USS Minidoka

History
United States
Name
  • Coastal Herald (1944–1945)
  • Minidoka (never commissioned)
NamesakeMinidoka County, Idaho
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2127[1]
BuilderWalter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin
Yard number45[1]
Laid down26 August 1944
Sponsored byMrs. R. N. Elder
Completed5 May 1945
Commissionedcanceled 25 August 1945
Identification
Fatereturned to the Maritime Commission
United States
NameCoastal Herald
OwnerMaritime Commission
Operator
Acquired4 December 1945
In service4 December 1945
Out of service2 July 1948
FateSold 13 July 1956
BrazilBrazil
NameCoastal Herald
OperatorCompanhia Nacional de Navegacao Costerira, Patrimonio Nacional
Acquired13 July 1956
In service3 January 1957
FateScrapped 1977
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeAlamosa-class cargo ship
TypeC1-M-AV1
Tonnage5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1]
Displacement
  • 2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard)
  • 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam50 ft (15 m)
Draft21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power
Propulsion1 × propeller
Speed11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity
  • 3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT
  • 9,830 cu ft (278 m3) (refrigerated)
  • 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement
  • 15 Officers
  • 70 Enlisted
Armament

USS Minidoka (AK-196) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that was constructed for the US Navy during the closing period of World War II. She was declared excess-to-needs and returned to the US Maritime Commission.

Construction

[edit]

Minidoka, a C1-M-AV1 type cargo ship, was laid down under Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2127, by Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Inc., Superior, Wisconsin, 26 August 1944; launched 13 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. R. N. Elder; and completed 5 May 1945. While under conversion for Navy use at the Superior yard of Walter Butler, her conversion was canceled 25 August 1945.[3]

Merchant service

[edit]

Subsequently, she was returned to the Maritime Commission, renamed Coastal Herald, and operated for the Maritime Commission by Waterman Steamship Corporation[3] and then the United Fruit Company until 1948. She was then sent to the reserve fleet awaiting sale.[2]

On 13 July 1956, she was sold to Companhia Nacional de Navegacao Costerira, Patrimonio Nacional, of Brazil, for $693,682, under the condition that she be used for coastal shipping. She was delivered on 3 January 1957.[4] She was scrapped in 1977.[1]

Notes

[edit]
Citations

Bibliography

[edit]

Online resources

  • "Minidoka". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 20 November 2016.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  • "USS Minidoka (AK-196)". Navsource.org. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  • "Coastal Herald". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
[edit]
  • Photo gallery of USS Minidoka (AK-196) at NavSource Naval History