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USS Fairfield (AK-178)

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Cargo ship of the United States Navy For other ships with the same name, see USS Fairfield.
History
United States
NameFairfield
Namesake
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2374
BuilderKaiser Shipbuilding Co., Richmond, California
Yard number70
Laid down1944
Launched6 February 1945
Sponsored byMrs. Henry W. Creeger
Acquired28 March 1945
Commissioned28 March 1945
Decommissioned11 January 1946
Stricken12 April 1946
Identification
FateWrecked 18 December 1946
General characteristics
Class and typeAlamosa-class cargo ship
TypeC1-M-AV1
Tonnage5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Displacement
  • 2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard)
  • 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam50 ft (15 m)
Draft21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power
Propulsion1 × propeller
Speed11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity
  • 3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT
  • 9,830 cu ft (278 m) (refrigerated)
  • 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m) (non-refrigerated)
Complement
  • 15 Officers
  • 70 Enlisted
Armament

USS Fairfield (AK-178) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during the final months of World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations and was decommissioned shortly after war’s end.

Construction

The second ship to be so named by the Navy, Fairfield was launched on 6 February 1945, by Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, California, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2374; sponsored by Mrs. Henry W. Creeger; acquired by the Navy on a loan-charter basis; and commissioned on 28 March 1945.

Service history

World War II-related service

Fairfield completed shakedown and fitting out before 8 May, when she arrived at San Francisco, California, to load cargo for Manus, Samar and Calicoan Islands. In early July she loaded US Army cargo at Parang, Mindanao, and was en route to Agusan province when on the 14th she picked up six Filipino guerillas from the wreckage of their boat which had been cut in two and sunk by a submarine.

Fairfield continued her cargo operations among the islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean through October 1945 when she was drydocked at Newcastle, Australia, for a brief period before being assigned to carry Australian Army cargo from Sydney, Australia, to Borneo, Tacloban, and Manila, Philippines.

Post-war decommissioning

During December the Navy removed all excess gear and she steamed into Yokosuka, Japan, on the 25th. On 8 January 1946 a Japanese crew came on board for training and on the 11th she was decommissioned and turned over to the War Shipping Administration for disposal.

US Army service

Fairfield was transferred to the US Army on 5 February 1946, and wrecked on 18 December 1946.

Notes

Citations
  1. ^ C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
  2. ^ Navsource 2014.
  3. ^ DANFS 2015.
  4. MARAD.
  5. "Fairfield (6121046)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 1 February 2022.

Bibliography

Online resources

External links

Alamosa-class cargo ships
  • * = Canceled August 1945
  • ** = Canceled August 1945, but completed as Coastal Guide
  • † = Canceled August 1945, but completed as Coastal Crusader
MARCOM ships built by Kaiser Shipyards, Richmond Shipyards, Richmond, California during World War II
Crater-class cargo ships
Type EC2-S-C1 ships
Type EC2-S-C1 ships
Liberty Ships
Boulder Victory-class cargo ships
Type VC2-S-AP2 ships
Type VC2-S-AP2 ships
Victory Ships
Greenville Victory-class cargo ship
VC2-S-AP3 ship
Norwalk-class cargo ship
Type VC2-S-AP3 cargo ship
Type VC2-S-AP3 cargo ships
Haskell-class attack transports
Type VC2-S-AP5 ships
General G. O. Squier-class transport ships
Type C4-S-A1 ships
Marine Adder-class transport ship
Type C4-S-A3 ship
Type C4-S-A3 ships
Type C4-S-A4 ships
LST-1-class tank landing ships
Type S3-M-K2 ships
Achelous-class repair ships
Type S2-S2-AQ1 ships
Tacoma-class patrol frigates
Type S2-S2-AQ1 ships
Alamosa-class cargo ships
Type C1-M-AV1 ships
Miscellaneous Auxiliary
Type C1-M-AV1 ships
Type C1-M-AV1 ships
Type C1-M ships
Type C1-M-AV1
Type C1-M-AV7
Type C1-M-AV8
Type C1-MT-BU1
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