USS Artemis (AKA-21) Class

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USS Athene (AKA-22) on 9 October 1944.
Click on this photograph for links to larger images of this class.

Class:        ARTEMIS (AKA-21)
Design:        MC S4-SE2-BE1
Displacement (tons):        4,087 light, 7,080 lim.
Dimensions (feet):        426.0' oa, 400.0' pp x 58.0' e x 16.0' lim.
Original Armament:        1-5"/38 4-40mmT 10-20mm (1944-45: all)
Later armaments:        1-5"/38 1-40mmT 16-20mm (1946-47: AKA-22)
1-5"/38 10-20mm (1946-47: AKA-34/AGS-15);
4-40mmT 6-20mmT (1947-51: AGS 15-16);
none (1958-59: AGS-16); 6-20mmT (1959-61: AGS-15); 3-20mmT (1968-69: AGS 15-16); 4-20mmT (1968-69: ARC 3-4)
Complement:        326 (1944)
Speed (kts.):        16.9
Propulsion (HP):        6,000
Machinery:        Westinghouse turbo-electric, 2 screws

Construction:

AKA	Name	Ord.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
21	ARTEMIS	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	23 Nov 43	20 May 44	28 Aug 44
22	ATHENE	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	20 Jan 44	18 Jun 44	29 Sep 44
23	AURELIA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	5 Feb 44	4 Jul 44	14 Oct 44
24	BIRGIT	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	22 Feb 44	18 Jul 44	28 Oct 44
25	CIRCE	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	6 Mar 44	4 Aug 44	10 Nov 44
26	CORVUS	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	4 Apr 44	24 Sep 44	20 Nov 44
27	DEVOSA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	22 May 44	12 Oct 44	30 Nov 44
28	HYDRUS	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	19 Jun 44	28 Oct 44	9 Dec 44
29	LACERTA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	5 Jul 44	10 Nov 44	19 Dec 44
30	LUMEN	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	19 Jul 44	20 Nov 44	29 Dec 44
31	MEDEA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	5 Aug 44	30 Nov 44	10 Jan 45
32	MELLENA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	25 Sep 44	11 Dec 44	20 Jan 45
33	OSTARA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	13 Oct 44	21 Dec 44	31 Jan 45
34	PAMINA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	29 Oct 44	5 Jan 45	10 Feb 45
35	POLANA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	11 Nov 44	17 Jan 45	21 Feb 45
36	RENATE	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	21 Nov 44	31 Jan 45	28 Feb 45
37	ROXANE	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	1 Dec 44	14 Feb 45	12 Mar 45
38	SAPPHO	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	12 Dec 44	3 Mar 45	24 Apr 45
39	SARITA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	22 Dec 44	23 Feb 45	22 Mar 45
40	SCANIA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	6 Jan 45	17 Mar 45	16 Apr 45
41	SELINUR	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	18 Jan 45	28 Mar 45	21 Apr 45
42	SIDONIA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	1 Feb 45	7 Apr 45	30 Apr 45
43	SIRONA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	15 Feb 45	17 Apr 45	10 May 45
44	SYLVANIA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	24 Feb 45	25 Apr 45	19 May 45
45	TABORA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	4 Mar 45	3 May 45	29 May 45
46	TROILUS	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	18 Mar 45	11 May 45	8 Jun 45
47	TURANDOT	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	29 Mar 45	20 May 45	18 Jun 45
48	VALERIA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	8 Apr 45	29 May 45	28 Jun 45
49	VANADIS	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	18 Apr 45	8 Jun 45	9 Jul 45
50	VERITAS	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	26 Apr 45	16 Jun 45	19 Jul 45
51	XENIA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	4 May 45	27 Jun 45	28 Jul 45
52	ZENOBIA	15 May 43	Walsh-Kaiser	12 May 45	6 Jul 45	6 Aug 45

Disposition:

