USS Hydra (AK-82), ex MV ''Eben H. Linnell'', was an
[Only of the ten-ship ''Enceladus''-class, composed of Maritime Commission N3-M-A1 type small cargo vessels, saw significant naval service. The other nine, except USS ''Hydra'' (AK-82), were transferred within months or days of shipyard delivery from the Navy to the Army. ''Hydra'' was transferred to the Army shortly after commissioning and trials. The Navy had assumed administration of the contracts for these ships from the Maritime Commission on 1 January 1943 during or before construction so most were only administratively Navy, including names and numbers, during construction.] commissioned by the U.S. Navy for cargo service in
World War II. ''Hydra'' was in naval service from 1 January through 19 November 1943 before she was transferred to the
U.S. Army for conversion to the
Engineer Port Repair ship ''Madison Jordan Manchester''.
Construction
Constructed as a
Maritime Commission N3-M-A1 type, initially under Maritime Commission contract by
Penn-Jersey Ship Building Co.,
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
as
MV ''Eben H. Linnell'', with the contract being transferred to Navy during construction.
The ship was acquired by the Navy 1 January 1943 before launch on 23 January 1943.
Naval Service
The ship was converted for naval service at Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, with completion on 27 May 1943.
''Hydra'' commissioned 25 September 1943, and arrived at
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, 1 October to prepare for her
shakedown. For the next month she engaged in various operations, including speed trials and target runs in the
Chesapeake Bay.
She was loading cargo in Norfolk, Virginia upon transfer to the Army
and departed in early November for
Boston Harbor 5 November to begin the transfer process where she was decommissioned 19 November 1943 and transferred to the Army the same day.
Army Service
''Hydra'' was renamed by the Army as the
Engineer Port Repair ship ''Madison Jordan Manchester'' after an Engineer officer killed in the war. Conversion began in the second week of December 1943 with delays plaguing the program and scheduled completion delayed until 31 March 1944. Crew training further delayed the ship.
Sailing for the European Theater was not until 8 November 1944 from New York in Convoy HX 303.
Fate
The ship was returned to the
Maritime Commission and arrived in the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
National Defense Reserve Fleet on 20 August 1947.
There, the ship was put into use on 15 July 1985 as Fleet Service Craft (SS-27) to support maintenance of the fleet until disposal 24 May 1994.
''Madison Jordan Manchester'' was berthed at Fairfield Terminal at Baltimore, Maryland before scrapping there.
Notes
References
External links
* (aka USAT ''Madison Jordan Manchester'')
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hydra (AK-82)
Port repair ships of the United States Army
Enceladus-class cargo ships
Ships built in Camden, New Jersey
1943 ships
Type N3 ships of the United States Army
World War II auxiliary ships of the United States