Chicopee-class oiler

USS Chicopee (AO-34) underway in the Mediterranean en route to Casablanca, Morocco, 2 June 1944
Class overview
Name	Chicopee class
Builders	Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Chester, Pennsylvania
Preceded by	Cimarron class
Succeeded by	Kennebec class
In commission	9 January 1942 - 11 March 1946
Completed	2
Lost	0
General characteristics
Type	Replenishment oiler
Length	520 ft (160 m)
Beam	68 ft (21 m)
Draft	30 ft 10 in (9.40 m)
Propulsion	geared steam turbine single screw 9,000 hp (6,700 kW)
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h)
Capacity	131,600 bbl (~17,950 t)
Complement	279
Armament	1 × 5"/38 caliber gun mounts 4 × 3"/50 caliber gun mounts 2 × twin 40 mm AA gun mounts 2 × twin 20 mm AA gun mounts

The Chicopee-class oilers were oilers operated by the United States Navy during World War II. There were two ships of the class, and both survived the war.

Description

The class consisted of two petroleum tankers that had been ordered by Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and were acquired by the U.S. Navy in early 1942. Chicopee, the former Esso Trenton, was acquired by the U.S. Navy shortly after launching, while Housatonic, the former Esso Albany, was acquired after making two voyages for Standard Oil.

Operational history

The Chicopee oilers both operated in the Atlantic and Mediterranean areas from commissioning through late 1944, when they both were assigned to the Pacific theater.

Both ships were returned to Standard Oil at decommissioning, and both were later converted to container ships. The extant portions of the hull of the ex-Chicopee, were scrapped in 1963, while the ex-Housatonic was scrapped some time after 1989.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Wildenberg, Thomas (1996). Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy, 1912-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. Retrieved 2009-04-28.