USNS David C. Shanks

USNS David C. Shanks (T-AP-180), San Francisco, 1950s
History
Name	USNS David C. Shanks (T-AP-180)
Namesake	US Army General David C. Shanks
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Christened	American Farmer
Completed	April 1943
Acquired	(By the Army): 24 April 1943
In service	Army:1943–1950 MSTS: 15 Mar 1950 – Oct 1958
Identification	MC Hull Type C3-1N-P&C MC Hull No. 165
Honors and awards	One battle star for Korean War service
Fate	Scrapped, 1973
General characteristics
Class and type	George W. Goethals
Displacement	10,418 tons (fl)
Length	489 ft
Beam	69 ft 6 in
Draft	27 ft 4 in
Propulsion	Steam turbine, single screw
Speed	16.5 knots
Troops	1,976
Armament	None

David C. Shanks was a troop transport that served with the US Army during World War II as USAT David C. Shanks, and during the Korean War with the US Navy's Military Sea Transportation Service as the USNS David C. Shanks (T-AP-180).

Service history

The ship was originally laid down under the name SS American Farmer as a Maritime Commission Type C3 ship (specifically, a Type C3-1N-P&C, or Passenger & Cargo type) by Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was delivered on 24 April 1943 and turned over to the US Army Transportation Service, who renamed her USAT David C . Shanks.

On 15 March 1950 the ship was transferred to the MSTS and became the USNS David C. Shanks (T-AP-180). The ship participated in operations to contain the Communist Chinese advance in Korea during the conflict there between December 1950 – January 1951, and earned a battle star for her service.

David C. Shanks was inactivated and returned to the Maritime Administration in October 1958, after which she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. She was scrapped in 1973.

References

• David C. Shanks – DANFS Online.