SS Mission Santa Ynez was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker

Tanker (ship)

A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...

 built for the United States Maritime Commission

United States Maritime Commission

The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. After the war she was acquired by the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 as USS Mission Santa Ynez (AO-134). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission Santa Ynez (T-AO-134). A , she was named for Mission Santa Inés

Mission Santa Inés

Mission Santa Inés was founded on September 17, 1804 by Father Estévan Tapís, who had succeeded Father Fermín Lasuén as President of the California mission chain...

 located in Solvang, California

Solvang, California

Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census...

.

The Mission Santa Ynez, the last T-2 tanker in existence, was stored at Suisun Bay

Suisun Bay

Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary at in northern California, USA. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta...

 as part of the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet from 1975 until April 2010 when a lawsuit forced the U.S. Maritime Administration

U.S. Maritime Administration

The United States Maritime Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation that maintains the National Defense Reserve Fleet as a ready source of ships for use during national emergencies, and assists the NDRF in fulfilling its role as the nation's fourth arm of...

 (MARAD) to remove her. The tanker was transported to a ship recycling facility in Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...

 via the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 in May 2010 for scrapping by Esco Marine.

Career

Mission Santa Ynez was laid down 9 September 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract by Marinship Corporation, Sausalito, California

Sausalito, California

Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...

; launched 19 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Ralph K. Davies; and delivered 13 March 1944. Chartered to Pacific Tankers, Inc., for operations, she spent the remainder of the War carrying fuel to our forces overseas. She remained in this capacity until 28 March 1946 when she was returned to the Maritime Commission and laid up in the Maritime reserve Fleet at James River, Virginia.

Acquired by the Navy 22 October 1947 she was placed in service with the Naval Transportation Service as Mission Santa Ynez (AO-134). Taken over by the newly created Military Sea Transportation Service 1 October 1949 she was redesignated USNS Mission Santa Ynez (T-AO-134). Chartered to Mathiasens Tanker Industries, Inc., for operations, she entered the Maritime Administration's Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on 6 March 1975. She is the last T-2 tanker extant. Towed from the Maritime reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California on March 31, 2010 headed for dismantling in Texas via the Panama Canal.

During her active duty, she was awarded the National Defense Service Medal

National Defense Service Medal

The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...

 (twice), the Korean Service Medal

Korean Service Medal

The Korean Service Medal is an award of the United States military and was created in November 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary United States medal for participation in the Korean War and is awarded to any U.S. service member, who...

, the United Nations Service Medal

United Nations Service Medal

The United Nations Service Medal for Korea is an international military decoration which was established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950...

 and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactively).