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USS Laertes (AR-20)
Encyclopedia
USS Laertes (AR-20) was a Xanthus class
repair ship
in the service of the United States Navy
from 1945 to 1972.
SS Dutiful by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard on 7 August 1944. She was launched on 14 September 1944, sponsored by Mrs. F. A. R. McNab, and acquired by the Navy on 28 September. She was converted into a repair ship by the Maryland Drydock Company
of Baltimore, Maryland and commissioned as USS Laertes (AR-20) on 24 March 1945, Commander Leslie H. Hawkins in command.
on 31 March, Laertes underwent shakedown before departing on 6 May for the Pacific. Arriving at Pearl Harbor
on 6 June, she proceeded on 19 June to Eniwetok, where for almost 4 months she repaired ships damaged during the final battles of the war. In October she steamed to Okinawa, then sailed 8 November for the west coast, arriving at Bremerton, Washington
on 1 December. She served as a preinactivation repair ship until 17 April 1946 when she steamed to San Diego for similar duty. Laertes decommissioned on 15 January 1947 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
at Sasebo and at Pusan, Korea, and steaming off the coasts of Japan and Korea.
Departing Sasebo on 3 January 1953, she sailed for San Diego, arriving on 27 January. Laertes deployed to Pearl Harbor from 10 March to 6 June, then steamed to Long Beach, California
on 8 July. She returned to San Diego on 1 December.
. She was sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc. on 7 July 1972 for scrapping.
Xanthus class repair ship
The Xanthus class repair ships were a class of five auxiliary ships built for the United States Navy and Royal Navy. Ships of the class served in a diverse range of environments in varying capacities during both World War II and the Korean War. Xanthus class ships were in commission between...
repair ship
Auxiliary ship
An auxiliary ship is a naval ship which is designed to operate in any number of roles supporting combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliaries are not primary combatants, although they may have some limited combat capacity, usually of a self defensive nature.Auxiliaries are extremely...
in the service of 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...
from 1945 to 1972.
Construction and commissioning
Laertes was originally laid down as the Liberty shipLiberty 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...
SS Dutiful by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard on 7 August 1944. She was launched on 14 September 1944, sponsored by Mrs. F. A. R. McNab, and acquired by the Navy on 28 September. She was converted into a repair ship by the Maryland Drydock Company
Maryland Drydock Company
The Maryland Drydock Company was a shipbuilding company that operated in Baltimore, Maryland during the 20th century.The company started life in 1920 as the Globe Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Maryland. Its President at this time was B. C. Cooke. The company bought land along the Patapsco...
of Baltimore, Maryland and commissioned as USS Laertes (AR-20) on 24 March 1945, Commander Leslie H. Hawkins in command.
World War II service
Sailing to NorfolkNorfolk, 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....
on 31 March, Laertes underwent shakedown before departing on 6 May for the Pacific. Arriving at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 6 June, she proceeded on 19 June to Eniwetok, where for almost 4 months she repaired ships damaged during the final battles of the war. In October she steamed to Okinawa, then sailed 8 November for the west coast, arriving at Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
on 1 December. She served as a preinactivation repair ship until 17 April 1946 when she steamed to San Diego for similar duty. Laertes decommissioned on 15 January 1947 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Korean War service
Laertes recommissioned on 19 December 1951 at San Diego, Capt. Beth A. Shepard in command. She operated out of San Diego as a unit of Service Force, Pacific Fleet, until 7 June 1952, when she deployed to the Far East. Steaming via Pearl Harbor, she reached Sasebo, Japan on 10 July for operations with Service Squadron 3. She served in the Far East for more than 5 months, servicing ships of the United States Seventh FleetUnited States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
at Sasebo and at Pusan, Korea, and steaming off the coasts of Japan and Korea.
Departing Sasebo on 3 January 1953, she sailed for San Diego, arriving on 27 January. Laertes deployed to Pearl Harbor from 10 March to 6 June, then steamed to Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
on 8 July. She returned to San Diego on 1 December.
Decommissioning and disposal
Laertes decommissioned on 26 February 1954, and entered the San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet. In August 1961 she joined the Maritime Administration Reserve Fleet at Suisun BaySuisun 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...
. She was sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc. on 7 July 1972 for scrapping.
External links
- Photo gallery at Naval Historical Center
- Photo gallery at Navsource.org