USNS Alatna, was a gasoline T1 tanker specially constructed for service in polar regions, was launched on 6 September 1956 at Staten Island, New York, by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, sponsored by Mrs. Wilma Miles, and placed in service with the Military Sea Transportation Service in July 1957.

Alatna (T-AOT-81) underway.
History
United States
NameAlatna
BuilderBethlehem Steel, Baltimore, Maryland
Laid down15 March 1956
Launched6 September 1956
Sponsored byMrs. Wilma Miles
Acquired17 July 1957
In serviceJuly 1957
Out of service8 August 1972
IdentificationIMO number7606516
FateDisposed of by MARAD sale, 16 December 2006, to Teroaka Company of Japan
General characteristics
TypeT1-M2-4A arctic tanker hull
Displacement2,367 t.(lt) 5,720 t.(fl)
Length302 ft (92 m)
Beam61 ft (19 m)
Draft23 ft (7.0 m)
PropulsionDiesel electric, two shafts, 3,200hp
Speed13 knots (24 km/h)
Capacity30,000-bbls
Complement51

Manned by a civil service crew, Alatna carried petroleum products from ports along the Atlantic and gulf coasts and in the Caribbean Sea to scattered American outposts in both polar regions. For more than 15 years, the tanker and her crew struggled against snow, wind, and ice to support American military bases in the Arctic and American scientists in the Antarctic. On 8 August 1972, Alatna was placed out of service and laid up with the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California.

The Alatna Valley in the Antarctic was named after this ship.

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