USS ''Arcturus'' (AF-52) was an Alstede class stores ship

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acquired by the

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. Her task was to carry stores, refrigerated items, and equipment to ships in the fleet, and to remote stations and staging areas. The fifth Navy vessel to be named ''Arcturus'', ''AF-52'' was laid down on 8 December 1941 at

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, by the Moore Dry Dock Co. under a

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contract (MC hull 184) as ''Golden Eagle''; launched on 15 March 1942; sponsored by Mrs. John B. McKee; and delivered to the

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(WSA) on 23 April 1943. She was operated under WSA charter by the

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Co. until 1946 and, thereafter by the Sword Line Inc. and the

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. LTJG Sam Bell Damage Control Officer, OOD in formation cruising, 1964-1967

Assigned to the Army Transportation Corps

Between October 1948 and early 1950, she served the Army Transportation Corps as ''USAT Golden Eagle''.

Assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service

In March 1950, ''Golden Eagle'' was transferred from the

to the Navy and 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 Golden Eagle'' (T-AF-52).

Return to the Navy as AF-52 with a civilian crew

Designated AF-52 and run by a Navy crew, ''Golden Eagle'' operated out of New York carrying supplies to American bases in the North

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, and the

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. During November and December 1950, she was deployed to the Mediterranean for provisioning operations and, through the first six months of 1951, carried cargo to

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...

and

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. Following a second stint of service in the Mediterranean, she departed New York on 3 August for logistics duty off Thule, Greenland. Returning to New York on 13 September, she resumed

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service on the 19th. Between 1952 and 1961, ''Golden Eagle'' made regular runs to ports in western

. Operating out of New York,

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, and

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, she steamed to Bremerhaven, Liverpool, and

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. During August and September 1952 and 1953, she supplied ships participating in Operation Blue Jay at Thule. Cargo missions in the North Atlantic sent her to Newfoundland, Iceland, and Baffin Island.

Commissioned with a Navy crew

Following her return from European waters to New York in the summer of 1961, ''Golden Eagle'' entered the

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to begin modifications to prepare her to become a commissioned ship. She was renamed ''Arcturus'' on 13 October 1961 and placed in commission at New York on 18 November 1961.

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training in the

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and post-shakedown repairs at the Maryland Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in

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, occupied her until the summer of 1962. In June 1962, ''Arcturus'' stood out of Norfolk, Virginia, on her first deployment to the

as a unit of the

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. Over the next decade, the ship provided logistics support for Navy forces operating in the Mediterranean Sea and in the West Indies. During most years, she served three tours of duty resupplying ships of the

. In between those assignments, ''Arcturus'' made logistics support voyages to the West Indies, conducted type training, and participated in multiship exercises. Regular overhauls periodically interrupted that schedule and, when they occurred, usually limited her to one or two deployments to the Mediterranean for the year in question. LTJG Dorsey served as Supply Officer from 1964 to 1966. LTJG Curry served as Deck Officer, then Navigator from 1965 to 1968.

Decommissioning

Late in 1972, as she prepared for the 24th Mediterranean deployment of her Navy career, her refrigeration compressor system broke down completely. Early in October, the Navy decided to inactivate her. On 2 November, ''Arcturus'' began preparations for decommissioning. She was placed out of commission at the Naval Amphibious Base,

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, on 16 March 1973. On 18 October 1973, ''Arcturus'' was transferred to the

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and berthed with the

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's contingent in Virginia's James River. Her name was struck from the

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on 1 October 1976. In December 1985, she was authorized for use as a target to destruction. Final Disposition: sunk as a target, 24 July 1997. Sunk by Naval Gunfire from the USS Cole (DDG-67) at .

Military awards and honors

Her crew was eligible for the following medal: *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

References

External links

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - T-AF-52 Golden Eagle - AF-52 Arcturus

Military.com Unit Pages USS Arcturus - AF 52
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arcturus (AF-52) Type C2-S-B1 ships Ships built in Oakland, California 1943 ships World War II merchant ships of the United States Alstede-class stores ships Type C2-S-B1 ships of the United States Navy