USNS Marshfield

USNS Marshfield (T-AK-282) was a Fleet Ballistic Missile Cargo Ship, which was launched as a World War II commercial Victorycargo shipSS Marshfield Victory under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. The Marshfield Victory was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1968.^[3]

SS Marshfield Victory was laid down under U.S. Maritime Commission contract at Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation of Portland, Oregon on 1 April 1944; launched 15 May 1944; and delivered to her operator, American Export Line on 7 June 1944. In 1968 she was renamed the USNS Marshfield.^[4]

Marshfield Victory was one of many new 10,500-ton class ships to be known as a Victory ship, designed to replace the earlier Liberty Ships. Liberty ships were designed to be used solely for World War II, whereas Victory ships were designed to last longer and to serve the US Navy after the war. Victory ships differed from Liberty ships in that they were faster, longer, wider, taller, and had a thinner stack set farther toward the superstructure. In addition, they had a long raised forecastle.

SS Marshfield Victory was owned by the Maritime Commission, she served on the merchant sealanes under the control of the War Shipping Administration during the post World War II work. She was operated by the American Export Line. With the war over and her post-war work completed, on 17 August 1948 she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Wilmington, North Carolina.

On 25 August 1950 she was removed from the Reserve Fleet and serviced to return her to active duty for the Korean War. SS Marshfield Victory served as merchant marine ship, with the Orion Shipping and Trading Company supplying goods for the Korean War. About 75 percent of the personnel taking to Korea for the Korean War came by the merchant marine ship.^[5] On 10 October 1953 she was put into the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Olympia, Washington.

El 22 de agosto de 1968 fue transferida a la Armada de los Estados Unidos. Fue reacondicionada para ser un buque de carga de misiles balísticos de la flota, para dar apoyo a los buques nodriza de submarinos de misiles balísticos de la flota (FBM) en Holy Loch , Escocia , y la Estación Naval de Rota en España . Como buque de carga de misiles balísticos de la flota, transportaba torpedos, misiles Poseidón , petróleo envasado y repuestos para su despliegue en los buques nodriza de submarinos. Fue puesta en servicio con el Comando de Transporte Marítimo Militar como USNS Marshfield (T-AK-282). Su asignación habitual era el transporte de componentes de misiles y provisiones de buques desde Charleston, Carolina del Sur, a los buques nodriza de submarinos en Holy Loch como buque auxiliar de la Armada de los Estados Unidos . El USNS Marshfield tenía un diseño más moderno que los tres buques de carga de la clase Norwalk anteriores , por lo que a veces se le asigna una clase propia (T-AK-FBM). ^{[ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ]}

Fue dada de baja de la Armada el 30 de noviembre de 1992 y puesta en reserva en la Flota de Reserva de Defensa Nacional, en James River, en Fort Eustis , Newport News, Virginia . La titularidad fue transferida a la Administración Marítima (MARAD) el 8 de mayo de 1995. Fue vendida para desguace el 8 de noviembre de 2005 y desguazada por Bay Bridge Enterprises LLC, en Chesapeake, Virginia , finalizando el desguace el 30 de junio de 2006.

• Lista de barcos de la Victoria
• Barco Liberty
• Buque tipo C1
• Buque tipo C2
• Buque tipo C3

• Sawyer, LA y WH Mitchell. Buques y petroleros Victory: La historia de los buques de carga tipo 'Victory' y de los petroleros construidos en los Estados Unidos de América durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial , Cornell Maritime Press, 1974, 0-87033-182-5.
• Comisión Marítima de los Estados Unidos: Lista alfabética de buques de la victoria de la Segunda Guerra Mundial
• Victory Cargo Ships Oregon Shipyards Record Breakers Página 2 Archivado el 22/09/2005 en Wayback Machine