Kennebec-class oiler
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Kennebec |
| Builders: | |
| In commission: | 1942 - 1970 |
| Completed: | 16 |
| Active: | 2 in commercial service as lake freighters |
| Lost: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Kennebec class oiler |
| Type: | MARAD T2 |
| Tonnage: | 15,910 DWT |
| Displacement: | 21,077 tons |
| Length: | 501 ft 8 in (152.9 m) |
| Beam: | 68 ft (20.7 m) |
| Draft: | 29 ft 8.5 in (9.1 m) |
| Depth: | 37 ft (11.3 m) |
| Installed power: | 12,000 shp (8,900 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h) |
| Range: | 8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) |
| Capacity: | 130,000 bbl (~18,000 t) |
| Complement: | 214–247 |
| Armament: |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Mattaponi class oiler |
| Type: | MARAD T2-A |
| Tonnage: | 16,400 DWT |
| Displacement: | 21,750 tons |
| Length: | 520 ft (160 m) |
| Beam: | 68 ft (21 m) |
| Draft: | 29 ft 11.5 in (9.131 m) |
| Depth: | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Installed power: | 12,000 shp (8,900 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h) |
| Range: | 7,200 nmi (13,300 km; 8,300 mi) |
| Capacity: | 133,000 bbl (~18,100 t) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Chiwawa class oiler |
| Type: | MARAD T3-S-A1 |
| Tonnage: | 16,543 DWT |
| Displacement: | 21,077 tons |
| Length: | 501 ft 7.75 in (152.9017 m) |
| Beam: | 68 ft (21 m) |
| Draft: | 29 ft 10.5 in (9.106 m) |
| Depth: | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Installed power: | 7,000 shp (5,200 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 15.3 knots (28.3 km/h) |
| Range: | 14,500 nmi (26,900 km; 16,700 mi) |
| Capacity: | 133,800 bbl (~18,250 t) |
The Kennebec-class oilers were sixteen United States Navy medium oilers built during World War II to three related designs at Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard of Sparrows Point, Maryland and Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. of Chester, Pennsylvania, all of which survived the war. Two are still in commercial service as of 2011.
All of the ships of the class initially were to be built for private companies, but the outset of World War II, the ships were transferred to the United States Maritime Commission and given new names. Later, when allocated to the U.S. Navy, they were renamed again.
In some cases the Kennebec class is divided into three classes, the Kennebec class (AO-36 to AO-40, AO-48), the Mattaponi class (AO-41 to AO-44, AO-47) and the Chiwawa class (AO-68 to 72). The first two classes were of the T2 and T2-A designs, built by different shipbuilders, and the Chiwawas were of the T3-S-A1 design, mainly differing in having only a 7,000 shp engine and a top speed of 15.3 knots.
One of the first acts of the War Shipping Administration, established in February 1942, was to address the Navy's pressing need for oilers by requisitioning five tankers in service or under construction for civilian companies. Three of these were 16.5-knot Type T2 "national defense tankers" designed by the Maritime Commission with potential militarization in mind and built by Bethlehem Steel for Socony-Vacuum Oil Co: the Corsicana, Caddo and Calusa. A month later the WSA requisitioned six more: Socony's Colina and Conastoga, together with four similar ships building at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock for Keystone Tankships to an enlarged design, later called T2-A: Kalkay, Ellkay, Jorkay and Emkay. Corsicana was commissioned as USS Kennebec, becoming the lead ship of the class; Kalkay was renamed Mattaponi and gave that name to the T2-A subclass. In June the WSA moved to acquire the remaining member of each group, Aekay and Catawba.
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