USS Patoka (AO-9) Class

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USS Salinas (AO-19) circa the 1930s
Click on this photograph for links to larger images of this class.

Class:        PATOKA (AO-9)
Design        EFC 1106
Displacement (tons):        5,375 light, 16,800 full
Dimensions (feet):        477.8' oa, 463.25' pp x 60.0' wl x 26.2' mn
Original Armament:        2-5"/51 (AO-9, AO-12)
Later armaments:        1-5"/51 (1924: AO-9, 1932: AO-19);
2-5"/51 (1932: AO-11, removed 1933);
2-5"/51 2-3"/50 2<8-20mm (1939-41: AO-9, 11-13, 18-19, 21);
2-5"/51 2-3"/23 (1941: AO-20);
2-5"/51 4-3"/50 4<12-20mm (1941-43: AO-9, 11-12, 18-21);
2-5"/38 4-3"/50 8-20mm (1944: AO-12, 21);
2-5"/38 4-40mmT 8-20mm (1944: AO-11, 21);
2-5"/38 2-3"/50 (1945: AO-13)
Complement        109 (1929)
Speed (kts.):        10.5
Propulsion (HP):        2,900
Machinery:        Vertical quadruple expansion, 1 screw except Curtis turbine, 1 screw, in AO-13 and AO-21.

Construction:

AO	Name	Acq.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
9	PATOKA	3 Sep 19	Newport News SB & DD	17 Dec 18	26 Jul 19	13 Oct 19
11	SAPELO	30 Jan 20	Newport News SB & DD	3 May 19	24 Dec 19	19 Feb 20
12	RAMAPO	22 Oct 19	Newport News SB & DD	16 Jan 19	11 Sep 19	15 Nov 19
13	TRINITY	4 Sep 20	Newport News SB & DD	10 Nov 19	3 Jul 20	4 Sep 20
18	RAPIDAN	Dec 21	Newport News SB & DD	17 Feb 19	25 Oct 19	1 Jan 22
19	SALINAS	Dec 21	Newport News SB & DD	10 Apr 19	5 May 20	16 Dec 21
20	SEPULGA	13 Dec 21	Newport News SB & DD	20 Aug 19	21 Apr 20	13 Jan 22
21	TIPPECANOE	6 Mar 22	Newport News SB & DD	1 Oct 19	5 Jun 20	4 Mar 40

Disposition:

AO	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
9	PATOKA	1 Jul 46	31 Jul 46	16 Jul 46	MC/D	21 Jan 48
11	SAPELO	26 Oct 45	13 Nov 45	26 Jun 46	MC/S	1 May 46
12	RAMAPO	10 Jan 46	21 Jan 46	1 Jul 46	MC/D	12 Mar 48
13	TRINITY	28 May 46	3 Jul 46	5 Sep 46	MC/D	30 Oct 47
18	RAPIDAN	17 Sep 46	29 Oct 46	18 Sep 46	MC/D	4 Sep 47
19	SALINAS	16 Jan 46	25 Feb 46	1 Jul 46	MC/D	30 Oct 47
20	SEPULGA	1 Mar 46	20 Mar 46	1 Jul 46	MC/D	8 Aug 46
21	TIPPECANOE	6 Mar 46	12 Apr 46	1 Jul 46	MC/D	8 Aug 46

Class Notes:
In mid-1918 the Navy and the Shipping Board's Emergency Fleet Corporation collaborated on a plan to build twelve merchant-type tankers for Navy use. The EFC added the ships to its building program as its hulls 1650-1661 and retained ownership of the vessels, but it delegated to the Navy all aspects of their construction, including contracting, design, and supervision of construction. The ships were built at yards that worked for the Navy and not the EFC. On completion the EFC was to loan the ships to the Navy, which would take them over and man them for its own use. On 10 October 1918 the Navy on behalf of the EFC signed a contract with the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. for construction of eight oil tank steamers of about 11,375 tons deadweight capacity. Six of the ships were to have reciprocating engines and two were to have geared turbines. Navy names for the eight ships were assigned by Navy General Order 503 of 2 Sep 19 and promulgated within the EFC on 24 Oct 19.

For these ships Newport News selected the smaller of two designs of flush-decked tankers that it was then building. In 1916-17 the yard had delivered six large flush-decked 516-foot tankers, one of which later became USS PASIG, AO-89 (q.v.). Eventually 11 more ships of this type were built by four different shipyards, of which two served as Navy storage tankers in World War II (see the VANDALIA, IX-191 class). In 1918 Newport News also built two ships to a similar but smaller 477-foot design, H.M. FLAGLER and F.D. ASCHE. These in turn were the prototypes for the PATOKA (AO-9) class. Beginning with PATOKA in September 1919 four of the ships were transferred to the Navy upon completion on loan from the Shipping Board, but with the war over the Navy turned the other four over to the Shipping Board as soon as the shipbuilder delivered them. SEPULGA was initially one of the ships to be retained by the Navy but in February and March 1920 she was replaced first by SALINAS and then by TRINITY. The Navy thus received one of the two ships, TRINITY and TIPPECANOE, that had been built with Curtis turbines instead of reciprocating engines. As built the ships had a cargo capacity of 11,145 tons of oil.

