
| Speed: | 10.7 knots |
| Complement: | 62 personnel |
| Armament: | not known |
USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup (T-AG-175) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that was constructed during the final months of World War II, and saw little war-related service before being laid up in reserve. In 1963 she was reactivated and placed into service in the Pacific Ocean, responsible for a number of tasks, including helicopter delivery, surveying, and oceanographic services. She was struck in 1970 and sold for scrapping.
Contents
Constructed in Richmond, California
Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was laid down on 16 April 1945 under a Maritime Commission Contract as Spindle Eye (MC hull 2381) by Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, California; launched on 25 May 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Edgar Buttner; and delivered to the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company on 9 July 1945.
Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was designed to ferry war correspondents, but World War II ended before she could perform this duty. Hence, most of her early career was spent in the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet.
Vietnam era service
On 16 January 1963, Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was transferred to the Military Sea Transport Service (MSTS), and she was placed on the Navy list on 1 March. After conversion by Willamette Iron & Steel Works in Portland, Oregon, for service as a helicopter freighter, Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was assigned to MSTS, Pacific Area.
Reporting on 14 June, she teamed up with Harris County (LST-822) in the southwest Pacific Ocean, servicing survey sites which were being established to support the nation's missile and space projects.
U.S. Air Force helicopters flew from her deck, and she carried four to six oceanographers from the Naval Oceanographic Office in Washington, D.C.. Charts and sailing directions for the historic World War II area were revised as a result.
In May 1968, USNS Shoup conducted various oceanographic operations along a track pattern from roughly 20 to 140 miles from the Egyptian coast.
Final decommissioning
Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was withdrawn from service and stripped of oceanographic equipment on 20 December 1969. On 22 January 1970, she was returned to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California. Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was struck from the Navy list on 28 April 1970. On 9 May 1973, she was sold to Mr. John Liu of Washington, D.C., for non-transportation purposes.
References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - T-AG-175 Sgt Curtis F. Shoup
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- Pages with broken file links
- Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
- Type C1-M ships
- Ships built in Los Angeles, California
- 1945 ships
- Merchant ships of the United States
- Type C1-M ships of the United States Army
- Research vessels of the United States Navy
- Alamosa class cargo ships
- Vietnam War auxiliary ships of the United States
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