AKA	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
21	ARTEMIS	10 Jan 47	25 Feb 47	1 Apr 48	MC/R	16 Aug 66
22	ATHENE	17 Jun 46	1 Aug 47	23 Sep 47	MC/R	2 Feb 66
23	AURELIA	14 Mar 46	19 Jun 46	1 Jul 46	MC/R	10 Jan 72
24	BIRGIT	15 Mar 46	21 May 46	1 Jul 46	MC/R	10 Jan 72
25	CIRCE	20 May 46	5 Jun 46	26 Jun 46	MC/R	7 Jan 64
26	CORVUS	29 Mar 46	19 Jun 46	31 Oct 46	MC/R	7 Dec 64
27	DEVOSA	2 Apr 46	1 May 46	2 Apr 46	MC/R	14 Jul 66
28	HYDRUS	26 Mar 46	12 Apr 46	26 Mar 46	MC/R	30 Mar 64
29	LACERTA	25 Mar 46	1 May 46	30 Jun 46	MC/R	16 Aug 66
30	LUMEN	23 Mar 46	19 Jun 46	5 Nov 46	MC/R	7 Dec 64
31	MEDEA	24 Apr 46	15 Oct 46	29 Oct 46	MC/R	14 Oct 64
32	MELLENA	11 Jun 46	3 Jul 46	11 Jun 46	MC/R	5 May 71
33	OSTARA	1 Mar 46	17 Apr 46	26 Jun 46	MC/R	13 Sep 66
34	PAMINA	1 Aug 69	1 Aug 69	10 Mar 70	MA/S	10 Mar 70
35	POLANA	21 Mar 46	1 May 46	25 Jun 46	MC/R	16 Aug 66
36	RENATE	19 Dec 69	19 Dec 69	10 Aug 73	MA/S	10 Aug 73
37	ROXANE	5 Jun 46	3 Jul 46	29 Jun 46	MC/R	2 Feb 66
38	SAPPHO	23 May 46	15 Oct 46	13 Jan 47	MC/R	12 Aug 65
39	SARITA	29 Jan 47	25 Feb 47	29 Jan 47	MC/R	17 May 66
40	SCANIA	2 Sep 47	16 Sep 47	2 Sep 47	MC/R	17 May 65
41	SELINUR	30 Apr 46	8 May 46	30 Apr 46	MC/R	15 Jul 68
42	SIDONIA	25 Feb 46	17 Apr 46	29 Jun 46	MC/R	7 Dec 64
43	SIRONA	12 Jun 46	3 Jul 46	12 Jun 46	MC/R	17 May 66
44	SYLVANIA	17 Dec 46	7 Feb 47	30 Apr 47	MC/R	7 Jan 64
45	TABORA	29 May 46	3 Jul 46	1 Jul 46	MC/R	16 Oct 64
46	TROILUS	14 Jun 46	19 Jun 46	28 Aug 46	MC/R	17 Apr 67
47	TURANDOT	1985	28 Feb 85	7 May 85	MA/T	--
48	VALERIA	18 Mar 46	17 Apr 46	26 Jun 46	MA/R	17 Apr 67
49	VANADIS	Apr 74	20 Dec 77	22 Sep 77	MA/S	22 Sep 77
50	VERITAS	21 Feb 46	12 Apr 46	29 Jun 46	MC/R	16 Nov 66
51	XENIA	13 May 46	30 Nov 46	3 Dec 46	Trf.	--
52	ZENOBIA	7 May 46	30 Nov 46	9 Dec 46	Trf.	--

Class Notes:
FY 1942 (charged against the 1799 Vessels Emergency Construction Act of 6 Feb 42, hence the early FY date). On 8 Aug 42 the loss of a combat loaded transport, GEORGE F. ELLIOT (AP-13), off Guadalcanal underlined the risks of having too many troops and supplies in a single large hull. (This lesson was reinforced in November by the loss of five combat loaded APs in the Northern Africa invasions.) On 30 Sep 42 CominCh sent to VCNO tentative specifications for "small combat loaded transports" and "small combat loaded cargo vessels" and asked for preliminary designs. His 5,000-ton, 380-foot (wl) AK was to carry 85,000 cubic feet of cargo along with 5 troop officers and 183 men at a sustained speed of 15 knots and was to have two sets of triple Welin davits per side holding 12 landing craft. BuShips submitted a preliminary design for this AK on 16 Nov 42.

On 28 Dec 42 CominCh referred to the JCS a program for 32 AP's and 32 AK's of the small combat-loaded type, pointing out that the converted ships then being used were too large (requiring excessive time for unloading), carried more troops than desired in individual combat units (concentrating troops and materials too much on the assault line), and had too much draft for use in many places where campaigns might take place. The number of ships in the program was based on a calculation that the Navy would need 32 each of the small AP's and AK's to replace the 22 large APs and 8 large AKs that it expected to lose in 1943 and 1944. (A large AP had about 14/9ths the capacity of the small one while a large AK had about 4 times the capacity of the small type.) The Navy proposed that the Maritime Commission build the vessels.

