USNS Norwalk

USNS Norwalk (T-AK-279) in the 1960s
History
United States
Name	Norwalk Victory
Namesake	Norwalk, California
Owner	War Shipping Administration
Operator	Waterman Steamship Corporation
Ordered	as type (VC2-S-AP2) hull, MCV hull 696
Builder	Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation, Portland, Oregon
Laid down	19 May 1945
Launched	10 July 1945
Completed	7 August 1945
Fate	Transferred to US Navy in 1963
Notes	International Radio Call Sign: NCHI
United States
Name	USNS Norwalk (T-AK-279)
Operator	US Navy
In service	30 December 1963
Stricken	1 August 1979
Identification	Hull symbol:T-AK-279
Fate	Scrapped in 1973
General characteristics
Class and type	VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship, then rebuilt in 1963 to USNS Norwalk (T-AK-279)
Displacement	4,512 metric tons (4,441 long tons) (standard) 15,589 metric tons (15,343 long tons) (full load)
Length	455 ft (139 m)
Beam	62 ft (19 m)
Draft	29 ft 2 in (8.89 m)
Installed power	8,500 shp (6,300 kW)
Propulsion	1 × steam turbine 1 × shaft
Speed	15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)
Complement	12 officers 87 enlisted
Armament	1 × 5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber gun (Norwalk Victory only) 1 × 3 inch (76 mm)/50 caliber gun (Norwalk Victory only) 8 × 20 mm Oerlikon (Norwalk Victory only) None as USNS Norwalk
Notes

USNS Norwalk (T-AK-279) was the first in her class, a Fleet Ballistic Missile Cargo Ship, which was launched as a World War II commercial Victory cargo ship SS Norwalk Victory under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. The Norwalk Victory was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1963.

Victory ship built in Oregon

SS Norwalk Victory was laid down under U.S. Maritime Commission contract by Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation, in Portland, Oregon, 19 May 1945; launched 10 July 1945; and delivered to her operator, Waterman Steamship Corporation, on 7 August 1945. In 1963 she was renamed the USNS Norwalk.

Norwalk Victory was one of many new 10,500-ton class ships to be known as a Victory ship, designed to replace the earlier Liberty Ships. Liberty ships were designed to be used solely for World War II, whereas Victory ships were designed to last longer and to serve the US Navy after the war. Victory ships differed from Liberty ships in that they were faster, longer, wider, taller, and had a thinner stack set farther toward the superstructure. In addition, they had a long raised forecastle.

World War II service

SS Norwalk Victory was owned by the Maritime Commission, she served on the merchant sealanes under the control of the War Shipping Administration during the post World War II work. She was operated by the Waterman Steamship Corporation for 6 months in 1945.

War relief and Seacowboys

Main article: Seagoing cowboys

In 1946, after World War II, Norwalk Victory was converted to a livestock ship, also called a cowboy ship. From 1946 to 1947, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the Brethren Service Committee of the Church of the Brethren sent livestock to war-torn countries. These "seagoing cowboys" made about 360 trips on 73 different ships. The Heifers for Relief project was started by the Church of the Brethren in 1942; in 1953, this became Heifer International. Norwalk Victory made six trips moving horses, heifers, and mules, as well as a some chicks, rabbits, and goats. Her trips were to Greece, Poland and Yugoslavia from February 1946 to January 1947. In 1947 she was wrecked in the Schelde River, France; she was, raised, repaired, and put back into service.

With the war over and her post-war work completed, on 21 October 1947 she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at the James River Reserve Fleet.

Korean War

In 1950 she was removed from the Reserve Fleet at the James River Reserve Fleet and serviced to return her to active duty for the Korean War. SS Norwalk Victory served as merchant marine ship supplying goods for the Korean War. About 75 percent of the personnel taking to Korea for the Korean War came by the merchant marine ship. In 1957 she was returned to the James River Fleet.

US Navy

On 10 October 1962 she was transferred to the US Navy. In New Orleans, Louisiana she was refitted to be a Fleet Ballistic Missile Cargo Ship, to support Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarine tenders at Holy Loch, Scotland and Naval Station Rota in Spain. As a fleet ballistic missile cargo ship, she transported torpedoes, Poseidon missiles, packaged petroleum, and spare parts to deployed to the submarine tenders. She was placed into service with Military Sealift Command as USNS Norwalk (T-AK-279) on 30 December 1963. USNS Norwalk made her first voyage early in 1964 to Holy Loch, Scotland. Her regular assignment into 1970s was the transportation of missile components and ship's stores from a secret dock in Charleston, South Carolina to the submarine tenders at Holy Loch as an U.S. Navy auxiliary ship. The 16 Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) were stored in tubes in the ship's #3 cargo hold, just forward of the ship's bridge. The Norwalk Class Cargo ships had built-in mast, booms and derrick cranes and could load and unload their own cargo without dock side cranes or gantry if needed. Due to the mission of Norwalk Class Cargo ships, the ships when in use were rated Top secret, the highest level of classified information. The Victory ship's deckhouse was enlarged to accommodate additional auxiliary ship crew members: 9 to 11 officers and 136 to 155 enlisted men.

Inactivation

She was struck from the Navy List on 1 August 1979. On 10 September 1979 she as laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, at Fort Eustis, Newport News, Virginia. The Title was transferred to Maritime Administration (MARAD). She was sold for scrapping on 8 September 1979, to Global Marketing Systems Inc. for $316.801.00 under MA contract # MA-12610.

See also

• List of Victory ships
• Liberty ship
• Type C1 ship
• Type C2 ship
• Type C3 ship

Sources

• Sawyer, L.A. and W.H. Mitchell. Victory ships and tankers: The history of the ‘Victory’ type cargo ships and of the tankers built in the United States of America during World War II, Cornell Maritime Press, 1974, 0-87033-182-5.
• United States Maritime Commission: Victory Ships alphabetical list War II
• Victory Cargo Ships Oregon Shipyards Record Breakers Page 2 Archived 2005-09-22 at the Wayback Machine