USS Palm Beach (AGER 3, Army FS Design 427) Class

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USS Palm Beach (AGER 3).
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Class: PALM BEACH (AGER 3, Army FS Design 427)
Design: Army FS Design 427
Displacement (tons): 700 full
Dimensions (feet): 180' oa, 170' wl x 33' e, 32' wl x 8.5'
Armament: (1969) 4-20mmT
Accommodations: 7 officers, 75 enlisted
Speed (kts.): 12
Propulsion (HP): 1,000
Machinery: Geared diesel, 2 screws

Construction:

AGER	Name	Reclas	Builder	Contract	Completed	Comm
3	PALM BEACH	1 Jun 1967	Higgins, New Orleans	11 Jan 1943	ca Dec 1944	13 May 1967

Disposition:

AGER	Name	T	Decomm	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
3	PALM BEACH		1 Dec 1969	1 Dec 1969	May 1970	Navy sale	--

Class Notes:
FS-217 was a Design 427 aircraft repair variant of the Army's FS supply ship. She was delivered to the US Army Transportation Corps operation under technical control of the United States Army Air Forces in December 1944. After the war she conducted coastal surveys off the Lesser Antilles and the coast of Central America. She was based at Balboa, Canal Zone before being placed in reserve status on 17 February 1956.

FS-217 was acquired by the Navy on 18 May 1966 as AKL 45 for use as a trawler-type intelligence collection ship and was named PALM BEACH and placed on the list on 18 Jun 1966 with PUEBLO, AKL 44 (a standard Design 381 FS). PUEBLO was to join BANNER (AGER 1) in the western Pacific while PALM BEACH was to operate in the Atlantic. PALM BEACH was converted to an intelligence collection ship at NSY Puget Sound and on 2 May 1967 effective 1 Jun 1967 was reclassified AGER 3. She deployed to the Mediterranean and the North Sea. After the LIBERTY and PUEBLO incidents she was taken out of service at the end of 1969 with the other large and small intelligence collection ships.

Ship Notes:

AGER	Name	MA	Notes
3	PALM BEACH		(ex-AKL 45, ex-FS 217, COL ARMAN PETERSON). Became Panamanian M/V Oro Verde ("Green Gold"), a banana boat that also smuggled marijuana. Ran aground on reef off Grand Cayman 1976 in a possible mutiny, wreck taken over from the Cayman government four years later by a diving consortium, moved to shallower (60') water off a resort beach, and scuttled on 31 May 1980 as a scuba dive wreck.