USS Amador

USS Amador (AK-158) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship commissioned by the US Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

USS Amador (AK-158) at anchor in the Columbia River, Oregon, December 1944.
History
United States
Name	Amador
Namesake	Amador County, California
Ordered	as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2103
Builder	Kaiser Shipyards Co., Richmond, California
Yard number	60
Laid down	27 December 1943
Launched	15 June 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. S. J. Davis
Acquired	10 August 1944
Commissioned	9 October 1944
Decommissioned	23 October 1944
Recommissioned	25 November 1944
Decommissioned	20 June 1946
Refit	23 October 1944, converted to ammunition tender
Stricken	19 July 1946
Identification	Hull symbol: AK-158 Code letters: NEFJ
Fate	Sold 23 March 1948, to Sudden & Christensen, Inc., agents for Rederacti Edolajet Signy
Sweden
Name	Skagern
Namesake	Skagern Lake
Owner	Rederacti Edolajet Signy
Acquired	13 April 1948
Fate	Sold 1963
Greece
Name	Nicoloas Dina Alkistis
Acquired	1963
Identification	IMO number: 5407370
Fate	Scrapped in Spain in 1980
General characteristics
Class and type	Alamosa-class cargo ship
Type	C1-M-AV1
Tonnage	5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Displacement	2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard) 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length	388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power	1 × Nordberg, TSM 6 diesel engine 1,750 shp (1,300 kW)
Propulsion	1 × propeller
Speed	11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT 9,830 cu ft (278 m3) (refrigerated) 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement	15 Officers 70 Enlisted
Armament	1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber dual purpose gun (DP) 6 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons

Service history

Amador was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2103, on 27 December 1943, at Richmond, California, by Kaiser Cargo Inc.; launched on 15 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. S. J. Davis; acquired by the Navy on 10 August 1944; commissioned on 9 October 1944, decommissioned at Portland, Oregon, on 23 October 1944 to undergo conversion to an ammunition tender by the Commercial Iron Works, and recommissioned on 25 November 1944. Amador got underway early in December for shakedown training off San Pedro, California. She loaded cargo and ammunition at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, then sailed for Eniwetok on 11 January 1945. The ship reached Eniwetok on the 29th and was routed on to Ulithi. Upon her arrival there on 18 February, Amador was assigned to Service Squadron 10.

Amador remained at Ulithi through 15 March for ammunition handling operations. She next set sail on the 16th for Leyte, Philippines, via Kossol Roads. The ship anchored in Leyte-Samar Naval Base's San Pedro Bay on 22 March and began issuing ammunition to ships of the fleet, as well as reworking defective projectiles and fuses. On 23 October, she moved to Guinan Roadstead, Samar, and began receiving ammunition from ammunition lighters for transportation back to the United States. On 12 November, Amador got underway for Seattle, Washington. She arrived in Puget Sound on 8 December and remained in that area until 29 March 1946, when she began preparations for deactivation. She was decommissioned on 20 June 1946, and her name was struck from the Navy list on 19 July 1946. The ship was transferred to the Maritime Commission on 23 July 1946. She was subsequently sold and fitted out for service as a merchant ship.

Bibliography

• "Amador". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "C1 Cargo Ships". ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
• "USS Amador (AK-158)". Navsource.org. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2016.

External links

• Photo gallery of USS Amador (AK-158) at NavSource Naval History