On 8 Jan 43 the JCS approved the program for 32 small AP's and 32 small AK's and asked the MC if it could build the ships. The MC agreed on 17 Feb 43 and, upon receipt of a JCS directive of 25 Feb 43, contracted for the ships under its Military Program. The MC produced its S4-SE2-BE1 design for the AKA's, enlarged it to accommodate the only main propulsion machinery that it could readily obtain (a twin-screw turbo-electric plant), and presented it to the Navy on 25 Feb 43. This final design provided for a 6,000-ton, 400-foot (wl) AKA that would carry 90,000 cubic feet of cargo along with 5 troop officers and 200 men at a sustained speed of 16.5 knots on a draft of at most 15.5 feet. In addition to the 12 landing craft in Welin davits the ships were to carry two larger LCM(3)s on deck aft. The AKA-21 class used the same hull and machinery designs as the APA-57 class. The AKA could be distinguished from the APA by its lack of a poop and by its quadrupod mainmast with a 30-ton boom to handle the LCM(3)s. On 10 Jan 44 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended acquiring the ships by transfer of title from the MC upon their completion. All of these transfers occurred on the ships' commissioning dates.

AKA 21 and 22 supported the July 1946 Bikini tests but, unlike many of the APA-57 class, were not used as targets. Four ships of this class were designated in January 1946 for conversion to surveying ships (AGS) but two of them, AKA-32 and AKA-37, were cancelled on 6 Mar 46. In August 1946 the crew of BOWDITCH (AGS-4) was assigned to man MAURY (AGS-16). Two more of these ships were converted to cable repairing ships (ARC) in 1954-55 becoming the AEOLUS (ARC-3) class. Approved characteristics for the conversion of MA "S4BE" design hulls to ARC, SCB Project No. 138, were promulgated on 15 Nov 1954 with a single change on 4 October 1955. Many ships in this class were repaired while in reserve during the mid-1950s under the Maritime Administration's Emergency Ship Repair Program.

Ship Notes:

