USS Craighead (AK-175) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

History
United States
NameCraighead
NamesakeCraighead County, Arkansas
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2148[1]
BuilderFroemming Brothers, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Yard number20[1]
Laid down1944
Launched28 February 1945
Sponsored byMrs. W. R. Provoost
Acquired31 July 1945
Commissioned5 September 1945
Decommissioned18 January 1946
Stricken7 February 1946
Identification
FateSold, 24 February 1947[2]
Turkey
NameKastamonu
NamesakeProvince of Kastamonu
OwnerDeniz Nakliyati T.A.O., Turkey
Acquired24 February 1947
HomeportIstanbul, Turkey
IdentificationIMO number5183209
FateScrapped in January 1984 at Aliağa, Turkey
General characteristics [3]
Class and typeAlamosa-class cargo ship
TypeC1-M-AV1
Tonnage5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1]
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 m3) (refrigerated)
  • 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement
  • 15 Officers
  • 70 Enlisted
Armament

Construction

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Craighead was launched 28 February 1945, by Froemming Brothers, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2148; sponsored by Mrs. W. R. Provoost; transferred to the Navy 31 July 1945; and commissioned 5 September 1945.[4]

Service history

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Post-World War II activity

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Craighead sailed from Galveston, Texas, 25 September 1945 and arrived at Davisville, Rhode Island, 4 October to load cargo for construction battalions on the US West Coast. She sailed from Davisville 25 October, arriving at San Pedro, California, 15 November. After sailing on cargo duty between Port Hueneme, San Pedro, and San Francisco, California, she sailed 14 December 1945 for Norfolk, Virginia, where she arrived 5 January 1946.[4]

Post-war decommissioning

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Craighead was decommissioned 18 January 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the same day for disposal.[4]

Merchant service

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Craighead was sold to the Republic of Turkey in 1947, for $693,862. She was transferred to the shipping company of Deniz Nakliyati T.A.O., Istanbul, Turkey, and renamed Kastamonu and reflagged to Turkish. Along with her sister ships, ex-Antrim, renamed Kars, ex-Bullock, renamed Malatya, and ex-Hidalgo, renamed Rize, she would, for the next 15 years, provide cargo service between Turkey and Northern Europe. She was finally broken up in the Turkish port of Aliağa in January 1984.[3]

Notes

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Citations

Bibliography

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Online resources

  • "Craighead". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 16 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 16 November 2016.
  • "Craighead (AK-175)". Navsource.org. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  • "Craighead". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
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  • Photo gallery of USS Craighead (AK-175) at NavSource Naval History