| USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup (T-AG-175) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Career (USA) |  |
| Name: | USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup ex-Spindle Eye |
| Namesake: | Curtis F. Shoup who was awarded the Medal of Honor |
| Builder: | Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, California |
| Laid down: | 16 April 1945, as Spindle Eye, type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2381 |
| Launched: | 25 May 1945 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Edgar Buttner |
| Acquired: | by the U.S. Navy on 16 January 1963 |
| In service: | 1 March 1963 as USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup (T-AG-175) |
| Out of service: | 20 December 1969 |
| Refit: | converted to a helicopter freighter at Willamette Iron & Steel in Portland, Oregon |
| Struck: | 28 April 1970 |
| Fate: | sold for scrapping, 9 May 1973 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Alamosa-class cargo ship |
| Tonnage: | 2,474 tons |
| Tons burthen: | 6,240 tons |
| Length: | 338' 9" |
| Beam: | 50' 3" |
| Draft: | 16' 10" |
| Propulsion: | Diesel, single propeller, 1,700shp |
| Speed: | 10.7 knots |
| Complement: | 62 personnel |
| Armament: | not known |
USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup (T-AG-175) was a C1-M-AV1 coastal freighter built as Spindle Eye, one of the many named for knots,[Note 1][1] and acquired by the U.S. Army intended to be a "news transmission ship" for the invasion of Japan[2][3] The ship was renamed November 1947 by the Army, after serving as a radio relay ship at the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests and conversion to an Army passenger-cargo vessel, Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup in honor Sergeant Curtis F. Shoup who had been awarded the Medal of Honor.[4][3] After layup the U.S. Navy acquired the ship as an Alamosa-class cargo ship and placed the ship in service as the USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup. The ship was responsible for a number of tasks, including helicopter delivery, surveying, and oceanographic services. She was struck in 1970 and sold for scrapping.[5]
Constructed in Richmond, California[]
Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was laid down on 16 April 1945 under a Maritime Commission Contract as Spindle Eye (MC hull 2381) by Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, California Number 4 Yard;[6] launched on 25 May 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Edgar Buttner; and delivered to the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company on 9 July 1945.[5]
[]
Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was designed to ferry war correspondents, but World War II ended before she could perform this duty. Hence, most of her early career was spent in the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet.[5]
Vietnam era service[]
On 16 January 1963, Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was transferred to the Military Sea Transport Service (MSTS), and she was placed on the Navy List on 1 March. After conversion by Willamette Iron & Steel Works in Portland, Oregon, for service as a helicopter freighter, Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was assigned to MSTS, Pacific Area.[5]
Reporting on 14 June, she teamed up with Harris County (LST-822) in the southwest Pacific Ocean, servicing survey sites which were being established to support the nation's missile and space projects.[5]
U.S. Air Force helicopters flew from her deck, and she carried four to six oceanographers from the Naval Oceanographic Office in Washington, D.C.. Charts and sailing directions for the historic World War II area were revised as a result.[5]
In May 1968, USNS Shoup conducted various oceanographic operations along a track pattern from roughly 20 to 140 miles from the Egyptian coast.[5]
Final decommissioning[]
Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was withdrawn from service and stripped of oceanographic equipment on 20 December 1969. On 22 January 1970, she was returned to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California. Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was struck from the Navy List on 28 April 1970. On 9 May 1973, she was sold to Mr. John Liu of Washington, D.C., for non-transportation purposes.[5]
Comments[]
- ↑ In this case the spindle eye splice or shortened to simply spindle eye. The use of knot names, many obscure, gave this group of ships the common name "Knot" ships among mariners.
Notes[]
- ↑ Colton 2009.
- ↑ Masterson 1949, pp. 422-423.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jackson 2011.
- ↑ Chaplin 1947, pp. 46-52.
- ↑ Colton 2010.
References[]
- Colton, T. (August 28, 2009). "C1 Cargo Ships". ShipBuildingHistory. http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/merchantships/wwii/c1cargoships.htm. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- Colton, T. (November 27, 2010). "Kaiser Richmond No. 4 Yard, Richmond CA". ShipBuildingHistory. http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergencylarge/wwtwo/krichmond.htm. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- Masterson, Dr. James R. (1949) (PDF). U. S. Army Transportation In The Southwest Pacific Area 1941-1947. Washington: Transportation Unit, Historical Division, Special Staff, U. S. Army. http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm/ref/collection/p4013coll11/id/903. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- Jackson, R. (17 December 2011). "Spindle Eye". Army Ships -- The Ghost Fleet. http://patriot.net/~eastlnd2/army-spindleeye.htm. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- Naval History & Heritage Command. "Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s10/sgt_curtis_f_shoup.htm. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- Chaplin, W. W. (1947) (PDF). A Ribbon For The Gorgon's Locks (article)—Deadline Delayed (article collection title). E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.. http://archive.org/details/deadlinedelayed035339mbp. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
External links[]
- NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - T-AG-175 Sgt Curtis F. Shoup
- Army Ships -- The Ghost Fleet: Spindle Eye
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The original article can be found at USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup (T-AG-175) and the edit history here.