AKA	Name	MC#	Notes
21	ARTEMIS	1882	To NDRF 1948. Repaired while inactive under the Emergency Ship Repair Program 6 Nov 54 - 9 Feb 55. To buyer 9 Sep 66, scrapped by 10 Jul 68.
22	ATHENE	1883	To NDRF 1947. Repaired while inactive 23 Mar - 8 Jul 55. To buyer 21 Feb 66, scrapped by 12 Jun 67.
23	AURELIA	1884	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 10 Sep - 30 Nov 54. To buyer 21 Mar 72.
24	BIRGIT	1885	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 25 Oct 54 - 18 Jan 55. To buyer 8 Mar 72.
25	CIRCE	1886	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 15 Nov 54 - 25 Jan 55. To buyer 22 Jan 64, scrapped by 24 Nov 65.
26	CORVUS	1887	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 2 Jan - 20 May 55. To buyer 15 Dec 64, scrapped by 15 Aug 66.
27	DEVOSA	1888	Merc. training ship KINGS POINTER 2 Apr 46 - 18 Apr 47, to NDRF 14 May 47 as KINGS POINTER. Repaired while inactive 3 Nov 54 - 5 Jan 55. To buyer 6 Aug 66, scrapped by 5 Aug 68.
28	HYDRUS	1889	Merc. training ship EMPIRE STATE II 26 Mar 46 - 20 Jun 56, when to NDRF as EMPIRE STATE II. To buyer 13 Apr 64, scrapped by 24 Sep 65.
29	LACERTA	1890	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 15 Sep 54 - 5 Jan 55. To buyer 6 Sep 66, scrapped by 9 Dec 66.
30	LUMEN	1891	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 27 Oct 54 - 26 Jan 55. To buyer 17 Dec 64, scrapped by 14 Dec 66.
31	MEDEA	1892	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 28 Jan - 29 Apr 55. To buyer 20 Nov 64, scrapped by 13 Oct 65.
32	MELLENA	1893	Designated for conversion to an AGS 26 Jan 46, cancelled 6 Mar 46. Merc. training ship GOLDEN BEAR II 11 Jun 46 - 5 May 71. To buyer 14 May 71.
33	OSTARA	1894	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 10 Nov 54 - 1 Apr 55. To buyer 4 Oct 66, scrapped by 5 May 67.
34	PAMINA	1895	To AGS-15 and renamed TANNER 15 May 46 (designated for conversion 29 Jan 46, converted by NSY Norfolk Apr-Sep 46). To buyer 3 Apr 70, scrapped by 21 Aug 70.
35	POLANA	1896	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 27 Dec 54 - 26 Mar 55. To buyer 18 Sep 66, scrapped by 20 Feb 67.
36	RENATE	1897	To AGS-16 and renamed MAURY 1 Aug 46 (designated for conversion 26 Jan 46, converted by NSY Norfolk Jul-Nov 46). To NDRF 26 Jun 70. To buyer 11 Jan 74.
37	ROXANE	1898	Designated for conversion to AGS 26 Jan 46, cancelled 6 Mar 46. To NDRF 1946. To buyer 21 Mar 66, scrapped by 28 Feb 67.
38	SAPPHO	1899	To NDRF 1947. To buyer 7 Sep 65, scrapped by 1 Mar 66.
39	SARITA	1900	To NDRF 1947. Repaired while inactive 14 Jan - 6 Apr 55. To buyer 8 Jun 66, scrapped by 13 Oct 67.
40	SCANIA	1901	Carried cargo in the western Pacific and the Aleutians 1946-47. To NDRF 1947. Repaired while inactive 20 Jan - 25 Mar 55. To buyer 13 Jul 65, scrapped by 23 May 67.
41	SELINUR	1902	Merc. training ship KEYSTONE STATE 30 Apr 46 - 20 Jun 47, to NDRF 21 Aug 47 as SELINUR. Repaired while inactive 23 Jan - 1 May 56. To buyer 9 Sep 68, scrapped by 6 Dec 68.
42	SIDONIA	1903	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 28 Jan - 15 Mar 55, 9 May - 12 Jun 56, and 23 Dec 57 - 27 Jan 58. To buyer 23 Dec 64, scrapped by 23 Jun 65.
43	SIRONA	1903	Merc. training ship YANKEE STATES 12 Jun 46 - 17 Jul 47, to NDRF 29 Jul 47 as YANKEE STATES. To buyer 7 Jun 66, scrapped by 21 May 68.
44	SYLVANIA	1905	To NDRF 1947. Repaired while inactive 13 Sep - 5 Nov 54. To buyer 18 Feb 64, scrapped by 11 May 64.
45	TABORA	1906	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 1 Aug - 26 Sep 55. To buyer 30 Oct 64, scrapped by 12 Mar 65.
46	TROILUS	1907	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 18 Jan - 10 Apr 56. To buyer 17 May 67, scrapped by 26 Sep 67.
47	TURANDOT	1908	Decom. 21 Mar 46, stk. 17 Apr 46, to MC and NDRF 25 Jun 46. Reacq. 4 Nov 54 and designated ARC-3, renamed AEOLUS 17 Mar 55. To MSC from USN 1 Oct 73. Delivered by MA to North Carolina for use as a fish reef 24 Dec 87. For more on her postwar career as a cable repairing ship including photographs see the AEOLUS (ARC-3) class in the postwar Supplement.
48	VALERIA	1909	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 1 Dec 55 - 8 Feb 56. To buyer 10 May 67, scrapped by 18 Jan 68.
49	VANADIS	1910	Decom. 27 Mar 46, stk. 5 Jun 46, to MC and NDRF 2 Jul 46. Reacq. 14 Apr 55 from MA and designated ARC-4, renamed THOR 14 Nov 55. To MSC from USN 2 Jul 73. To NDRF 31 Jul 75. To buyer 13 Oct 77. For more on her postwar career as a cable repairing ship including photographs see the AEOLUS (ARC-3) class in the postwar Supplement.
50	VERITAS	1911	To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 17 Nov 55 - 18 Jan 56. To buyer 9 Dec 66, scrapped by 10 Jul 67.
51	XENIA	1912	CNO on 2 Jul 46 authorized transfer to another American government when requested by the Office of the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner. Trf. to Chile as PRESIDENTE ERRAZURIZ. Stk. 1966, sold 1968.
52	ZENOBIA	1913	CNO on 2 Jul 46 authorized transfer to another American government when requested by the Office of the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner. Trf. to Chile as PRESIDENTE PINTO. Hulked 1967.