USS Jekyl

USS Jekyl (AG-135/AKL-6) was a Camano-class cargo ship constructed for the U.S. Army as USA FS-282 shortly before the end of World War II and later acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1947. She was configured as a transport and cargo ship and was assigned post-war to support various island outposts in the Pacific Ocean.

History
United States
NameUSS Jekyl
NamesakeJekyll Island off the coast of Georgia
BuilderWheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, Long Island, New York
Laid down1944
Completeddate unknown, as U.S. Army FS-282
Acquiredby the U.S. Navy, 22 February 1947, at Apra Harbor, Guam, Mariana Islands
Commissioned2 May 1947 as USS Jekyl (AG-135) at Guam
Decommissioned12 April 1950, at Seattle, Washington
ReclassifiedAKL-6, 31 March 1949
Strickendate unknown
IdentificationIMO number: 5043605
Fate
  • Sold, 18 May 1960
  • Wrecked in Argentina as of 2006
General characteristics
TypeCamano-class cargo ship
Displacement520 tons
Length177'
Beam33'
Draft10'
Propulsiontwo 500hp GM Cleveland Division 6-278A 6-cyl V6 diesel engines, twin screws
Speed12 knots
Complement26 officers and enlisted
Armamentnot known

Built on Long Island, New York

Jekyl (AG-135) was built in 1944 by Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Long Island, New York, for the U.S. Army and served as USAT FS-282 until being transferred to the Navy at Guam 22 February 1947. She was converted to Navy use and commissioned at Guam 2 May 1947.

Post-war Pacific Ocean support

One of a group of small Army cargo ships transferred to the Navy for use among the Pacific Ocean islands, Jekyl carried ammunition, food, and supplies to various island bases and outposts.

She operated mainly from Kwajalein Atoll, and steamed through the Mariana Islands and the Caroline Islands to Pearl Harbor in support of occupation forces. The ship also transported officials of the civil governments and helped carry native products as America began to restore normal life to the ravaged Pacific.

On 31 March 1949 she was reclassified AKL-6.

Post-war decommissioning

The ship was relieved of her duties in December 1949 and arrived Pearl Harbor on the 15th. From there she steamed to Seattle, Washington, where she decommissioned 12 April 1950, and was placed in reserve at Astoria, Oregon. Jekyl was sold 18 May 1960.

She remained extant for the next several decades carrying various names, including Sea Princess II, Nilo, Betty K IV, and Hope I. As Hope I, she was last spotted as a wreck in Puerto Rosales, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.[1]

References

  1. "HOPE 1". ShipSpotting. 26 September 2006. Retrieved 31 August 2018.


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