General G. O. Squier-class transport

USNS General A.W. Greely (T-AP-141) in the early 1950s
History
United States
Namesake	George Owen Squier
General characteristics
Class and type	transport ship
Type	C4-S-A1
Displacement	9,950 tons (light), 17,250 tons (full)
Length	522 ft 10 in (159.36 m)
Beam	71 ft 6 in (21.79 m)
Draft	26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Propulsion	single-screw steam turbine with 9,900 shp (7,400 kW)
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Capacity	3,823 troops
Complement	356 (officers and enlisted)
Armament	4 × 40 mm AA gun mounts 16 × 20 mm AA gun mounts

The General G. O. Squier class of

Most of the General G. O. Squier class were deactivated in 1958 for two reasons: the introduction of jet airliners, and a decision to use berthing space on U.S.-flagged passenger ships.[5] Two ships, however, General LeRoy Eltinge and General R. M. Blatchford, assisted in United Nations efforts in the Congo Republic in the early 1960s, and both were pressed into service transporting troops to Vietnam in the mid 1960s.^[6]

Two other ships of the General G. O. Squier class, General Harry Taylor and General R. E. Callan were transferred to the U.S. Air Force as missile tracking ships as part of the Missile Test Project, and renamed USAFS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg and USAFS General H. H. Arnold, respectively. They were later transferred back to MSTS under their new names and redesignated with hull classification symbol "T-AGM".^[7]

The last General G. O. Squier-class ship afloat, the ex-General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, was sunk as an artificial reef off of the Florida Keys on 27 May 2009.^{[8][9] [10]}

General characteristics

• Displacement: 9,950 tons (light), 17,250 tons (full)
• Length: 522 ft 10 in (159.36 m)
• Beam: 71 ft 6 in (21.79 m)
• Draft:
  • 24 ft (7.32 m) (AP 130, 134, 137, 140, 142–149, 151, 154–158)
  • 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) (AP 131–133, 135–136, 138–139, 141, 150, 152–153, 159)
• Complement: 356 (officers and enlisted)
  • 425 (AP 136, 150)
  • 426 (AP 133)
  • 449 (AP 139)
  • 471 (AP 132)
  • 494 (AP 138)
  • 512 (AP 135)
• Troop capacity:
  • 2,173 troops (AP 147)
  • 3,343 troops (AP 133, 137, 149–151)
  • 3,444 troops (AP 132)
  • 3,522 troops (AP 131)
  • 3,530 troops (AP 134)
  • 3,595 troops (AP 140)
  • 3,823 troops (AP 130, 135–136, 139, 141–144, 148, 152–159)
  • 4,766 troops (AP 138)
  • 6,086 troops (AP 146)
• Armament
  • AP 130–133, 145, 149:

4 × 5"/38 caliber guns

8 × 1.1"/75 AA guns

16 ×

20 mm Oerlikon

AA guns

• • AP 141, 154–159:

4 × 5"/38 caliber gun mounts

4 × 40 mm AA gun mounts

16 × 20 mm AA gun mounts

• Speed: 17 knots (31 km/h)
• Propulsion: single-screw steam turbine with 9,900 shp (7,400 kW)

General G. O. Squier-class ships

• USS General G. O. Squier (AP-130)
• USS General T. H. Bliss (AP-131)
• USS General J. R. Brooke (AP-132)
• USS General O. H. Ernst (AP-133)
• USS General R. L. Howze (AP-134)
• USS General W. M. Black (AP-135), later USS Green Forest, Central Gulf Lines. MSC charter 1974.
• USS General H. L. Scott (AP-136)
• USS General S. D. Sturgis (AP-137)
• USS General C. G. Morton (AP-138)
• USS General R. E. Callan (AP-139), later USNS General H. H. Arnold (T-AGM-9)
• USS General M. B. Stewart (AP-140)
• USS General A. W. Greely (AP-141)
• USS General C. H. Muir (AP-142)
• USS General H. B. Freeman (AP-143)
• USS General H. F. Hodges (AP-144)
• USS General Harry Taylor (AP-145), later USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (T-AGM-10)
• USS General W. F. Hase (AP-146)
• USS General E. T. Collins (AP-147)
• USS General M. L. Hersey (AP-148)
• USS General J. H. McRae (AP-149)
• USS General M. M. Patrick (AP-150)
• USS General W. C. Langfitt (AP-151)
• USS General Omar Bundy (AP-152)
• USS General R. M. Blatchford (AP-153)
• USS General LeRoy Eltinge (AP-154)
• USS General A. W. Brewster (AP-155)
• USS General D. E. Aultman (AP-156)
• USS General C. C. Ballou (AP-157)
• USS General W. G. Haan (AP-158)
• USS General Stuart Heintzelman (AP-159)

See also

• Type C4 class ship
• Haven-class hospital ship of the U.S. Navy were also based on the Type C4 hull design.

References