SS Mission Dolores was a 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...

, named for Mission San Francisco de Asís

Mission San Francisco de Asís

Mission San Francisco de Asís, or Mission Dolores, is the oldest surviving structure in San Francisco and the sixth religious settlement established as part of the California chain of missions...

 in San Juan Capistrano, California

San Juan Capistrano, California

San Juan Capistrano is a city in southern Orange County, California, located approximately southeast of Downtown Santa Ana. The current OMB metropolitan designation for San Juan Capistrano and the Orange County Area is “Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA.” The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census,...

, one of two named for the Franciscan mission

Spanish missions in California

The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...

 located in San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

.

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 Dolores (AO-115). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission Dolores (T-AO-115).

Charter ship, 1944–1946

SS Mission Dolores was laid down as 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:...

 on 18 February 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract by the Marine Ship Corporation of 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 on 26 April 1944, sponsored by Mrs. William E. Briggs, the ship was delivered on 31 May 1944.

Chartered to Pacific Tankers, Inc., on 31 May, for operations, she spent the remainder of the war providing fuel products to Allied forces in the Pacific

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

. Returned to the Maritime Commission on 17 May 1946 she was laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Olympia, Washington

Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...

.

Navy transport, 1947–1957

Acquired by the Navy on 20 October 1947 she was designated as USS Mission Dolores (AO-115) and transferred to the Naval Transportation Service for service. Operating under charter by Union Oil Company, she carried fuel and oil to US forces and Allies overseas, and continued in this duty after the Naval Transportation Service had been replaced by the Military Sea Transportation Service. From 1 October 1949, the date MSTS was created, until May 1955, she operated as USNS Mission Dolores (T-AO-115). Returned to the Maritime Administration on 22 June 1955 she was laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Olympia. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

 on the same date.

Reacquired by the Navy on 27 June 1956 she was placed in service with MSTS on the same date and served with them until returned to the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Olympia, on 19 September 1957.

Sold into commercial service, 1969–1984

On 21 April 1969 the ship was transferred by MARAD

Marad

Marad was an ancient Sumerian city. Marad was situated on the west bank of the then western branch of the Upper Euphrates River west of Nippur in modern day Iraq and roughly 50 km southeast of Kish, on the Arahtu River.The city's ziggurat E-igi-kalama was dedicated to Ninurta the god of...

, to Sea-Land Service Inc. for conversion to a container ship

Container ship

Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...

, and renamed SS Tampa on 30 October 1969. Sold to Reynolds Leasing Corp., on 24 September 1970, she was scrapped in May 1984.