USS Hempstead (AVP-43)

History
United States
Name	USS Hempstead (AVP-43)
Namesake	Hempstead Bay on the coast of New York
Builder	Lake Washington Shipyard, Houghton, Washington (proposed)
Laid down	Never
Fate	Construction contract cancelled 22 April 1943
General characteristics
Class and type	Barnegat-class small seaplane tender
Displacement	1,766 tons (light); 2,750 tons (full load);
Length	311 ft 8 in (95.00 m)
Beam	41 ft 1 in (12.52 m)
Draught	13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Installed power	6,000 horsepower (4.48 megawatts)
Propulsion	Diesel engines, two shafts
Speed	18.6 knots (34.4 km/h)
Complement	215 (ship's company); 367 (including aviation unit);
Sensors and ; processing systems	Radar; sonar
Armament	Probably either 2 x 5-inch (127 mm) 38-caliber guns, 4 x 20 mm antiaircraft guns, and 2 x depth charge tracks, or 1 x 5-inch (127 mm) 38-caliber gun, 1 x quadruple 40 mm antiaircraft gun mount, 2 x twin 40 mm gun mounts, 6 x 20 mm antiaircraft guns, and 2 x depth charge tracks
Aviation facilities	Supplies, spare parts, fuel, repairs, and berthing for one seaplane squadron; 80,000 US gallons (300,000 L) aviation fuel

What would have been the first USS Hempstead (AVP-43) was a proposed United States Navy seaplane tender that was never laid down.

Construction and commissioning

Hempstead was to have been one of 41 Barnegat-class small seaplane tenders the U.S. Navy planned to commission during the early 1940s, and was to have been built at Houghton, Washington, by the Lake Washington Shipyard. However, by the spring of 1943 the Navy deemed that number of seaplane tenders excess to requirements, and decided to complete four of them as motor torpedo boat tenders and one as a catapult training ship. In addition, the Navy also decided to cancel six of the Barnegat-class ships prior to their construction, freeing up the diesel engines that would have powered them for use in escort vessels and amphibious landing craft.

Hempstead became one of the first four ships to be cancelled when the Navy cancelled its contract with Lake Washington Shipyard for her construction on 22 April 1943.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive Small Seaplane Tender (AVP) Index