Technical research ship
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/USS_Liberty_%28AGTR-5%29_underway_in_Chesapeake_Bay_on_29_July_1967_%28K-39927%29.jpg/220px-USS_Liberty_%28AGTR-5%29_underway_in_Chesapeake_Bay_on_29_July_1967_%28K-39927%29.jpg)
Technical research ships were used by the
Function
These ships carried a crew of U.S. Navy personnel whose specialty was intercepting wireless electronic communications and gathering intelligence from those communications (
In order to transmit intelligence information that had been gathered back to United States for further processing and analysis, these ships had a special system named Technical Research Ship Special Communications, or TRSSCOM (pronounced tress-com).
These ships were classified as naval auxiliaries with a
One of these ships' crew received a Presidential Unit Citation for heroism in combat. USS Liberty was attacked, severely damaged and 34 crew members killed by shelling, napalm bombing and torpedoing from Israeli jet fighter aircraft and motor torpedo boats on June 8, 1967.
USS Jamestown was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation along with USS Oxford. The citation reads (in part) "For meritorious service from 1 November 1965 to 30 June 1969 while participating in combat support operations in Southeast Asia. Through research and the compilation of extremely valuable technical data, USS Jamestown and USS Oxford contributed most significantly to the overall security of the United States and other Free World forces operating in support of the Republic of Vietnam. Signed E.R. Zumwalt, Admiral, USN, Chief of Naval Operations."
For specifications of these ships, see Liberty ship and Victory ship.
Ships of the AGTR type
- (dates of commissioning–decommissioning)
- Oxford class (Liberty ship type)
- USS Oxford • 1961–1969
- USS Georgetown • 1963–1969
- USS Jamestown • 1963–1969
- Belmont class (Victory ship type)
- USS Belmont • 1964–1970
- USS Liberty • 1964–1968
Environmental research ship (AGER)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/USS_Pueblo_%28AGER-2%29.jpg/220px-USS_Pueblo_%28AGER-2%29.jpg)
Three smaller ships, former Army Freight Supply (FS) ships converted by Navy to Light Cargo Ship (AKL) vessels and then to Banner-class environmental research ships (AGER)[3][4] had a similar mission. In contrast to the high freeboard of the AGTR Liberty and Victory hulls, the AGER decks were low and vulnerable to boarding from small craft. [3] USS Pueblo, technically still in commission, has been held by North Korea since its attack and capture by on January 23, 1968.[5]
Ships of the AGER type
- USS Banner (redesignated from AKL-25/T-AKL-25, ex Army FS-345)[6]
- USS Pueblo (redesignated from AKL-44, ex Army FS-344)[7]
- USS Palm Beach (redesignated from AKL-45, ex U.S. Army FS-217)[8]
Auxiliary General (AG) USNS ships
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/USNSPvtJoseFValdez.jpg/220px-USNSPvtJoseFValdez.jpg)
Three technical research ships were operated as
- USNS Private Jose F. Valdez (Maritime Commission C1-M-AV1 type)[10]
- USNS LT. James E. Robinson (Maritime Commission VC2-S-AP2 (Victory) type)[11]
- USNS Sgt. Joseph E. Muller (Maritime Commission C1-M-AV1 type)[12]
See also
- Spy ship
- USS Parche (SSN-683) and USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), nuclear submarines modified or designed for intelligence gathering.
- USS Sphinx, modified for electronic surveillance in El Salvador and Nicaragua area (1985-1987).
- List of research vessels – United States
- Naval trawler
References
- ^ Lee, Bill (June 2013). "Spy Ships: Cold War Warriors Created at NNS" (PDF). Explorer Magazin. p. [1], 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ISBN 9781640124752 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e f Holhaus, H. L. (September 1977). "Comment and Discussion". Proceedings. United States Naval Institute.
- ^ "Environmental Research Ship (AGER) Index". NavSource Photo Archives. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "USS Pueblo (AGER 2)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
- ^ "USS Banner (AGER-1)". NavSource Photo Archives. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "USS Pueblo (AGER-2)". NavSource Photo Archives. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "USS Palm Beach (AGER-3)". NavSource Photo Archives. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "Lt. James E. Robinson". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "USNS Pvt. Jose F. Valdez (T-AG-169)". NavSource Photo Archives. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "USNS LT. James E. Robinson (T-AK-274)". NavSource Photo Archives. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "USNS Sgt. Joseph E. Muller (T-AG-171)". NavSource Photo Archives. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
External links
- The "Special Project Fleet" 1961-69, 1985-89 in America's Cold War Infrastructure by Al Grobmeier
- Unofficial ship pages:
- USS Oxford — Navsource Online
- USS Oxford
- USS Georgetown Archived 2014-01-05 at the Wayback Machine
- USS Jamestown
- USS Jamestown
- USS Belmont
- USS Liberty memorial
- USS Liberty