US Navy Auxiliary Ships: Acubens (AKS-5) Class

USS Hesperia (AKS-13) on 2 May 1946
Click on this photograph for links to larger images of this class.

Class:        ACUBENS (AKS-5)
Design:        MC EC2-S-C1
Displacement (tons):        5,244 light, 14,550 lim.
Dimensions (feet):        441.5' oa, 416.0' wl/pp x 56.9' e x 28.3' lim.
Original Armament:        1-5"/38 4-3"/50 8-20mm (AKS 5-6)
Later armaments:         1-5"/38 1-3"/50 8>4-20mm (AKS 7-15)
Complement:        196 (1944)
Speed (kts.):        12.5
Propulsion (HP):        2,500
Machinery:        Vertical triple expansion, 1 screw

Construction:

AKS	Name	Acq.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
5	ACUBENS	9 Feb 44	Delta SB	25 Nov 43	8 Jan 44	15 Jul 44
6	KOCHAB	2 May 44	Delta SB	18 Feb 44	30 Mar 44	4 Nov 44
7	LUNA	2 Nov 43	J. A. Jones, Panama City	23 Aug 43	30 Sep 43	7 Feb 44
8	TALITA	5 Nov 43	Oregon SB	23 Apr 43	12 May 43	4 Mar 44
9	VOLANS	2 Dec 43	New England SB	19 Oct 42	2 Jan 43	31 Mar 44
10	CYBELE	14 Nov 44	Delta SB	29 Aug 44	9 Oct 44	16 Apr 45
11	GRATIA	20 Nov 44	Delta SB	14 Sep 44	21 Oct 44	5 May 45
12	HECUBA	30 Nov 44	Delta SB	27 Sep 44	6 Nov 44	21 Apr 45
13	HESPERIA	9 Dec 44	Delta SB	9 Oct 44	18 Nov 44	1 Apr 45
14	IOLANDA	31 Oct 44	New England SB	9 Sep 44	21 Oct 44	14 Jun 45
15	LIGURIA	20 Nov 44	New England SB	19 Sep 44	3 Nov 44	12 Jul 45

Disposition:

AKS	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
5	ACUBENS	11 Mar 46	17 Jul 47	20 Jun 47	MC/R	23 Sep 64
6	KOCHAB	17 Apr 46	31 Oct 47	22 Oct 47	MC/R	14 Jan 65
7	LUNA	19 Apr 46	10 Jun 47	21 May 47	MC/R	23 Oct 64
8	TALITA	9 Apr 46	17 Jul 47	9 Jul 47	MC/R	18 Oct 62
9	VOLANS	17 Jun 46	17 Jul 47	24 Jun 47	MC/R	10 Dec 64
10	CYBELE	22 Aug 46	22 May 47	24 Apr 47	MC/R	15 Feb 65
11	GRATIA	1 Jul 46	17 Jul 47	22 Jul 47	MC/R	23 Oct 64
12	HECUBA	26 Mar 46	17 Jul 47	10 Jul 47	MC/R	23 Sep 64
13	HESPERIA	27 Feb 47	14 Mar 47	27 Feb 47	MC/R	19 Mar 73
14	IOLANDA	11 Jul 46	22 May 47	24 Apr 47	MC/R	7 Nov 72
15	LIGURIA	16 Aug 46	22 May 47	23 Apr 47	MC/R	15 Mar 74

Class Notes:
FY 1944. On 24 Jul 43 CominCh/CNO (Admiral King) ordered the acquisition of two ships suitable for use as General Stores Issue Ships (AKS), and on 3 Aug 43 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended the acquisition of two Maritime Commission C2-S-AJ1 type cargo ships then under construction at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Co. for this purpose. A few days later the Planning Officer of the Naval Transportation Service (NTS) noted in a memo to OpNav that the head of the Maritime Commission had just pointed out that the demands made by the Army and Navy for C2 and C3 type ships exceeded the presently scheduled program. This was caused primarily by intense demands for troop transports, AKAs and APAs. The NTS memo then pointed out that the current (1943) program called for the conversion of EC2 (Liberty) cargo ships to troopers because of the unavailability of faster C2 and C3 hulls and argued that the faster ships should be used for missions that involved frequent movements within forward areas while slower types like the EC2 should be used for types like stores issue ships and repair ships which spent much of their time in bases. The memo noted that employment studies showed that speed and hull size had contributed little to the wartime value of ships like POLLUX (both AKS-2 and AKS-4) and three tenders, VULCAN, DOBBIN, and ALCOR, while the same studies showed that one C2 or C3 hull was worth three EC2s as a troop carrier. The issue was debated during September, with the result that on 29 Sep 43 the Maritime Commission approved the transfer of two EC2 hulls to AKS 5-6. According to the history written by one of the later ships (AKS-12) the conversion of these ships consisted primarily of the addition of two extra 'tween decks in holds 2, 3, 4, and 5 plus minor alterations in other compartments and the installation of standard Navy equipment such as radar.

