USS Chiwawa at anchor off Okinawa on 7 September 1945
History
United States
Name
USS Chiwawa
Namesake
Chiwawa River in Washington
Port of registry
United States
Ordered
as T3-S-A1 tanker hull, MC hull 516
Builder
Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard
Laid down
as SS Samoset
Launched
25 June 1942
Sponsored by
Mrs. H. G. Smith
Commissioned
24 December 1942
Decommissioned
6 May 1946
Stricken
date unknown
Identification
IMO number: 5385625
MMSI number: 366904950
Callsign: WUR8857
Honors and awards
Two battle stars for her World War II patrols
Fate
Sold by the MARAD in 1961, currently in service as the MV Lee A. Tregurtha, a Great Lakes freighter for the Interlake Steamship Company
General characteristics
Class and type
Chiwawa-class oiler
Type
MARAD T3-S-A1
Tonnage
16,543 DWT
Displacement
21,077 tons
Length
501 ft 7.75 in (152.9017 m)
Beam
68 ft (21 m)
Draft
29 ft 10.5 in (9.106 m)
Depth
37 ft (11 m)
Installed power
7,000 shp (5,200 kW)
Propulsion
geared steam turbine
single screw
Speed
15.3 knots (28.3 km/h)
Range
14,500 nmi (26,900 km; 16,700 mi)
Capacity
133,800 bbl (~18,250 t)
Complement
13 officers 200 enlisted
Armament
one 5 in (130 mm) dual purpose gun mount, four 3 in (76 mm) guns, four twin 40 mm gun mounts, four twin 20 mm gun mounts
USS Chiwawa (AO-68) is a former T3-S-A1 Kennebec-class oiler constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the only U.S. Navy ship named for the Chiwawa River in Washington.
Chiwawa was launched 25 June 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Sparrows Point, Maryland, under a Maritime Commission contract as SS Samoset, sponsored by Mrs. H. G. Smith, acquired by the Navy 24 December 1942 and commissioned the same day, reporting to the Atlantic Fleet.
Chiwawa was designated a T3-S-A1 design, where "T" stood for tanker, "3" meant longer than 500 feet (150 m), "S" stood for single-screw steam propulsion, and "A1" meant first design of its kind.[1][2]
^Strupp, Jon L. (2007). King of the Oilers: The Story of the U.S.S. Chiwawa A0-68. Edina, Minnesota: Beaver's Pond Press. pp. 5–6.
^ The Chiwawas were in fact near duplicates of SS Mobilfuel, the basis of the T2 design, but waterline length had crept over 500 feet (150 m).
USSChiwawa (AO-68) is a former T3-S-A1 Kennebec-class oiler constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the only U.S. Navy ship...
William Clay Ford, a Great Lakes freighter owned by the Ford Motor Company USSChiwawa (AO-68), a U.S. Navy ship later known as SS William Clay Ford (II) William...
USS Cybele (AKS-10) USS Delta (AR-9) USS Patroclus (ARL-19) USSChiwawa (AO-68) USS Mascoma (AO-83) USS Neches (AO-47) USS Niobrara (AO-72) USS Tamalpais (AO-96) USS Mattaponi...
1985 she was renamed US 266029, her registry number, as a newly renamed USSChiwawa SS William Clay Ford was put into the fleet. In August 1986, US 266029...
Interlake Steamship Company. The deal also included acquisition of the tug USS Undaunted (ATA-199) (renamed MT Undaunted), deck barge SS City of Midland...
ships cheaply. Several of them continue to sail today. The oil tanker USSChiwawa is now the bulk freighter Lee A. Tregurtha In addition, the freighter...
Tregurtha United States Interlake Steamship Company 1942 14,671 Formerly USSChiwawa, Walter A. Sterling, William Clay Ford. originally built as a US Navy...
Sparrows Point Shipyard: SS Samoset (1942) (MC hull number 516), became USSChiwawa (AO-68); sold for commercial use in 1946 SS Samoset (1943) (MC hull number...
ordered by the Maritime Commission, of which 5 became US Navy oilers as the Chiwawa-class oiler. Built by Bethlehem Steel in Sparrows Point, Maryland. (1939...
ordered by the Maritime Commission, of which five became Navy oilers as the Chiwawa class. T2-A-MC-K had a M.C. deadweight tonnage of 16,300 and a full load...
GUF-21, the warship escorted Mattaponi between Bermuda and Guantanamo, and Chiwawa between Guantanamo and Bermuda before the destroyer returned to Norfolk...
USS Neshanic (AO-71) is a former T3 Kennebec-class oiler constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the only U.S. Navy ship named...
USS Niobrara (AO-72) was a T3 Kennebec-class oiler constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the only U.S. Navy ship named for...
USS Escalante (AO-70) was a T3 Kennebec-class oiler built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the only U.S. Navy ship named for the...
USS Enoree (AO-69) was a Chiwawa-class oiler constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the only U.S. Navy ship named for the...
Commission during World War II. Not included are the tankers of the Samoset/Chiwawa (T3-S-A1) type, which despite the "T3" designation were in fact nearly...
Global Information
United States
battle stars for her World War II patrols