SS Equality State

SS Equality State (T-ACS-8) was a crane ship of the United States Navy. The ship was named for the state of Wyoming, which is also known as the Equality State. She was scrapped in June 2019.

SS Equality State (T-ACS-8)
History
United States
Name	SS Equality State (T-ACS-8)
Builder	Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California
Laid down	1961
Launched	11 May 1961
Acquired	1989
In service	4 March 1965
Out of service	28 July 2006
Stricken	31 August 2016
Homeport	Beaumont, TX
Identification	IMO number: 5386605 MMSI number: 367140000 Callsign: WLRK
Fate	Scrapped 29 June 2019
Notes	Launched as SS Washington Mail
General characteristics
Class and type	Keystone State-class crane ship
Displacement	31,500 tons
Length	668 ft 5 in (203.73 m)
Beam	76 ft 1 in (23.19 m)
Draft	33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
Propulsion	Single screw, 2 GE geared turbine powered, 22,000 HP., Two Combustion Engineering WT boilers
Speed	20 kn (23 mph; 37 km/h)
Capacity	1,100 Cargo Containers
Complement	Full Operational Status: 89 civilian mariners Reduced Operational Status: 10 civilian mariners
Armament	None
Aviation facilities	None

History

Equality State was laid down on 6 July 1960, as the break-bulk freighter SS Washington Mail, ON 287238, IMO 5386605, a Maritime Administration type (C4-S-1s) hull under MARAD contract (MA 86). Built by Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California, hull no. 77, she was launched on 11 May 1961, and delivered to MARAD 2 January 1962, entering service for American Mail Lines, a subsidiary of American President Lines. In 1971 she was lengthened and converted to a type (C6-S-1s) hull container ship by Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco, CA. On 26 November 1975 the ship was renamed SS President Roosevelt, after AML was merged into APL. She was sold to Delta Steamship Lines 7 September 1983, and renamed SS Santa Rosa. She was again sold to United States Lines in 1985 when USL absorbed Delta Line, and renamed SS American Builder. After the collapse of US Lines in 1986, the ship was returned to MARAD 6 April 1987 and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) at Hampton Roads, VA. In 1989 she was converted to a type (C6-S1aq) Crane Ship by Tampa Shipyards, Tampa, Florida. Completed on 24 May 1989, she was assigned to the Ready Reserve Force (RRF), under operation control of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) and placed in service as SS Equality State (ACS-8). Equality State was berthed at Houston, TX. and assigned to Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Three and was maintained in a four-day readiness status. Removed from MSC control, withdrawn from the RRF by reassignment to the National Defense Reserve Fleet (Beaumont, TX), 28 July 2006. She was designated for disposal in August 2016.

References

Online

• SS Equality State (ACS-8)
•  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

External links

• National Defense Reserve Fleet Inventory Archived 2016-12-24 at the Wayback Machine