SS ''Sackett's Harbor'' was a

T2 tanker The T2 tanker, or T2, was a class of oil tanker constructed and produced in large quantities in the United States during World War II. Only the T3 tankers were larger "navy oilers" of the period. Some 533 T2s were built between 1940 and the end o ...

that was built in August 1943. She served in the

United States Merchant Marine United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...

during

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The ship was a namesake of

Sackets Harbor, New York Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augustus Sackett, who ...

. ''Sackett's Harbor'' survived the war basically unscathed but on 1 March 1946 she was sailing between

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The ...

and Balboa when she broke in half about 800 miles southwest of

Adak, Alaska Adak (, ale, Adaax, russian: Адак), formerly Adak Station, is a city located on Adak Island, in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 171, down from 326 in 2010. It is the westernmo ...

. The bow of the ship was sunk but the stern continued to float. The stern section was able to get to Adak under her own power. The only reported fatalities were two cats.

Power plant

The ship was later towed to

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring ...

where she served as Anchorage's first major power source. The ship's electric drive supplied about 55% of Anchorage's electricity requirements from 1946 to 1955. In 1955, she was replaced by the

Eklutna Dam The Eklutna Dam, also referred to as the New Eklutna Dam or Upper Eklutna Dam, is an embankment dam on the Eklutna River about northeast of Anchorage in Alaska, United States. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and ...

New bow

The ship was given a new bow around 1957 and was rechristened as the SS ''Angelo Petri''. She was fitted with stainless steel tanks and hauled wine for the Associated Vintners from Stockton, California through the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a Channel ( ...

to the East Coast. She was renamed ''Californian'' in 1970, and then ''Sea Chemist'' in 1975 when she was sold to Antilles Navegacion S.A., of

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

. She was sold for scrapping in early 1978 and was broken up at

Vinaròs Vinaròs () is a city located in eastern Spain and the capital of the Baix Maestrat in the province of Castelló. It is in the border between the Valencian Country and Catalonia. Vinaròs is a fishing harbour and tourist destination. History ...

References

External links

armed-guard.comAnchorage Municipal Light and Powerwestcoastwine.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sackett's Harbor 1943 ships 1946 in Alaska Maritime incidents in 1946 Ships built in Portland, Oregon Shipwrecks of the Alaska coast Type T2-SE-A1 tankers World War II tankers of the United States