USNS Coastal Crusader

USNS Coastal Crusader (AK-220/ORV-16/T-AGM-16/AGS-36) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that was constructed for the US Navy during the closing period of World War II. She was later acquired by the US Army in 1946 and the US Air Force in 1957 before being reacquired by the USN in 1964 and as a missile range instrumentation ship.

USAFS Coastal Crusader (ORV-16) underway, date and location unknown.
History
United States
Name
  • Wexford (never received name)
  • Coastal Crusader
NamesakeWexford County, Michigan
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2174[1]
BuilderLeathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Yard number340[1]
Laid down12 April 1945
Launched24 June 1945
Completed26 July 1945
CommissionedDelivered to the US Maritime Commission (MARCOM) prior to commissioning, July 1945
RenamedCoastal Crusader
IdentificationHull symbol: AK-220 (never received number)
FateDelivered to the US Army, 30 August 1946
United States
NamePvt. Joe R. Hastings
NamesakeJoe R. Hastings
OperatorUS Army
In service30 August 1946
Out of service27 October 1947
FateDeclared surplus, 12 December 1949, delivered to MARCOM
United States
NameCoastal Crusader
OwnerMilitary Sea Transportation Service (MSTS)
OperatorCoastwise
In service12 May 1955
Out of service3 November 1955
FateTransferred to US Air Force, 27 August 1956
United States
NameCoastal Crusader
OperatorUS Air Force
In service13 March 1957
Out of service1964
ReclassifiedOcean Range Vessel (ORV-16)
FateTransferred to the US Navy, 1964
United States
NameCoastal Crusader
OwnerUS Navy
OperatorMSTS
In service1964
Reclassified
Stricken30 April 1976
FateSold for scrap, 12 April 1977
General characteristics [2]
Class and type
TypeC1-M-AV1
Tonnage5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1]
Displacement
  • 2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard)
  • 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam50 ft (15 m)
Draft21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power
Propulsion1 × propeller
Speed11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity
  • 3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT
  • 9,830 cu ft (278 m3) (refrigerated)
  • 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement
  • 15 Officers
  • 70 Enlisted

Construction

Coastal Crusader, a C1-M-AV1 cargo vessel, was laid down under a US Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2174, on 12 April 1945 at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company; launched on 24 June 1945; sponsored by Mrs. DeForrest Colburn; and completed on 26 July 1945.[3]

On 25 February 1945, the Navy had assigned the name Wexford and the designation AK-220 to the projected ship; but the contract for her acquisition by the Navy was cancelled in August 1945 because of the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific Ocean and the surrender of Japan. Coastal Crusader thus entered mercantile service, never having borne the name Wexford.[3]

US Army service

The vessel was placed in service 30 August 1946, by the US Army Transportation Service as USAT Private Joe R. Hastings. She was returned to the Reserve Fleet on 27 October 1949.[4]

US Air Force service

Renamed Coastal Sentry, she was acquired by the US Air Force on 13 March 1957, which redesignated her an Ocean Range Vessel, USAFS Coastal Crusader (ORV-16). She operated on the Air Force's Eastern Test Range during the late 1950s and early 1960s.[4]

US Navy service

The US Navy acquired Coastal Crusader from the Air Force in 1964, a placed her in service with the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) and redesignated her a Missile Range Instrumentation Ship, USNS Coastal Crusader (T-AGM-16). Navy records indicate Coastal Crusader was redesignated as a Survey Ship, Coastal Crusader (AGS-36) in 1969, and finally struck from the Navy List on 30 April 1976.[4][2]

Inactivation

Coastal Crusader was subsequently sold by the Maritime Administration (MARAD) on 12 April 1977.[4] She was scrapped later that year.[1]

Notes
    Citations
    1. C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
    2. Navsource 2015.
    3. DANFS 2015.
    4. MARAD.

    Bibliography

    Online resources

    • "Wexford". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2016.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
    • "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    • "Coastal Crusader (AGS-36)". Navsource.org. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    • "COASTAL CRUSADER (T-AGM-16)". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    Wikimedia Commons has media related to USNS Coastal Crusader (T-AGM-16).
    • Photo gallery of USS Coastal Crusader (T-AGM-16) at NavSource Naval History
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