USAT Frederick Lykes
From Our Contribution
 USAT Frederick Lykes during ww2 | |
 1940 photo of ship as delivered navsource.org | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | USAT Frederick Lykes |
| Owner | Lykes Bros Steamship Co |
| Builder | Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co, New Jersey |
| Launched | 1940 |
| Completed | 11 Apr 1940 |
| In service | April 1940 |
| Out of service | 15 Jun 1971 |
| Fate | sold for scrapping 15 Jun 1`971 to Taiwan |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Maritime Commission type (C3-S-A1) hull |
| Tonnage | 7,000 tons |
| Length | 492 ft (149.96m) |
| Beam | 69 ft 6 in 921.18m) |
| Depth | 28 ft 6 in (8.69m) |
| Propulsion | single screw |
| Speed | 18.6 knots (34.45 km/h) |
| Capacity | 576 crew, 2,288 troops, or 5,200 DWT cargo |
Remarks
Laid down in 1939 as SS Sea Hound, she was launched in 1940 and delivered on 11 Apr 1940 to Lykes Bros Steamship Co, named SS Frederick Lykes. Acquired by the US War Shipping Administration on 21 Mar 1942, and assigned on 1 Jul 1943 to the US Army Transportation Corporation. The Todd Shipbuilding Co in New York converted her as a troop ship.
In 1942 she circumnavigated Africa and made several Atlantic crossings before being chartered by the war department for use as a troop ship. Following her conversion she provided a service between the UK and New York. In August 1944 she moved to the Pacific Theatre, and visited Finschhafen, Lae and Langemark before returning to the USA for major repairs. She returned to the Pacific in February 1945 for ports including Townsville. Returning to the USA she moved to the east coast and made several return journeys between European pors and the USA after hostilities had ceased.
Surplus to the needs of the War Department, she was transferred to the War Shipping Administration who returned her to Sykes Bros Steamships on 13 Feb 1946.