In 1920 the Navy's lawyers determined that ships could be acquired from the Shipping Board by Presidential Executive Order, and by 17 Oct 21 negotiations between the Navy and the Shipping Board had reached the stage at which 15 specific hulls (3 refrigerating ships, 11 cargo ships, and one passenger & cargo ship) had been selected to replace an equivalent number of worn out Naval auxiliaries. All 12 of the 1918 tankers were also included in the deal, and on 29 Oct 21 Presidential Executive Order No. 3570 authorized the transfer of the 27 ships. Of the twelve tankers, five (AO 9-13) were already in Navy custody on loan from the Shipping Board, three were in commercial service under allocation from the Shipping Board, and four had been laid up by the Shipping Board.

As of 2 Nov 21 RAPIDAN and SALINAS were inoperative and immediately available at Mobile, Ala., SEPULGA was being operated as FLEETCO by the Columbus Steamship Co., and TIPPECANOE was being operated by Struthers & Dixon. SEPULGA was taken over at Mare Island on 13 Dec 21. As of 22 Dec 21 the crew of SALINAS and ship-keepers for RAPIDAN were at Mobile, the ships were ready for sea service, and it was expected that they would be taken over from the Shipping Board within a few days. As of 7 Jan 22 SALINAS was to proceed to New Orleans and Port Arthur, thence to Norfolk, sailing from Mobile on 9 Jan 22. RAPIDAN was to proceed to Norfolk, sailing from Mobile about 6 January. These three ships remained in commission only long enough to get to Navy Yards and by June 1922 all had been decommissioned. The second active unit, TIPPECANOE, was not available for release to the Navy until March 1922 when she was delivered at Mare Island and laid up without being commissioned. SALINAS was reactivated in 1926 but the others remained in reserve until 1940. AO-18, 20, and 21 were recommissioned in accordance with SecNav instructions dated 17 Oct 39

The Navy Department on 25 Feb 24 indicated that PATOKA (AO-9) was to be converted into an aircraft tender, but it specified on 28 May 24 that, while it had approved the conversion of the ship from an oiler to an aircraft tender, it did not desire to change her classification. PATOKA was fitted with a special mast aft for supporting the airship SHENANDOAH. OPNAV ordered on 29 Sep 25 that she be detached from duty with the Scouting Fleet and report for duty as a lighter-than-aircraft tender. At about this time a section was added to her mast to raise it and enable her to support the larger airship LOS ANGELES. PATOKA was decommissioned at the Puget Sound Navy Yard on 31 Aug 33. Her designation changed to Seaplane Tender (AV-6) on 11 Oct 39 and she was recommissioned on 11 Nov 39, but on 10 May 40 OPNAV promulgated a change in her duties and on 19 Jun 40 SecNav reclassified her back to an oiler (AO-9). CNO on 10 Sep 40 ordered that the dirigible mooing mast be removed at the earliest opportunity by the Norfolk Navy Yard and that it be retained there for possible future installation. Following service in the Atlantic as a tanker throughout the war, CominCh ordered her to report to Pac. by 1 Jun 45. CinCPac recommended on 23 Jul 45 that she be reclassified as an AG in view of her planned use for limited repair and oil storage. CominCh approved on 25 Jul 45, and CNO on 28 Jul 45 changed her designation from AO-9 to AG-125 effective 15 Aug 45.

Ship Notes:

AO	Name	EFC	Notes
9	PATOKA	165	Tender for airship SHENANDOAH 1924. Decomm. Puget Sd. 31 Aug 33. To AV-6 11 Oct 39. Recomm. 11 Nov 39. Reverted to AO-9 19 Jun 40. To AG-125 15 Aug 45. To buyer 15 Mar 48, scrapped by 11 Jun 48.
11	SAPELO	165	Decomm. at Philadelphia 14 Oct 33, recomm. 19 Aug 40. To buyer 25 Jun 46, scrapped by 7 Jun 48.
12	RAMAPO	165	To buyer 23 Apr 48 for operation. Merc. RAMAPO 1948, to Liberian flag 1950, scrapped 1953-54.
13	TRINITY	166	Decomm. 22 Dec 23 at Charleston, S.C. Recomm. 21 Jun 38 at Philadelphia. To buyer 9 Dec 47 for operation. Merc. TRINITY 1947, SEABEAVER 1951, ASYNETI 1953, scrapped 1953.
18	RAPIDAN	165	Deliv. to EFC 26 Nov 19. Decomm. 6 Jun 22 at Norfolk. Recomm. 22 Jan 40. To buyer 10 Sep 47, scrapped by 14 Jan 49.
19	SALINAS	165	Ex merc. HUDSONIAN 1921, USS SALINAS 1920. Deliv. to EFC 13 May 20. Renamed by Navy 2 Nov 21 effective date taken over. Decomm. 20 Jun 22 at Norfolk. Recomm. 12 Jun 26. To buyer 14 Nov 47 for operation. Merc. SALINAS 1947, to Liberian flag 1955, scrapped at Hamburg 1960.
20	SEPULGA	165	Ex merc. FLEETCO 1921, USS SEPULGA 1920. Deliv. to EFC 27 May 20. Renamed by Navy 2 Nov 21 effective date taken over. Decomm. 6 Apr 22 at Mare Is. Recomm. 5 Feb 40. To buyer 10 Dec 46, scrapped by 17 Jan 47.
21	TIPPECANOE	166	Deliv. to EFC 4 Aug 20. Comm. 4 Mar 40. To buyer 20 Nov 46, scrapped by 17 Jan 47.