USS Propus

History
United States
Name	Frederick Tresca Propus
Namesake	Propus
Ordered	as a type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 2471, SS Frederick Tresca
Laid down	31 January 1944
Launched	29 March 1944
Acquired	10 April 1944
Commissioned	22 June 1944
Decommissioned	20 November 1945
Refit	converted for Naval service at Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Co., Jacksonville, FL.
Stricken	5 December 1945
Identification	Hull symbol:AK-132
Fate	sold for commercial servic, 17 March 1947, to Nicolas G. Nicolaou, Athens, renamed SS Nicolaou Georgios, reflagged Greek abandoned, 24 May 1951 because of fire in the Red Sea while bound from Dairen to Trieste with a cargo of maize, towed to Suez by SS Montelbello Hills, declared a total loss sold in 1951 to Achille Lauro, Naples, towed to Italy repaired and re-engined at Trieste, 1952, with 3000bhp B. & W. Diesel built by Harland & Wolfe, Belfast in 1940, speed 11.5 kts, renamed SS Gabbiano, reflagged
Status	sold to Italian breakers, arrived Spezia 12 September 1969
General characteristics
Class and type	Crater-class cargo ship
Displacement	4,023 long tons (4,088 t) (standard) 14,550 long tons (14,780 t) (full load)
Length	441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam	56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft	28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Installed power	2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C) boilers, operating at 220 psi (1,500 kPa) , 2,500 shp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion	1 × General Machine Corp. vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine 1 × shaft
Speed	12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
Complement	206
Armament	1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber dual-purpose (DP) gun 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber DP gun 2 × 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft (AA) gun mounts 6 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannon AA gun mounts

USS Propus (AK-132) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

Built in Jacksonville, Florida

Propus (AK–132) was laid down 31 January 1944 by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida, as MCE hull 2471; launched 29 March 1944; chartered by the Navy 10 April 1944; converted by Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Co., Jacksonville, Florida; and commissioned 22 June 1944, Lt. Comdr. Harvey A. Seeley in command.

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Propus (AK–132) proceeded via the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean. In 1944 she operated at San Francisco, California, in September; Pearl Harbor and San Francisco in October; and San Pedro, California, in December. In 1945 her cargo duties took her to Noumea and Espiritu Santo in January; Pearl Harbor, San Francisco and back to sea in February and March; Eniwetok, Saipan, and Tinian in April; San Francisco in May; Manus in June; Emirau and Manus in July; Pearl Harbor in August; San Francisco in September; and Norfolk, Virginia, in October.

Post-war decommissioning

Decommissioned 20 November 1945, she was redelivered to the War Shipping Administration 21 November and struck from the Naval Vessel Register 5 December. She was sold for commercial service by the Maritime Commission in 1947, to a Greek shipping company and renamed SS Nicolaou Georgios. She was burnt in 1951, repaired, and renamed MV Gabbiano (Motorized). Final Disposition: scrapped in 1970.

Military awards and honors

No battle stars are indicated for Propus in current Navy accounts. However, her crew was eligible for the following medals:

• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
• World War II Victory Medal

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Photo gallery of Propus at NavSource Naval History