USNS ''Paoli'' (T-AO-157) was a ''Gettysburg''-class fuel tanker, built at Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...

. A Type T2–SE–A1 tanker, it was hull number 401 and

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

number 1734. The ship was laid down on 18 July 1944, launched on 31 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Lina Martin, and delivered to the

on 11 November 1944 for operation by War Emergency Tankers,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Service history

''Paoli'' made oil runs to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, between the Caribbean and the east coast; and to the Persian Gulf during World War II. On 5 January 1946 the ship was transferred to Sieling & Jarvis of Newport News, Virginia, and then sold to Cities Service Oil Co., on 14 January 1947, for $1,797,871.78. The ship was returned to the Maritime Commission on 23 March 1955, at Beaumont, Texas, for lay up. ''Paoli'' was acquired by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from the

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as political tensions in the Middle East heightened. The ship was assigned to the

Military Sea Transportation Service Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

(MSTS), as USNS ''Paoli'' (T-AO-157) on 15 October 1956, and was operated by Marine Transport Lines Inc. ''Paoli'' served until returned to MARAD custody and struck from the

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on 2 October 1957.

SS Marine Floridian

On 2 February 1966 the ship was transferred to Marine Navigation Sulphur Carriers Inc., and rebuilt into a liquid sulfur carrier at

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and renamed . She was a 5,700 ton, ocean-going tanker. In 1977, ''Marine Floridian'' collided with the

Benjamin Harrison Bridge The Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that spans the James River between Jordan's Point in Prince George County and Charles City County near Hopewell, Virginia. The bridge carries vehicle traffic of State Route 106 a ...

, a drawbridge over the James River near

Hopewell, Virginia Hopewell is an independent city surrounded by Prince George County and the Appomattox River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 23,033. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Hopewell with Prin ...

. The collision closed the bridge to traffic for 20 months and resulted in damages totaling $9.7 million. The ship was later renamed SS ''Belofin Floridian'' shortly before being scrapped in 1997.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paoli (T-AO-157) Type T2-SE-A1 tankers 1944 ships World War II tankers of the United States Suamico-class oilers Type T2-SE-A1 tankers of the United States Navy Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company Shipwrecks of the James River Merchant ships of the United States Shipwrecks of the Virginia coast Maritime incidents in 1977