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USS Georgetown (AG-165)
Encyclopedia
USS Georgetown (AGTR-2/AG-165), 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.
Georgetown was a converted "Liberty-type
" cargo ship, was laid down as SS Robert W. Hart under a Maritime Commission contract on 4 May 1945 by New England Shipbuilding Corporation
, South Portland, Maine
; launched 10 July 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Fred W. Woolsey; and delivered under General Agency Agreement from War Shipping Administration
(WSA) to Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines, New York
, 2 August 1945.
service until entering the National Defense Reserve Fleet
, Wilmington, North Carolina
, in December 1946. She was chartered by Waterman Steamship Corp., Mobile, Alabama
, 31 January 1947 and operated under bareboat charter
until 29 October when she entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Jamestown, Virginia
.
, for conversion to a technical research ship
; renamed USS Georgetown (AG-165) on 6 March 1963; and commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia, 9 November 1963, Comdr. W. A. Gleason in command.
on 30 June on a four-month deployment along the eastern coast of South America. After participating in electronic research programs, she returned to Norfolk on 26 October.
to the Southeast Pacific Ocean for research operations off the coast of Chile
.
System. She departed Norfolk on 14 December and resumed important research and test equipment operations in the Caribbean and equatorial Pacific. The year 1966 was a busy one for Georgetown. Besides gathering valuable information about the ocean, she made two rescues at sea, transited the Panama Canal four times, passed through the eye of a hurricane, and won the Battle Efficiency "E."
Georgetown continued a long-standing Navy tradition of maintaining the highest standards in scientific research requirements.
Sold for scrapping, 24 July 1970, to N. V. Intershitra, Netherlands, for $185,001, She was reportedly scrapped in 1971.
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.
Georgetown was a converted "Liberty-type
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...
" cargo ship, was laid down as SS Robert W. Hart under a Maritime Commission contract on 4 May 1945 by New England Shipbuilding Corporation
New England Shipbuilding Corporation
The New England Shipbuilding Corporation was a shipyard located in the city of South Portland, Maine, United States. The yard originated as two separate entities, the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation and the South Portland Shipbuilding Corporation, which were created in 1940 and 1941...
, South Portland, Maine
South Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
; launched 10 July 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Fred W. Woolsey; and delivered under General Agency Agreement from War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
(WSA) to Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, 2 August 1945.
Merchant Navy service
Robert W. Hart sailed in merchant navyMerchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
service until entering the 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...
, Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, in December 1946. She was chartered by Waterman Steamship Corp., Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, 31 January 1947 and operated under bareboat charter
Bareboat charter
A bareboat charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible for taking care of such things....
until 29 October when she entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
.
U.S. Navy service
Acquired by the Navy on 10 August 1962, she was taken to Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VirginiaNewport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, for conversion to a 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...
; renamed USS Georgetown (AG-165) on 6 March 1963; and commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia, 9 November 1963, Comdr. W. A. Gleason in command.
Atlantic Ocean operations
Equipped with the latest communications and electromagnetic research installations, Georgetown sailed for shakedown at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on 21 January 1964. She was reclassified AGTR-2 on 1 April 1964 and began her operational service on 13 April. Assigned to Service Squadron 8, she operated in the Caribbean until June, then departed Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, 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 30 June on a four-month deployment along the eastern coast of South America. After participating in electronic research programs, she returned to Norfolk on 26 October.
Pacific Ocean operations
Departing Norfolk on 5 January 1965, Georgetown steamed via the Panama CanalPanama 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...
to the Southeast Pacific Ocean for research operations off the coast of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
From ocean to ocean
Before returning to Norfolk on 14 May, she also operated in the Caribbean. Between 20 July and 13 October she again operated off the eastern coast of South America; and, after returning to Norfolk, she received new electronics equipment, including a Communication Moon RelayCommunication Moon Relay
The Communication Moon Relay project was a telecommunication project carried out by the United States Navy...
System. She departed Norfolk on 14 December and resumed important research and test equipment operations in the Caribbean and equatorial Pacific. The year 1966 was a busy one for Georgetown. Besides gathering valuable information about the ocean, she made two rescues at sea, transited the Panama Canal four times, passed through the eye of a hurricane, and won the Battle Efficiency "E."
Battle Effectiveness Award
The Battle Effectiveness Award , commonly known as the Battle "E", is awarded annually to the small number of U.S...
Georgetown continued a long-standing Navy tradition of maintaining the highest standards in scientific research requirements.
Sold for scrapping, 24 July 1970, to N. V. Intershitra, Netherlands, for $185,001, She was reportedly scrapped in 1971.