USS Klondike (AD-22) Class

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USS Frontier (AD-25) at San Diego on 26 January 1952.
Click on this photograph for links to larger images of this class.

Class:        KLONDIKE (AD-22)
Design:        Navy C3
Displacement (tons):        8,165 light, 16,635 lim.
Dimensions (feet):        492.0' oa, 465.0' pp x 69.5' e x 27.25' lim.
Original Armament:        1-5"/38 4-3"/50 2-40mmT 20-20mm (1945: AD 22-23)
Later armaments:        1-5"/38 4-3"/50 2-40mmT 6<12-20mmT (1946-56: AD 23-25); 1-5"/38 4-3"/50 2-40mmT (1957: AD-25); 1-5"/38 4-3"/50 (1957-59: AD 23-25);
2-3"/50 (1959-63: all)
Complement:        741 (1944)
Speed (kts):        18.4
Propulsion (HP):        8,500
Machinery:        G.E. turbine, 1 screw

Construction:

AD	Name	Ord.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
22	KLONDIKE	2 Dec 42	Los Angeles SB & DD	6 Dec 43	12 Aug 44	30 Jul 45
23	ARCADIA	2 Dec 42	Los Angeles SB & DD	6 Mar 44	19 Nov 44	13 Sep 45
24	EVERGLADES	2 Dec 42	Los Angeles SB & DD	26 Jun 44	28 Jan 45	25 May 51
25	FRONTIER	2 Dec 42	Los Angeles SB & DD	16 Aug 44	25 Mar 45	2 Mar 46

Disposition:

AD	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
22	KLONDIKE	15 Dec 70	15 Sep 74	8 May 75	MA/S	8 May 75
23	ARCADIA	28 Jun 68	1 Jul 73	30 Jun 69	MA/T	15 Jul 74
24	EVERGLADES	15 Aug 70	24 May 89	2 Jul 90	MA/T	18 Sep 91
25	FRONTIER	28 Jun 68	1 Dec 72	31 Aug 69	MA/T	18 Apr 75

Class Notes:
FY 1942. On 9 May 42 the Auxiliary Vessels Board noted that the Maximum War Effort Program included 13 tenders, 2 ammunition ships, and 14 oilers to be built in 1943-45. These included nine tenders (AD 22-25, AV 14-17, and AS-23) to be converted in 1943 from C3 hulls. The Maritime Commission initially estimated that it could build and convert the 4 AD and 4 AV at Western Pipe, San Francisco, and the AS at Seattle-Tacoma, Tacoma, but the Tacoma yard was soon shifted from Maritime Commission to Navy control for construction of escort carriers (AVG). By June 1942 the MC was no longer willing to divert nine C3s from its merchant ship program, and on 20 Jul 42 it suggested the Navy built the tenders at Tacoma following the 1943 AVG program. On 6 Aug 42 VCNO ordered the construction of the nine tenders at Tacoma, where they were to replace 9 of the 24 AVG's in the 1944 program. On 27 Aug 42 BuShips informed VCNO that to expedite the tender programs it planned to build only five of the tenders at Tacoma and had arranged to build the four destroyer tenders at Western Pipe's San Pedro yard, which the Navy controlled. There they were to be duplicates of CASCADE (AD-16) with minor modifications, permitting use of about 90 percent of the working plans for CASCADE. However this Western Pipe yard was reassigned to the Destroyer Escort program, DE 739-762 being ordered there on 9 Nov 42, and on 24 Oct 42 BuShips recommended to VCNO that, with the expansion of the escort carrier program, the four destroyer tenders be indefinitely deferred or even cancelled. VCNO rejected this recommendation on 3 Nov 42, noting that under current plans the Navy would have 509 destroyers and only 14 destroyer tenders in service in 1945. On 20 Nov 42 the Navy received a proposal from another San Pedro yard under its control, the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp., to build four destroyer tenders and the Navy awarded the contract on 2 Dec 42.

During November 1942 the Navy and the shipyard agreed that the ships would be similar to MARKAB (AD-21), an early Maritime Commission C3-Cargo freighter designed by George S. Sharp of New York, built by Ingalls, and probably similar to the C3-S-A2 type ships later built in quantity by both Ingalls and Western Pipe (see the APA-33 class). Sharp was to act as design agent and furnish detailed working plans for both the construction and conversion of the ships, the conversion using the detailed working plans he had prepared for the MARKAB conversion. BuShips specified that, to save time, labor, and money, the plans prepared for MARKAB should be used wherever practicable. The ships were to be delivered between July and December 1944. However the Los Angeles yard fell badly behind schedule, and the Navy finally requisitioned it on 3 Dec 43 and turned it over on 9 Dec 43 to the Todd Shipyards Corp., N.Y., for operation as managing agent. On 10 Jul 44 the Navy changed Todd's status to that of an independent contractor and awarded a new contract for the ships to Todd Shipyards Corp., San Pedro. AD-23 was transferred two days after launching to the U.S. Naval Drydocks, Terminal Is., San Pedro, Cal. (later the Long Beach Naval Shipyard) for completion in order to speed up completion, make available additional skilled labor at Todd San Pedro for repair work, and provide some steady work for the large ship repair workforce at Terminal Is. AD-24 was transferred a few days after launching (about 40% complete) to Bethlehem San Pedro for completion; the transfer was expected to accelerate the completion of other ships at Todd San Pedro (AV 11-13, AD-22 and AD-25) without delaying completions at Bethlehem.

Ship Notes:

AD	Name	Notes
22	KLONDIKE	Builder's yard became Todd San Pedro (new contract 10 Jul 44). In USN reserve 1946-59 (in service in reserve at San Diego 1947-55). To AR-22 20 Feb 60.
23	ARCADIA	Builder's yard became Todd San Pedro (new contract 10 Jul 44). Completed by U.S. Naval Dry Docks, Terminal Is., San Pedro, Cal. (order 9 Nov 44, transferred 21 Nov 44). In USN reserve 1946-51 (in service in reserve at Charleston, S.C.). To NDRF 23 Oct 68, to buyer 2 Aug 74.
24	EVERGLADES	Builder's yard became Todd San Pedro (new contract 10 Jul 44). Completed by Bethlehem Steel Co., Terminal Is., San Pedro, Cal. (order 1 Feb 45, transferred 12 Feb 45). Accepted without commissioning in inactivated condition 6 May 47. In USN reserve 1946-51. To NDRF and title to MA 2 Jul 90.
25	FRONTIER	Builder's yard became Todd San Pedro (new contract 10 Jul 44). In USN reserve 1946-51 (in service in reserve at San Diego). To NDRF 26 Sep 68, to buyer 22 Apr 75.