Kanawha-class fleet replenishment oiler
_in_the_early_1920s.jpg) USS Kanawha
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kanawha class |
| Builders | |
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Patoka class |
| Subclasses | Cuyama class |
| Built | 1913-1921 |
| In commission | 1915-1946 |
| Planned | 6 |
| Completed | 6 |
| Lost | 3 |
| Retired | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Oil tanker |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 475 ft 7 in (144.96 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 3 in (17.15 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft 8 in (8.13 m) |
| Speed | 14 knots |
| Complement | 317 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
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The Kanawha-class oiler was a class of oil tankers of United States Navy and later sold to the Republic of China Navy.
Development[edit]
Six oilers were ordered for construction by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard and the Boston Navy Yard. They were one of the earliest purpose-built oilers for the United States Navy. Kanawha and Maumee were recommissioned during the Second World War meanwhile the other ships remained in service ever since commissioning.[1]
The Cuyama subclass was an improved version of the first two ships of the Kanawha class.
Kanawha, Neches and Pecos were sunk in battles in the Pacific against the Japanese while the other three served until the end of the war. Maumee was transferred on a lend lease to the Nationalist Army in China in which she was renamed ROCS Omei (AO-509).
Ships of class[edit]
| Pennant number | Name | Callsign | Builders | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanawha-class oiler[2] | ||||||||
| AO-1 | Kanawha | NND / NEQD | Mare Island Navy Yard | 8 December 1913 | 11 July 1914 | 5 June 1915 | Sunk off Tulagi Harbor on 8 April 1943 | |
| AO-2 / AG-124 | Maumee | NNE / NEQL | 23 July 1914 | 17 April 1915 | 20 October 1916 | 5 November 1946 | Transferred to the Republic of China and renamed ROCS Omei (AO-509), fate unknown | |
| Cuyama-class oiler[2] | ||||||||
| AO-3 | Cuyama | NERP | Mare Island Navy Yard | 15 December 1915 | 17 June 1916 | 12 April 1917 | 12 April 1946 | Scrapped on 10 September 1947 |
| AO-4 | Brazos | NIFK | Boston Navy Yard | 21 June 1917 | 1 May 1919 | 1 October 1919 | 8 February 1946 | Scrapped on 6 January 1947 |
| AO-5 | Neches | NIFP | 8 June 1919 | 2 June 1920 | 25 October 1920 | Sunk by I-72 on 23 January 1942 | ||
| AO-6 | Pecos | NIFQ | 2 June 1920 | 23 April 1921 | 25 August 1921 | Sunk by aircraft from Sōryū on 1 March 1942 | ||
Citations[edit]
- ^ "Kanawha class Oilers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ a b "NavSource Auxiliary Ship Photo Archive". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
 United States Navy | |
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 Republic of China Navy |
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