USS Midland (AK-195)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name: |
|
| Namesake: | |
| Ordered: | as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2126[1] |
| Builder: | Walter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin |
| Yard number: | 44[1] |
| Laid down: | 29 July 1944 |
| Launched: | 23 December 1944 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. William G. Mitsch |
| Acquired: | 17 August 1945 |
| Commissioned: | 27 September 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 13 November 1945 |
| Struck: | date unknown |
| Identification: |
|
| Fate: | transferred to the Maritime Commission, 13 November 1945 |
| History | |
| United States | |
| Name: | Coastal Spartan |
| Owner: | Maritime Commission |
| Operator: |
|
| Acquired: | 13 November 1945 |
| In service: | 13 November 1945 |
| Out of service: | 3 February 1948 |
| Fate: | sent to reserve fleet |
| Status: | sold, 1 June 1948 |
| Notes: | sold without cost |
| History | |
 Republic of China | |
| Name: | Union Banker |
| Acquired: | 1 June 1948 |
| Status: | scrapped, 1970[1] |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type: | Alamosa-class cargo ship |
| Type: | C1-M-AV1 |
| Tonnage: | 5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1] |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 388 ft 8 in (118.47 m) |
| Beam: | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft: | 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m) |
| Installed power: |
|
| Propulsion: | 1 × propeller |
| Speed: | 11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity: |
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| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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USS Midland (AK-195) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that was constructed by the US Navy during the closing period of World War II. She was declared excess-to-needs and returned to the US Maritime Commission shortly after being in commission for only a short period of time.
Construction
Midland was laid down under Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2126, by Walter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin, 29 July 1944; launched 23 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. William G. Mitsch; converted by the New Orleans Naval Station; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on loan-charter 17 August 1945; placed in service the same day to be ferried from Beaumont, Texas, to Galveston, Texas, and placed out of service upon arrival the 18th; and commissioned 27 September 1945, Lieutenant Lloyd K. Barry, USNR, in command.[3]
Post-war decommissioning
Because of the reduced need for cargo ships following World War II, Midland decommissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana, 13 November 1945 and was returned to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) the same day for service under the Maritime Commission as Coastal Harbinger.[3]
Merchant service
Coastal Harbinger was used by several shipping companies from 1945–1948, when she was placed in the reserve fleet before being sold.[2]
On 1 June 1948, she was sold to The Republic of China for "no cost" and renamed Union Banker. She was scrapped in 1970.[4]
Notes
- Citations
Bibliography
Online resources
- "Midland". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- "USS Midland (AK-195)". Navsource.org. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- "Coastal Expounder". United States Department of Tranportation. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Midland (AK-195). |
- Photo gallery of USS Midland (AK-195) at NavSource Naval History