USS ''Schuyler'' (AK-209) was an that was constructed for the

US 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 of ...

during the closing period of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She served with distinction in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations and returned home in 1946 to be placed into the reserve "mothball" fleet where she silently remained until she was scrapped in 1971.

Construction

''Schuyler'' was laid down under

US 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 ...

(MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2163, on 27 May 1944, by Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin; sponsored by Miss Marilyn Hughes; acquired by the Navy on 20 June 1945; and commissioned on 13 July 1945, at

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

Service history

World War II service

''Schuyler'' loaded cargo at Gulfport, Mississippi, and

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, and sailed from the latter port on 9 August 1945 for the Pacific Ocean. She arrived at

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

on 28 September; but, due to the end of the war, neither the cargo nor the ship was required there. She remained in the Philippine Islands until the cargo was purchased by the

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in November 1943, it was dissolved in September 1948. it became part o ...

for distribution in China. The ship then proceeded to

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

and discharged her cargo there between 18 January and 22 March. She arrived at Yokosuka on 27 March, was decommissioned and simultaneously returned to the

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime Co ...

(WSA) on 22 April 1946, and struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...

on 5 June 1946.

Post-war inactivation

After service under charter to the

Japanese government The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...

, the ship was laid up on 10 December 1954 in the

National Defense Reserve Fleet The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of ships of the United States of America, mostly merchant vessels, that have been "mothballed" but can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping during national military emergencies ...

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

, where she remained until sold on 5 February 1971, for $34,385 and scrapping.

Notes

;Citations

Bibliography

Online resources * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schuyler (AK-209) Alamosa-class cargo ships Ships built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin 1944 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Schuyler County, New York Schuyler County, Illinois Schuyler County, Missouri