USS ''Skywatcher'' (YAGR/AGR-3) was a , converted from a Liberty Ship, acquired by the US Navy in 1954. She was converted into a radar picket ship and assigned to radar picket duty in the North Atlantic Ocean as part of the

Distant Early Warning Line The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the north coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska (see Proj ...

Construction

''Skywatcher'' (YAGR-3) was laid down on 30 November 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2337, as the Liberty Ship ''Rafael R. Rivera'', by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida. She was launched on 16 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Evelyn Anderson; and delivered 25 June 1945, to the States Marine Corporation.

Service history

Seacowboys

In 1946, after World War II, ''Rafael R. Rivera'' was converted to a livestock ship, also called a cowboy ship. From 1945 to 1947, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the Brethren Service Committee of the Church of the Brethren sent livestock to war-torn countries. These "seagoing cowboys" made about 360 trips on 73 different ships. The ''Heifers for Relief project'' was started by the Church of the Brethren in 1942; in 1953, this became ''Heifer International''. ''Rafael R Rivera'' was one of these ships, known as cowboy ships, as she moved livestock across the Atlantic Ocean. ''Rafael R Rivera'' moved horses, heifers, and mules, as well as a some chicks, rabbits, and goats.Seacowboys report
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U.S. Navy service

She was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 20 September 1954, and converted at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Norfolk, Virginia, into an ocean station radar ship. She was commissioned on 29 March 1955. In July 1955, she assumed her first duties in the

Contiguous Radar Coverage System Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense, tasked with air defense for the Continental United States. It comprised Army, Air Force, and Navy components. It included Army P ...

of the United States while operating out of Newport, Rhode Island. In September 1958, the ship's designation was changed from ''YAGR-3'' to radar picket ship ''AGR-3''. Her home port was changed to Davisville, Rhode Island, and she operated from there until early 1965, with

Radar Picket Squadron 2 Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

, spending over 50 percent of her time on her assigned picket station.

Decommissioning

In March 1965, ''Skywatcher'' was placed in reserve, out of commission, and struck from the Navy List on 1 April 1965. She was sold on 23 December 1970, to Daewood Corp., Ltd., of Karachi, Pakistan. She was resold again for scrapping and in December 1971, she arrived at Santander, Spain, to be scrapped.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skywatcher (AGR-3) Liberty ships Ships built in Panama City, Florida 1945 ships World War II merchant ships of the United States Guardian-class radar picket ships Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States