USS Jamestown (AGTR-3)
Encyclopedia
USS Jamestown (AGTR-3/AG-166) was an Oxford-class technical research ship
acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of conducting research in the reception of electromagnetic propagations.
The third ship to be named Jamestown by the Navy, AG-166, a converted Liberty ship
, was launched as J. Howland Gardner under Maritime Commission contract by New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland, Maine
, 10 July 1945; and sponsored by Mrs. George W. Elkins of Newport, Rhode Island
.
Jamestown
The liberty ship was completed on 14 August and chartered under general agency agreement by Waterman Steamship Co., until 17 June 1946 when she went into the Maritime Reserve Fleet
. She was chartered by U.S. Navigation Co., 3 February 1947, and by South Atlantic Steamship Lines, 20 October 1948.
. She was acquired there by the Navy 10 August 1962: renamed Jamestown and designated AG-166 on 6 March 1963; and commissioned 13 December at Norfolk Navy Yard, Comdr. Alan J. Kaplan in command.
The technical research ship
was assigned to Service Squadron 8, Service Force, Atlantic Fleet, with Norfolk, Virginia
, her home port. Her mission is "to conduct technical research operations in support of U.S. Navy electronic research projects, which include electromagnetic
propagation studies and advanced communications systems such as satellite communications."
In actuality, from 1965 both the Jamestown and the USS Oxford had begun to undertake Signals Intelligence tasks in the waters off South Vietnam following a United States Intelligence Board decision in April, 1965. The Oxford arriving in May, 1965 and the Jamestown in December. Until they were decommissioned in December, 1969, these ships continued to act in that capacity, supplementing land based radio-intelligence monitoring of North and South Vietnamese and Cambodian VHF and HF communication nets. It can be extrapolated that communications from Thailand, Laos and China were also monitored where possible. This information was recently released under the Freedom of Information Act in the previously Top Secret NSA book "Cryptologic History Series, Southeast Asia, Focus on Cambodia", January 1974 at Part One, page 59.
training. She was there when Cuban Fidel Castro
shut off all fresh water to that base, and stood by ready to evacuate American families. Upon completion of shakedown training, she made brief visits to Kingston, Jamaica
, and Key West, Florida
, before returning to Norfolk 27 February.
; Valletta
, Malta
; Aden
; Cape Town
; and Freetown, Sierra Leone, before returning Norfolk 17 August. The ensuing weeks were devoted to preparation for deployment off the African coast. She stood out of Norfolk 2 November for Dakar, Senegal, Cape Town, South Africa
, and further service acquiring new knowledge in the vital field of electronic communications. Jamestown then returned to Norfolk 6 February 1965. After operation in the Caribbean in the spring, she transited the Panama Canal
for a cruise along the Pacific Coast of South America reaching Valparaíso, Chile, 9 June. She celebrated the Fourth of July at Callao
. Peru
, and then transited the Panama Canal, returning to Norfolk 23 July.
and reached Subic Bay
in the Philippines
29 December. She operated in the South China Sea
gathering valuable information for the Navy's ships fighting to protect the independence of South Vietnam
while adding to the long Navy tradition of serving the field of scientific research. She continued operating in the Far East, often operating in the Vietnam
war zone, through mid-1969.
Jamestown was decommissioned (date unknown) and scrapped in 1970.
Technical research ship
Technical research ships were used by the United States Navy during the 1960s to gather intelligence by monitoring the electronic communications of nations in various parts of the world. At the time these ships were active, the mission of the ships was covert and discussion of the true mission was...
acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of conducting research in the reception of electromagnetic propagations.
The third ship to be named Jamestown by the Navy, AG-166, a converted Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
, was launched as J. Howland Gardner under Maritime Commission contract by New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, 10 July 1945; and sponsored by Mrs. George W. Elkins of Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
.
Jamestown' s commercial life at sea
The liberty ship was completed on 14 August and chartered under general agency agreement by Waterman Steamship Co., until 17 June 1946 when she went into the Maritime Reserve FleetReserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
. She was chartered by U.S. Navigation Co., 3 February 1947, and by South Atlantic Steamship Lines, 20 October 1948.
Acquired by the Navy as a technical research ship
J. Howland Gardner returned to Maritime Reserve Fleet at Beaumont, TexasBeaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
. She was acquired there by the Navy 10 August 1962: renamed Jamestown and designated AG-166 on 6 March 1963; and commissioned 13 December at Norfolk Navy Yard, Comdr. Alan J. Kaplan in command.
The technical research ship
Technical research ship
Technical research ships were used by the United States Navy during the 1960s to gather intelligence by monitoring the electronic communications of nations in various parts of the world. At the time these ships were active, the mission of the ships was covert and discussion of the true mission was...
was assigned to Service Squadron 8, Service Force, Atlantic Fleet, with Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, her home port. Her mission is "to conduct technical research operations in support of U.S. Navy electronic research projects, which include electromagnetic
Electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that exhibits wave-like behavior as it travels through space...
propagation studies and advanced communications systems such as satellite communications."
In actuality, from 1965 both the Jamestown and the USS Oxford had begun to undertake Signals Intelligence tasks in the waters off South Vietnam following a United States Intelligence Board decision in April, 1965. The Oxford arriving in May, 1965 and the Jamestown in December. Until they were decommissioned in December, 1969, these ships continued to act in that capacity, supplementing land based radio-intelligence monitoring of North and South Vietnamese and Cambodian VHF and HF communication nets. It can be extrapolated that communications from Thailand, Laos and China were also monitored where possible. This information was recently released under the Freedom of Information Act in the previously Top Secret NSA book "Cryptologic History Series, Southeast Asia, Focus on Cambodia", January 1974 at Part One, page 59.
Preparing to evacuate personnel at Guantanamo
After fitting out at Norfolk, Jamestown departed 20 January 1964 for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where she underwent 2 weeks of intensive shakedownSea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
training. She was there when Cuban Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
shut off all fresh water to that base, and stood by ready to evacuate American families. Upon completion of shakedown training, she made brief visits to Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, and Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, before returning to Norfolk 27 February.
Exercising her "sea legs"
Jamestown was redesignated AGTR-3 on 1 April and 8 days later departed on her first deployment visiting GibraltarGibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
; Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
; Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
; Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
; and Freetown, Sierra Leone, before returning Norfolk 17 August. The ensuing weeks were devoted to preparation for deployment off the African coast. She stood out of Norfolk 2 November for Dakar, Senegal, Cape Town, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and further service acquiring new knowledge in the vital field of electronic communications. Jamestown then returned to Norfolk 6 February 1965. After operation in the Caribbean in the spring, she transited 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...
for a cruise along the Pacific Coast of South America reaching Valparaíso, Chile, 9 June. She celebrated the Fourth of July at Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
. Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and then transited the Panama Canal, returning to Norfolk 23 July.
Vietnam operations
Exactly 3 months later Jamestown got underway for the Far EastFar East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
and reached Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
29 December. She operated in the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
gathering valuable information for the Navy's ships fighting to protect the independence of South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
while adding to the long Navy tradition of serving the field of scientific research. She continued operating in the Far East, often operating in the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
war zone, through mid-1969.
Jamestown was decommissioned (date unknown) and scrapped in 1970.