USS Scanner (AGR-5)

USS "Scanner" (AGR-5/YAGR-5) was a "Guardian"-class radar picket ship acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1955 from the “mothballed” reserve fleet. She was reconfigured as a radar picket ship and assigned to radar picket duty in the North Pacific Ocean as part of the Distant Early Warning Line.

A Liberty ship built in Florida

"Scanner" (YAGR-5) was laid down on 24 January 1945 by the J. A. Jones Construction Co., Panama City, Florida, as Liberty ship "Edwin D. Howard"; launched on 27 February 1945; sponsored by Mrs. John E. Davidson; and delivered on 14 March 1945 to the Alcoa Steamship Company. She was acquired by the Navy from the U.S. Maritime Administration on 10 June 1955; renamed "Scanner"; converted to a radar picket ship at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard; and commissioned on 30 January 1956, Lt. Comdr. H. H. Pruett in command.

Radar picket duty

Scanner departed Norfolk, Virginia, on 28 March 1956 for her home port, San Francisco, California, and commenced her first patrol in the Pacific Ocean in July 1956 with the seaward extension of America's early warning defense system.

Fitted with sophisticated electronic search and tracking equipment, "Scanner" could detect, track, and report enemy aircraft at great distances, and control high speed interceptor aircraft in event of attack. She also carried out weather reporting duties during her three to four-week-long cruises.

Decommissioning

"Scanner" was redesignated "AGR-5" effective 28 September 1958. She was decommissioned on 21 July 1965 at San Francisco and turned over to Maritime Administration Fleet custody on 26 July at Suisun Bay, California. Struck from the Navy list on 1 September 1965, she was transferred permanently to the Maritime Administration on 4 February 1966 and remained in the Suisun Bay reserve fleet until 3 October 1974 when she was sold for non-transport use.

See also

* United States Navy
* Radar picket

References

*
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/62/6205.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - YAGR / AGR-5 Scanner]