On 22 Sep 43 CinCPac approved and forwarded a request by ComAirPac that five additional General Stores Issues Ships be provided for the Central and South Pacific areas. On 22 Oct 43 the Auxiliary Vessels Board noted that part of this requirement would be filled by the conversion of ARG 14-15 to Aircraft Engine Overhaul and Structural Repair Ships, ARV 1-2, and recommended the acquisition of three EC2 hulls to fill the remainder of the requirement. (See AVS 1-2 for more on this requirement.) The Navy selected as AKS 7-9 three ships then under construction at Houston, Texas (MCE hulls 1958, 1960, and 1963) but soon agreed to accept instead three ships (MCE-952, 2012, and 772) that were due to arrive soon at Mobile, Ala., with cargoes of bauxite. A ship that had just been completed at Panama City, Florida (MCE-1528) was however immediately substituted for MCE 952 as AKS-7. All three ships were moved to Tampa, Florida, for conversion.

Almost a year later, on 3 Aug 44, CinCPOA approved and forwarded a request from ComServPac for six more AKS for supporting operations in the Pacific. On 4 Sep 44 CNO asked the Maritime Commission to provide the ships, and on 22 Sep 44 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended acquisition of the vessels. Once again, to avoid jeopardizing the APA-AKA-AGC programs, all of which used C2 and C3 hulls, EC2 hulls were used for the six additional AKS. The conversions were distributed among five shipyards, Tampa Shipbuilding being designated as the lead yard. The conversion of AKS-13 was assigned to Savannah Machine & Foundry Co., Savannah, Ga., but was reassigned on 24 Nov 44 to the Norfolk Navy Yard.

The entire class was among 30 EC2 (Liberty) type auxiliaries selected by CNO in November 1945 for use in "special explosive tests." Thirty VC2 (Victory) type APAs of the HASKELL (APA-117) class were also selected, along with many older combatants. In November CNO ordered the AKS-5 class ships to proceed to Pearl Harbor and decommission there pending the tests. The ships were deleted from the plans for CROSSROADS (the Bikini atom bomb tests) in February 1946, a month after the VC2s were replaced in the target list by less valuable ships of the GILLIAM (APA-57) class. The Commandant, 14th Naval District (Hawaii) then asked that the AKSs be moved to the West Coast to avoid berthing inactive ships at Pearl. Ten of the ships were decommissioned at Pearl between March and August 1946 and were finally towed to San Francisco for disposal in 1947. The one exception was AKS-13, which served as a supply ship throughout CROSSROADS and remained in commission until steaming from Pearl to San Francisco in early 1947 for disposal.

Ship Notes:

AKS	Name	MCE	Notes
5	ACUBENS	1935	Ex merc. JEAN LOUIS. Converted by Todd-Johnson Dry Docks, Inc., New Orleans, La. (did not require ferrying). To buyer 14 Oct 64, scrapped by 7 Jun 65.
6	KOCHAB	2459	Delivered incomplete 30 Apr 44, ferry comm. 2-5 May 44. Converted by Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co., Mobile, Ala. To buyer 2 Mar 65, scrapped by 5 May 65.
7	LUNA	1528	Ex merc. HARRIET HOSMER, completed 25 Oct 43, delivered to the Navy at Tampa, Florida for conversion by the Tampa Shipbuilding Co. Began conversion 8 Nov 43. To buyer 2 Nov 64, scrapped by 23 Feb 65.
8	TALITA	2012	Ex merc. JONATHAN JENNINGS, completed 20 May 43, delivered to the Navy at Tampa, Florida for conversion by the Tampa Shipbuilding Co. Began conversion 15 Nov 43. To buyer 5 Nov 62, scrapped by 8 Nov 64.
9	VOLANS	772	Ex merc. EDWARD PREBLE, completed 30 Jan 43, delivered to the Navy at Tampa, Florida for conversion by the Tampa Shipbuilding Co. Began conversion 13 Dec 43. To buyer 17 Dec 64, scrapped by 10 Mar 65.
10	CYBELE	2820	Ex merc. WILLIAM HACKETT. Ferry commission 14-17 Nov 44. Converted by Tampa Shipbuilding Co, Tampa, Fla. To buyer 12 Apr 65, scrapped by 8 Oct 65.
11	GRATIA	2823	Ex merc. JOHN W. DRAPER. Ferry commission 20-23 Nov 44. Converted by Todd Galveston Dry Docks, Inc., Galveston, Tex. To buyer 4 Nov 64, scrapped by 12 Mar 65.
12	HECUBA	2821	Ex merc. GEORGE W. CABLE. Converted by Todd-Johnson Dry Docks, Inc., New Orleans, La. (did not require ferrying). To buyer 19 Oct 64, scrapped by 2 Dec 65.
13	HESPERIA	2825	Ex merc. SAM DALE. Ferry commission 9-20 Dec 44. Converted by the Norfolk Navy Yard. To buyer 17 Apr 73.
14	IOLANDA	3068	Ex merc. WILLIAM A. DOBSON. Delivered 97.1% complete. Ferry commission 31 Oct-2 Nov 44. Converted by Bethlehem Steel Co., Simpson Yard, East Boston, Mass. To buyer 30 Jan 73.
15	LIGURIA	3071	Delivered 90.0% complete. Ferry comm 20-22 Nov 44. Converted by Bethlehem Steel Co., Simpson Yard, East Boston, Mass. To buyer 13 May 74.