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USNS Timber Hitch

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Timber Hitch receiving fresh water from the USAS American Mariner, Clarence Bay, Ascension Island, in December 1961.
History
United States
NameUSNS Timber Hitch
NamesakeA name retained
BuilderConsolidated Steel Corporation, Ltd., Wilmington, California
Laid downdate unknown, as a type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2466
Launched12 October 1944
CompletedJanuary 1945
Acquiredby the U.S. Navy in 1964
In servicec. 1958 as a missile tracker
Out of servicedate unknown
Stricken9 October 1969
Fatedisposed of by MARAD, 27 July 1977, fate unknown
General characteristics
Typemissile range instrumentation ship
Tonnage3,366 tons
Tons burthen6,090 tons
Length338' 9"
Beam50' 4"
Draft17' 7"
PropulsionDiesel, single propeller
Speed11.5 knots
Endurance30 days at sea
Complementunknown
Sensors and
processing systems
telemetry
Armamentnone

USNS Timber Hitch (T-AGM-17) was a U.S. Navy missile range instrumentation ship which earlier operated as the U.S. Air Force Ocean Range Vessel USAFS Timber Hitch (ORV-17) on the U.S. Air Force's Eastern Test Range during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Timber Hitch operated under an Air Force contract with Pan American Airways Guided Missile Range Division headquartered in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Timber Hitch, assigned to the South Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean area, provided the Air Force with metric data on intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

Timber Hitch operated in the intercontinental ballistic missile re-entry area near Ascension Island, and was home-ported out of Recife, Brazil.

Acquisition by the Navy

Timber Hitch was acquired from the U.S. Air Force by the U.S. Navy in 1964.

Operational data

Operational data while on U.S. Navy service during post-1964 period on this vessel is lacking.

Inactivation

Timber Hitch was struck from the Navy List 9 October 1969, and was scrapped by MARAD, 27 July 1977. Her subsequent fate is not known.

See also

References