Arcturus Class, U.S.
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The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia | |
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| Tonnage | 7480 tons light displacement14,225 tons fully loaded |
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| Dimensions | 459' 1" by 63' by 25'9"139.93m by 19.2m by 7.85m |
| Maximum speed | 16.5 knots |
| Complement | 267 |
| Armament | 1 5"/51 gun4 3"/50 AA guns8 20mm Oerlikon AA guns |
| Machinery | 1-shaft Sun Nordberg diesel (6000 shp) |
| Bunkerage | 1250 tons diesel fuel |
| Cargo | 4410 deadweight tons336,254 cubic feet (9522 m3) |
| Modifications | Most units eventually landed the 3" guns to make room for 4x2 40mm Bofors AA guns and 18 20mm guns.Machinery varied somewhat, with some units having slightly different diesel machinery and later units having geared turbine machinery, a slightly lower speed (15.5 knots) and bunkeratge of 1630 tons fuel oil. |
The _Arcturuses_were Maritime Commission standard C2-S-AJ3vessels converted for use as Navy cargo ships. The first two units were acquired in 1939 and were among the most modern cargo ships operated by Navy crews when war broke out. Additional units were acquired in 1942. Originally designated as cargo ships, they were later redesignated as attack cargo ships, and equipped with 8 LCM(3)and 12 LCVP, Winn davits, and two quadrupod masts supporting 30- and 10-ton booms.
Units in the Pacific:
| Procyon | Mare Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Betelgeuse | arrived 1942-4-16 | |
| Bellatrix | arrived 1942-4-18 | |
| Electra | arrived 1942-5-17 | |
| Alchiba | arrived 1942-6 | |
| Alcyone | arrived 1942-6withdrawn 1942-9arrived 1943-9-43 | |
| Libra | arrived 1942-6-17 | |
| Mercury | arrived 1942-7 | Not technically an Arcturus, but a one-off C2 conversion with approximately the same characteristics. |
| Algorab | arrived 1942-12 | |
| Titania | arrived 1942-12-25 | |
| Oberon | arrived 1943-1 | |
| Starr | arrived 1944-12 | |
| Arcturus | arrived 1945-1-9 |
References
NavSource.org (accessed 2007-4-27)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007-2009, 2011-2012 by Kent G. Budge. Index
