USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup (T-AG-175)

USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup (T-AG-175) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship

Cargo ship

A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...

that was constructed during the final months of World War II, and saw little war-related service before being laid up in reserve. In 1963 she was reactivated and placed into service in the Pacific Ocean, responsible for a number of tasks, including helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

delivery, surveying, and oceanographic services. She was struck in 1970 and sold for scrapping.

Constructed in Richmond, California

Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was laid down on 16 April 1945 under a Maritime Commission Contract as Spindle Eye (MC hull 2381) by Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, California

Richmond, California

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...

; launched on 25 May 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Edgar Buttner; and delivered to the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company

Lykes Brothers Steamship Company

Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., also called Lykes Lines, was a cargo shipping company acting from the beginning of the 20th century to 2005 having its main business in the trade to and from the United States.-History:In 1900 the sons of Dr...

on 9 July 1945.

World War II-related service

Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was designed to ferry war correspondents, but World War II ended before she could perform this duty. Hence, most of her early career was spent in the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet

National Defense Reserve Fleet

The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...

Vietnam era service

On 16 January 1963, Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was transferred to the Military Sea Transport Service (MSTS), and she was placed on the Navy List

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 1 March. After conversion by Willamette Iron & Steel Works

Willamette Iron and Steel Works

Willamette Iron Works was a general foundry and machine business established in 1865 in Portland, Oregon, originally specializing in the manufacture of steamboat boilers and engines...

in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, for service as a helicopter

Helicopter

freighter, Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was assigned to MSTS, Pacific Area.

Reporting on 14 June, she teamed up with Harris County (LST-822)

USNS Harris County (T-LST-822)

USNS Harris County was an built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for counties in Georgia and Texas, she was the only U.S...

in the southwest Pacific Ocean, servicing survey sites which were being established to support the nation's missile and space projects.

U.S. Air Force helicopters flew from her deck, and she carried four to six oceanographers from the Naval Oceanographic Office

Naval Oceanographic Office

The Naval Oceanographic Office , located at John C. Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi, comprises approximately 1,000 civilian, military and contract personnel responsible for providing oceanographic products and services to all elements within the Department of Defense.Valued by maritime...

in Washington, D.C.. Charts and sailing directions for the historic World War II area were revised as a result.

In May 1968, USNS Shoup conducted various oceanographic operations along a track pattern from roughly 20 to 140 miles from the Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

ian coast.

Final decommissioning

Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was withdrawn from service and stripped of oceanographic equipment on 20 December 1969. On 22 January 1970, she was returned to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet

National Defense Reserve Fleet

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...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup was struck from the Navy List

Naval Vessel Register

on 28 April 1970. On 9 May 1973, she was sold to Mr. John Liu of Washington, D.C., for non-transportation purposes.

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