USNS Marine Adder (T-AP 193, C4-S-A3) Class

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USNS Marine Phoenix (T-AP 195) ca. 1956.
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Class: MARINE ADDER (T-AP 193, C4-S-A3)
Design: MC C4-S-A3
Displacement (tons): 10,210 light, 16,800 full
Dimensions (feet): 523' oa, 496' wl x 72' e/wl x 26' max nav
Armament: none
Accommodations: 380-406 officers, 3,548-3,621 others including troops (berthing)
Speed (kts.): 17 (18 in 199 and 202)
Propulsion (HP): 9,000
Machinery: Geared steam turbines, 2 boilers (465psi/765deg, 525psi/765deg in 199 and 202), 1 screw

Construction:

AP	Name	Acq	Builder	Keel	Launch	Svc
193	MARINE ADDER	24 Jul 1950	Kaiser, Richmond #3	7 Mar 1945	16 May 1945	1 Aug 1950
194	MARINE LYNX	23 Jul 1950	Kaiser, Vancouver	9 Dec 1944	17 Jul 1945	1 Aug 1950
195	MARINE PHOENIX	21 Jul 1950	Kaiser, Vancouver	16 Dec 1944	9 Aug 1945	Aug 1950
199	MARINE CARP	17 Mar 1952	Kaiser, Vancouver	6 Dec 1944	5 Jul 1945	15 Sep 1952/S
200	MARINE JUMPER	7 May 1952	Kaiser, Vancouver	28 Nov 1944	30 May 1945	Canc
201	MARINE MARLIN	1 May 1952	Kaiser, Vancouver	13 Dec 1944	28 Jul 1945	Canc
202	MARINE SERPENT	8 May 1952	Kaiser, Vancouver	30 Nov 1944	12 Jun 1945	Sep 1952

Disposition:

AP	Name	T	Inact/Cust	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
193	MARINE ADDER	T	5 Jun 1958/C	6 Jun 1958	5 Jun 1958	MA	4 Aug 1967
194	MARINE LYNX	T	1 May 1958/C	1 May 1958	1 May 1958	MA	4 Aug 1967
195	MARINE PHOENIX	T	2 Nov 1958/C	3 Nov 1958	2 Nov 1958	MA	25 Aug 1967
199	MARINE CARP	T	9 Oct 1957	11 Sep 1958	11 Sep 1958	MA	20 Jul 1967
200	MARINE JUMPER	T	--	--	10 Jun 1952	MA	Apr 1966
201	MARINE MARLIN	T	--	--	12 Jun 1952	MA	8 Jun 1965
202	MARINE SERPENT	T	17 Aug 1955/C	17 Aug 1955	17 Aug 1955	MA	16 Jul 1968

Fates: MA (Custody to MA, misc. transfers); MA/T (Title to MA, ship sold later)

Class Notes:
The C4-class ships were the largest seagoing cargo ships built by the Maritime Commission during World War II. The design was originally developed for the American-Hawaiian SS Co. in 1941 but was taken over by the Maritime Commission in late 1941. The first C4's ordered were 30 C4-S-A1 Navy troop transports from Kaiser's Richmond No. 3 yard (see the AP 130 class) and 50 C4-S-B1 Army tank carriers from the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock in Chester, Pa. (see AK 255). However by 1944 the Sun yard was needed to build T2 tankers and the last 30 of its C4's were cancelled and reordered in April and May 1944 from Kaiser's Richmond No. 3 and Vancouver yards. These were built as C4-S-A3 transports and C4-S-A4 cargo ships for operation by the War Shipping Administration.

Three of the later Kaiser ships became AP 193-195, which were among 18 Maritime Admiminstration ships to be transferred to the Navy for which names, classification, and hull numbers were approved on 31 Jul 1950. These three ships were converted in 1952 (May to July for MARINE PHOENIX) at Portland, Ore., to increase their troop capacity and cargo handling capability and add to their safety-at-sea equipment along lines similar to those applied earlier by the Army and MSTS to the AP 130 class transports.

SECNAV on 7 Feb 1951 wrote to the Secretary of Commerce that an urgent requirement had developed to provide additional trooplift for the armed services which could not be met by the transports currently assigned to MSTS. The Navy had determined that the requirement could be satisfied initially by the acquisition of five C4 type transports. SECNAV therefore requested that MA transfer title to and possession of five of these ships to the Navy. On the next day Commander MSTS authorized COMSTSLANT and COMSTSPAC to accept delivery of these ships from MA and to activate them for operation by 1, 5, and 10 April for the three ships on the East Coast (including GEN OMAR BUNDY, AP 152, and MARINE CARP, AP 199) and by 20 and 25 March for the two ships on the West Coast (MARINE SERPENT and MARINE CARDINAL (although if extensive repars were required to the main engines of the latter, GEN O H ERNST, AP 133, was to be substituted). The ships were to be activated to provide maximum troop capacity. On 12 Feb 1951 MSTS headquarters cancelled this directive, promising further instructions later. On 12 February 1951 Commander MSTS recommended retaining the names and assigning the bow numbers AP 199 to MARINE CARDINAL (Pacific), AP 200 to MARINE JUMPER (Atlantic), AP 201 to MARINE MARLIN (Atlantic), and AP 202 to MARINE SERPENT (Pacific). On 23 February 1951 the Navy requested that this acquisition be held in abeyance and instead recommended that some of these ships should be withdrawn from the NDRF and after essential repairs by the MA that they should be maintained in a ready status.

