Summary
USS Pipestone (AK-203) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that was constructed for the US Navy during the closing period of World War II. By the time she was scheduled for commissioning, the war’s end caused her to be declared “excess to needs” and she was returned to the US Government and struck by the Navy.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | Pipestone County, Minnesota |
| Ordered | as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2157[1] |
| Builder | Globe Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin |
| Yard number | 124[1] |
| Launched | 6 March 1945 |
| Completed | 23 November 1945 |
| Acquired | April 1945 |
| Commissioned | Returned to the US Maritime Commission (MARCOM) prior to commissioning |
| Identification | Hull symbol: AK-203 |
| Fate | Returned to MARCOM, 23 November 1945 |
| United States | |
| Name | Coastal Explorer |
| Owner | MARCOM |
| Operator |
|
| Acquired | 23 November 1945 |
| In service | 23 November 1945 |
| Out of service | 13 March 1946 |
| Fate | Sold, 20 February 1947 |
 Peru | |
| Name | Putumayo |
| Namesake | Putumayo Province |
| Operator | Corperacion Peruana e Vapores, Callao, Peru |
| Acquired | 20 February 1947 |
| Fate | Sold, 1968 |
| Peru | |
| Name | Felipe |
| Operator | Naviera Panamar S.A., Callao, Peru |
| Acquired | 1968 |
| Fate | Sold |
 Panama | |
| Name | Felipe |
| Operator | Gold Shipping S.A., Panama |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1974 |
| 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 |
|
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
Construction edit
Pipestone was laid down under US Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2157, by Globe Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin. She was transferred to the Navy in April 1945. Pipestone was scheduled for commissioning. However, because of the Allied victory in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations, her commissioning was delayed.[2]
Merchant service edit
Pipestone was ordered returned to MARCOM for disposal. Her name subsequently reverted to Coastal Explorer.[3]
Coastal Explorer was used by a couple of shipping companies from 1945–1946, before being sold to the government of the Republic of Peru for $693,862.[3]
On 20 February 1947, she was sold to the Peru.[3] She was operated by Corperacion Peruana e Vapores, Callao, Peru, and renamed Putumayo. In 1968 she was sold to Naviera Panamar S.A., also of Callao, and renamed Felipe.[2]
She was eventually sold to Gold Shipping S.A., Panama, and finally sold for scrapping to Spanish shipbreakers in 1974.[2]
Notes edit
- Citations
Bibliography edit
Online resources
- "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- "USS Pipestone (AK-203)". Navsource.org. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- "Coastal Explorer". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
External links edit
- Photo gallery of USS Pipestone (AK-203) at NavSource Naval History
