US Navy Auxiliary Ships: Cohocton (AO-101) Class

USS Cohocton (AO-101) as shown on the program for her commissioning ceremony.
Click on this photograph for links to larger images of this class.

Class:        COHOCTON (AO-101)
Design        MC T2-SE-A3
Displacement (tons):        5,730 light, 22,380' lim.
Dimensions (feet):        523.5' oa, 503.0' wl x 68.0' e x 30.8' lim.
Original Armament:        1-5"/38 4-3"/50 4-40mmT 2-20mmT 4-20mmS
Later armaments:        --
Complement        --
Speed (kts.):        15.1
Propulsion (HP):        10,000
Machinery:        1 screw, G.E. turbo-electric

Construction:

AO	Name	Acq.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
101	COHOCTON	25 Aug 45	Marinship	9 Apr 45	28 Jun 45	25 Aug 45
102	CONCHO	--	Marinship	18 Apr 45	25 Jul 45	--
103	CONECUH	--	Marinship	25 Apr 45	10 Aug 45	--
104	CONTOCOOK	--	Marinship	5 May 45	18 Sep 45	--

Disposition:

AO	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
101	COHOCTON	1958	9 Jan 58	8 Jan 58	MA/R	27 Sep 67
102	CONCHO	--	--	18 Aug 45	Canc.	--
103	CONECUH	--	--	18 Aug 45	Canc.	--
104	CONTOCOOK	--	--	18 Aug 45	Canc.	--

Class Notes:
FY 1944. On 6 Jun 1944 the JCS asked the MC to modify its building program for the first half of 1945 to include the construction of 56 merchant type vessels as Naval auxiliaries. The MC replied on 22 Jun 44 that it was able to provide for all of these ships except for two of the 12 requested oilers. The deficit increased to four tankers when two of the ten were converted to distilling ships (AW 3-4). On 16 Oct 44 the Navy representative of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended that, to make up this deficit and to provide sufficient fast oilers to support fleet operations by the fourth quarter of 1945, the Maritime Commission building program for the last half of 1945 be modified to provide for the construction of nine merchant type AO's for the Navy. On 2 Nov 44 the MC added to its program the construction of four ships at Marinship to the 10,000 horsepower T2-SE-A3 design and five ships at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Co, Chester, Pa. to the fast T3-S2-A3 design. On 11 Nov 44 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended that the ships be acquired. The MC contract for the four new T2's was concluded on 1 Mar 45 under the MC Military Program. The T2-SE-A3 type was essentially a T2-SE-A2 with the Navy's conversion features incorporated into the construction plans rather than being added later. The last 3 ships were completed without these features as T2-SE-A2 type merchant ships after their Navy cancellation.

In 1947-8 the Navy acquired all three of the cancelled ships as part of the AO-111 class, and during the same period it also reacquired AO-101. These ships all operated with merchant crews as "U.S. Naval Tankers" until late 1949 when they became part of the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS). See the AO-49 and AO-80 classes for more details on the major expansion of the Navy's tanker force between 1947 and 1950.

Ship Notes:

AO	Name	MC	Notes
101	COHOCTON	2697	Decomm. and to MC 14 Jun 46, stk. 3 Jul 46. Began reactivation 20 Oct 47, from MC 6 Mar 48 as USNT. To MSTS 1 Oct 49, on list 28 Apr 50. Merc. TRANSONEIDA 1967, converted to container ship 1969. Scrapped 1980 as PACIFIC ECONOMY.
102	CONCHO	2698	Completed 25 Oct 45 as merc. MISSION SANTA ANA, acquired 9 Jan 48 as USNT under that name and designated AO-137, q.v.
103	CONECUH	2699	Completed 29 Oct 45 as merc. MISSION LOS ANGELES, acquired 24 Oct 47 as USNT under that name and designated AO-117, q.v.
104	CONTOCOOK	2700	Completed 11 Oct 45 as merc. MISSION SAN FRANCISCO, acquired 28 Oct 47 as USNT under that name and designated AO-123, q.v.