USS Prentiss (AKA-102)
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| Career | 100x35px |
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| Name: | USS Prentiss |
| Namesake: | Prentiss County, Mississippi |
| Builder: | North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina |
| Laid down: | 10 October 1944 |
| Launched: | 6 December 1944 |
| Acquired: | 12 January 1945 |
| Commissioned: | 11 February 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 31 May 1946 |
| Struck: | 19 June 1946 |
| Honors and awards: | 1 battle star (World War II) |
| Fate: | Sold into merchant service, 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Tolland-class attack cargo ship |
| Displacement: |
8,635 long tons (8,774 t) light 13,910 long tons (14,133 t) full |
| Length: | 459 ft 2 in (139.95 m) |
| Beam: | 63 ft (19 m) |
| Draft: | 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m) |
| Propulsion: | GE geared turbine drive, single propeller, 6,000 shp (4.5 MW) |
| Speed: | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement: | 425 |
| Armament: |
• 1 × 5"/38 caliber gun • 4 × twin 40 mm guns |
USS Prentiss (AKA-102) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship of the United States Navy named after Prentiss County, Mississippi. Like all AKAs, Prentiss was designed to carry military cargo and landing craft, and to use the latter to land weapons, supplies, and Marines on enemy shores during amphibious operations. She served as a commissioned ship for 15 months.
Prentiss was laid down as a Type C2-S-AJ3 ship under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1699) by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, North Carolina, on 10 October 1944; launched on 6 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Roger Williams; acquired on loan charter basis from the Maritime Commission by the Navy on 12 January 1945; and commissioned on 11 February 1945, Lt. Comdr. George P. Walker, USNR, in command.
Contents
Service history
World War II, 1945
After shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay area, Prentiss sailed from Norfolk for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 13 April. She departed Hawaii on 6 May with ammunition and general cargo for Okinawa. Within hours of her arrival on 21 June, she underwent one of that area's frequent attacks. During the action her gunners shot down a kamikaze. Following this spirited reception, unloading of her volatile cargo was speedy; she departed the area on 27 June. Returning to San Francisco on 28 July, she remained on the west coast until after the end of hostilities.
Post-war activities, 1945–1946
She then loaded general cargo and sailed for Pearl Harbor and the southwest Pacific. Between October 1945 and February 1946 she carried cargo between the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies, and Australia.
Decommissioning and sale
Returning to the U.S., she was decommissioned on 31 May 1946, was returned to the War Shipping Administration on 1 June 1946, and was struck from the Navy List on 19 June 1946. She then served commercially as SS Alcoa Ranger.
Awards
Prentiss received one battle star for World War II service.
References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
- Photo gallery of USS Prentiss at NavSource Naval History
- 51 Years of AKAs
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