USNS Short Splice (T-AK-249)
| Career (USA) | 100x35px |
|---|---|
| Name: | Short Splice |
| Ordered: | as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2464 |
| Builder: | Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California |
| Laid down: | 15 January 1945 |
| Launched: | 3 March 1945 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. A. 0. Wiese |
| Commissioned: | date unknown as USAT Short Splice |
| Decommissioned: | 1 March 1950 |
| In service: | 1 March 1950 as USNS Short Splice (T-AK-249) |
| Out of service: | 29 June 1973, at Sasebo, Japan |
| Struck: | 15 June 1973 |
| Honors and awards: | National Defense Service Medal |
| Fate: | scrapped, 31 July 1973 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Alamosa-class cargo ship |
| Tonnage: | 2,382 tons |
| Tons burthen: | 6,240 tons |
| Length: | 388' 8" |
| Beam: | 50' |
| Draft: | 21' 1" |
| Propulsion: | Diesel, single screw, 1,700shp |
| Speed: | 11.5 knots |
| Complement: | 85 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: | none |
USNS Short Splice (T-AK-249) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that was constructed for the U.S. Navy during the closing period of World War II. However, the war ended, and she was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT Short Splice who kept her in service until transferred to the U.S. Navy in 1950.
Contents
Built in Wilmington, California
Short Splice (AK-249) was laid down as MC hull 2464 on 15 January 1945 by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California; launched on 3 March 1945; sponsored by Mrs. A. 0. Wiese; and delivered to the United States Steamship Lines on 18 May 1945.
U.S. Army service
She was acquired and operated by the U.S. Army which commissioned her on (date unknown) as USAT Short Spice. She was retained by the U.S. Army until she was transferred to the U.S. Navy 1 March 1950.
She operated with the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), carrying cargo for military bases. Until 5 March 1959, she called at almost every European port as well as ports along the Atlantic western coast from Goose Bay, Labrador, to the Panama Canal Zone. She then operated from New Orleans, Louisiana, carrying supplies, ammunition, and vehicles to Panama; Key West, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Kingston, Jamaica.
On 3 November 1966, Short Splice moved to the Far East, and a crew of Koreans was assigned to man her. She made supply runs to Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and the Philippine Islands. On 30 March 1973, the Korean crew was replaced by American merchant seamen, but her area of operations did not change.
Final inactivation
On 20 June 1973, while at Sasebo, Japan, she was transferred to the U.S. Maritime Administration for disposal. Short Splice was sold to Fuji Marden & Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, British Crown Colony, on 31 July 1973 and scrapped.
Honors and awards
Qualified vessel personnel were authorized the following:
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 - USAT Short Splice - USNS Short Splice (T-AK-249)
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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 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
- Alamosa class cargo ships
- Korean War auxiliary ships of the United States
- Vietnam War auxiliary ships of the United States