On 30 January 1952 Commander MSTS wrote to MARAD that the Navy's Program Objectives for FY 1953 included a provision for the acquisition of four C4 type transports for assignment to MSTS and conversion to full troop capacity, which included enhancement of their cargo handling capability and safety-at-sea equipment. The Navy asked that MA authorize MSTS personnel to board MARINE CARP, MARINE JUMPER, MARINE MARLIN, and MARINE SERPENT to survey them and prepare specifications for bids for the conversions. On 13 March 1952 SECNAV wrote to MARAD that it had now been determined that four transports of the C4 type (in addition to T-AP 193-195) were needed by the Navy for transfer to MSTS as replacements for the six VC2 (Victory) type transports (T-AP 187-192) then in service. It was planned to return the six VC2 vessels to MA when replacement had been made. The Navy therefore requested transfer of MARINE CARP, MARINE JUMPER, MARINE MARLIN, and MARINE SERPENT (T-AP 199-202). MARAD agreed on 25 March 1952. On 10 June 1952 the Navy returned MARINE JUMPER and MARINE MARLIN to MA as excess to MSTS requirements. As was done with many World War II ships, the Navy operated these ships under custody agreements with MARAD and never held title to them.

Ship Notes:

AP	Name	MC	Notes
193	MARINE ADDER	2383	Completed 5 Oct 1945. To SBRF 13 Feb 1948. To MSTS custody under bareboat charter 24 Jul 1950. To MA custody in Astoria reserve fleet 5 Jun 1958 (there 052359Z, trf by MSTS to MA 060054Z, still 5 Jun local). Sold under MA exchange program, to buyer 11 Aug 1967, merc. TRANSCOLORADO Aug 1967. Holed by limpet mine at Danang 1972 but not lost. Sold to BU 25 Jan 1988.
194	MARINE LYNX	2363	Completed 22 Oct 1945. To SBRF 14 Sep 1948. To MSTS custody under bareboat charter 23 Jul 1950. To MA custody in Astoria reserve fleet (permanent transfer) 1 May 1958 (reported 2 May). Sold under MA exchange program, to buyer 8 Aug 1967, merc. TRANSCOLUMBIA Aug 1967. Sold to BU Jun 1988.
195	MARINE PHOENIX	2365	Completed 9 Nov 1945. To SBRF 1 Sep 1948. To MSTS custody under bareboat charter 21 Jul 1950. Returned to MA custody in Astoria reserve fleet 2 Nov 1958. Sold under MA exchange program, to buyer 22 May 1967, merc. MOHAWK 1 Nov 1967. Sold 12 Jul 1979 to BU in Taiwan.
199	MARINE CARP	2362	Completed 11 Oct 1945. To JRRF 23 May 1949, then HRRF. To MSTS custody 17 Mar 1952, placed in service 15 Sep 1952 at Baltimore. Inactivated and placed in the Texas Group of the Navy's reserve fleet at Orange, Tex., for berthing only by MSTS on 9 Oct 1957 and permanently transferred to MA custody in the Beaumont reserve fleet on 11 Sep 1958. Sold under MA exchange program, to buyer 2 Aug 1967, merc. GREEN SPRINGS Sep 1967. Sold 13 Jul 1979 to BU in Taiwan.
200	MARINE JUMPER	2359	Completed 10 Sep 1945. To Army 24 Mar 1949, to JRRF 11 Jan 1950. To Navy (MSTS) custody in JRRF 7 May 1952 but returned to MA 10 Jun 1952 as excess to MSTS requirements. Sold under MA exchange program, to buyer 14 Jul 1965 for conversion to container ship, merc. PANAMA 15 Mar 1966. Resold for operation 31 Oct 1975. Sold to BU May 1988.
201	MARINE MARLIN	2364	Completed 30 Oct 1945. To Army 7 Apr 1949, to JRRF 21 Oct 1949. To Navy (MSTS) custody in JRRF 1 May 1952 but returned to MA 12 Jun 1952 as excess to MSTS requirements. Merc. GREEN BAY 8 Jun 1965. Sunk in port of Qi Nonh, Vietnam, 17 August 1971, by underwater attack of Viet Cong frogmen, refloated but considered not worth repair. Towed to Hong Kong in May 1972, sold 1 July 1972 to BU.
202	MARINE SERPENT	2360	Completed 21 Sep 1945. To SBRF 1 Jul 1947. To MSTS custody 8 May 1952. Placed in service 13 Sep 1952 at San Francisco. Returned to MA custody in the Olympia reserve fleet 17 Aug 1955. Sold 16 Jul 1968 under MA exchange program for conversion to container ship, to buyer 9 Aug 1968, merc. GALVESTON 13 Mar 1969. BU in Taiwan Nov 1987.