USS Fairfield (AK-178)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Fairfield |
| Namesake | |
| Ordered | as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2374[1] |
| Builder | Kaiser Shipbuilding Co., Richmond, California |
| Yard number | 70[1] |
| Laid down | 1944 |
| Launched | 6 February 1945 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Henry W. Creeger |
| Acquired | 28 March 1945 |
| Commissioned | 28 March 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 11 January 1946 |
| Stricken | 12 April 1946 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | 5 February 1946, custody transferred to the US Army |
| Status | declared a total loss, 29 April 1947 |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type | Template:Sclass- |
| Type | C1-M-AV1 |
| Tonnage | 5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1] |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 388 ft 8 in (118.47 m) |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft | 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 1 × propeller |
| Speed | 11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
USS Fairfield (AK-178) was an Template:Sclass- acquired by the U.S. Navy during the final months of World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations and was decommissioned shortly after war’s end.
Construction
The second ship to be so named by the Navy, Fairfield was launched on 6 February 1945, by Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, California, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2374; sponsored by Mrs. Henry W. Creeger; acquired by the Navy on a loan-charter basis; and commissioned on 28 March 1945, Lieutenant C. R. Snyder, USNR, in command.[3]
Service history
Fairfield completed shakedown and fitting out before 8 May, when she arrived at San Francisco, California, to load cargo for Manus, Samar and Calicoan Islands. In early July she loaded US Army cargo at Parang, Mindanao, and was en route to Agusan province when on the 14th she picked up six Filipino guerillas from the wreckage of their boat which had been cut in two and sunk by a submarine.[3]
Fairfield continued her cargo operations among the islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean through October 1945 when she was drydocked at Newcastle, Australia, for a brief period before being assigned to carry Australian Army cargo from Sydney, Australia, to Borneo, Tacloban, and Manila, Philippines.[3]
Post-war decommissioning
During December the Navy removed all excess gear and she steamed into Yokosuka, Japan, on the 25th. On 8 January 1946 a Japanese crew came on board for training and on the 11th she was decommissioned and turned over to the War Shipping Administration for disposal.[3]
US Army service
Fairfield was transferred to the US Army on 5 February 1946, for an unknown period of time, however, on 29 April 1947, she was declared a total loss, but it is unknown what became of her after that.[2][4]
Notes
- Citations
Bibliography
Online resources
- "Fairfield II (AK-178)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- "FAIRFIELD (AK-178)". Navsource.org. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- "FAIRFIELD (AK-178)". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
External links
- Photo gallery of Fairfield (AK-178) at NavSource Naval History