Appalachian-class command ship
 USS Catoctin in 1944
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Appalachian class |
| Builders | |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Succeeded by | Mount McKinley class |
| Built | 1942–1943 |
| In service | 1943–1947 |
| Planned | 4 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Retired | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 459 ft 3 in (139.98 m) |
| Beam | 63 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 24 ft 0 in (7.32 m) |
| Installed power | 6,000 shp (4,474 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16.4 knots (30.4 km/h; 18.9 mph) |
| Capacity | |
| Troops |
|
| Complement |
|
| Sensors and processing systems | 1 × SK-1 air-search radar |
| Armament |
|
The Appalachian-class command ship was a ship class of command ships of the United States Navy during World War II. All 4 ships were converted from the Type C2-S-B1 cargo ships.[1]
Development
[edit]Four type C2 cargo ships were converted into command ships for the United States Navy throughout the middle stages of World War II. After the war, all were slightly modernized and decommissioned in 1947 to later scrapped.
The ship's hull remained nearly the same but with new equipment to carry out her purpose now placed on deck alongside several cranes. The ships' armaments had been slightly changed and relocated in order for the ships to carry out their new roles.[1] All ships served in the Pacific Theater until the end of the war with no ships lost in combat.
Ships in the class
[edit]| Appalachian class command ship | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull no. | Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
| AGC-1 | Appalachian | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. | 4 November 1942 | 29 January 1943 | 2 October 1943 | 21 May 1947 | Scrapped, 1960 |
| AGC-2 | Blue Ridge | 4 December 1942 | 7 March 1943 | 27 September 1943 | 14 March 1947 | Scrapped, 18 August 1960 | |
| AGC-3 | Rocky Mount | 4 December 1942 | 7 March 1943 | 16 October 1943 | 22 March 1947 | Scrapped, 1 March 1973 | |
| AGC-5 | Catoctin | Moore Dry Dock Co. | 1942 | 23 January 1943 | 24 January 1944 | 26 February 1947 | Scrapped, 1959–1960 |
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ a b U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. 2002. ISBN 1-55750-250-1.
References
[edit]- Photo gallery of USS Appalachian at NavSource Naval History - lead ship of the class (other AGC ships listed as well)
- United States Navy. 1959-1991. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- 2002. U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-250-1.