US Navy Auxiliary Ships: Amphion (AR-13) Class

USS Amphion (AR-13) on 15 January 1946
Click on this photograph for links to larger images of this class.

Class:        AMPHION (AR-13)
Design:        Navy C3 Mod
Displacement (tons):        7,826 light, 16,900 lim.
Dimensions (feet):        492.0' oa, 465.0' pp x 69.5' e x 27.5' lim.
Original Armament:        2-5"/38 4-40mmT 8-20mmT (1946: both)
Later armaments:        2-5"/38 4-40mmT 14>12-20mmT (1951-55: both); 2-5"/38 4-40mmT (1957: AR-13);
2-5"/38 (1957-59: both);
1-5"/38 (1963-65: both)
Complement:        741 (1944)
Speed (kts.):        18.4
Propulsion (HP):        8,500
Machinery:        Westinghouse Curtis turbine, 1 screw

Construction:

AR	Name	Ord.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
13	AMPHION	3 Aug 44	Tampa SB	20 Sep 44	15 May 45	30 Jan 46
14	CADMUS	3 Aug 44	Tampa SB	30 Oct 44	5 Aug 45	23 Apr 46
15	DEUCALION	3 Aug 44	Tampa SB	15 Dec 44	--	--
16	MARS	3 Aug 44	Tampa SB	16 May 45	--	--

Disposition:

AR	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
13	AMPHION	2 Oct 71	1 Nov 76	2 Oct 71	Trf.	--
14	CADMUS	14 Sep 71	15 Jan 74	31 Jan 74	Trf.	--
15	DEUCALION	--	--	12 Aug 45	Canc.	--
16	MARS	--	--	12 Aug 45	Canc.	--

Class Notes:
FY 1944. On 11 Jun 43 the Auxiliary Vessels Board surveyed the Navy's needs for auxiliaries following the approval of a large combatant ship building program in May. After studying the construction facilities available to the Navy for large auxiliaries, it concluded that the Navy could build 15 additional tenders to support the new combatants, including four destroyer tenders (AD 26-29), four submarine tenders (AS 27-30), and four repair ships (AR 13-16). These were to be built on the C3 hull design, the AD's similar to HAMUL (AD-20), the AS's similar to GRIFFIN (AS-13), and the AR's similar to BRIAREUS (AR-12). The four AD's were to be completed in the first and second quarters of 1945 and first and third quarters of 1946, the four AS's were to be completed in the second and fourth quarters of 1945 and second and fourth quarters of 1946, and the four AR's were to be completed in the first and third quarters of 1945 and first and third quarters of 1946. The program also included three seaplane tenders (AV 18-20) to be built on the Navy's AV-7 design. The Board strongly recommended that the Navy build these tenders itself rather than trying to acquire and convert Maritime Commission hulls.

These ships underwent a complex series of reclassifications, design changes, and contract transfers, intended to simplify the building program and even out work load. AR 13-14 were originally ordered on 25 Nov 43 from Todd Tacoma to the C3 design, and AR 15-16 were originally ordered on 19 Feb 44 from Newport News to the AR-5 design. On 13 Apr 44, AR 15-16 were reordered as C3's from Todd Tacoma, giving them the same builder and design as AR 13-14. On 3 Aug 44 all four ships were shifted to Tampa SB, swapping places with AD 26-29.

The design of the AD-26, AS-27, and AR-13 classes was an amalgamation of earlier AD, AS, and AR C3 designs with similar internal arrangements for all three types except for some variations in the sub tenders. They were thus to comprise a universal type of “tender-repair ships.” Initially it was hoped that a single set of plans could be drawn to cover all three types, but later it was found necessary to produce a set for each type. Seattle-Tacoma, where the initial six C3 tenders (AD 26-27, AR 13-14, and AS 29-30) were ordered, was to use a Gibbs & Cox C3-S-A1 type hull because that yard had been constructing that type of hull in the past (mostly for the escort carrier program). Gibbs & Cox became the design agent for the ships. The C3-S-A1 type ships including the AD-26 class had the smokestack at the after end of the amidships superstructure while the C3-S-A2 type ships had it in the center of this deckhouse. Another recognition feature of this group of tenders (except AD-36) was a sloping top to the smokestack. Each ship was to have an APL (see the APL-2 class) assigned to it to take overflow personnel and stowage. Seattle-Tacoma acted as lead yard for all three tender classes built to this design, and remained such through all the subsequent contract transfers. In May 1944 the Navy decided to use two more powerful surplus DE (WGT) boilers in each of these ships instead of the planned two C3 type boilers.

Ship Notes:

AR	Name	Notes
13	AMPHION	Earlier order: Todd Tacoma (25 Nov 43, as C3). Trf. (lease) to Iran as CHAR BAHAR (sold 1 Mar 77). Largely immobile following the 1979 Iranian revolution. Served for many years as a stationary repair facility at Bandar Abbas.
14	CADMUS	Earlier order: Todd Tacoma (25 Nov 43, as C3). To NDRF 26 Jan 72, withdrawn 22 Apr 74. Trf. (sold) to Taiwan as YU TAI (sale date also reported as 15 Jan 74 and 22 Apr 74). Decommissioned by Taiwan 16 Apr 98 for disposal.
15	DEUCALION	Earlier orders: Newport News (19 Feb 44, as AR-5 class), Todd Tacoma (13 Apr 44, as C3).
16	MARS	Earlier orders: Newport News (19 Feb 44, as AR-5 class), Todd Tacoma (13 Apr 44, as C3).