- USNS Private Francis X. McGraw (T-AK-241)
USNS "Private Francis X. McGraw" (T-AK-241) was a "Boulder Victory"-class
cargo ship built at the end ofWorld War II and served the war and its demilitarization as a commercial cargo vessel. From 1946 to 1950 she served theU.S. Army as a transport named USAT "Private Francis X. McGraw". In 1950 she was acquired by theU.S. Navy and assigned to theMilitary Sea Transportation Service . In 1974 she ended her career and was scrapped.Victory ship built in California
"Private Francis X. McGraw" was laid down as "SS Wabash Victory" (MCV hull 796) by the
California Shipbuilding Corporation ,Los Angeles, California ; launched6 September 1945 ; sponsored by Mrs. A. Easterbrook; and delivered to theU.S. Maritime Commission 7 June 1945 .World War II-related commercial service
Operated by the Interocean Steamship Company under General Agency Agreement, "Wabash Victory" carried cargo and passengers to
Eniwetok ,Ulithi , andOkinawa and, from there, back to theU.S. West Coast between8 August and3 November 1945 . Employed along theOregon andCalifornia coasts for the next four months, she transited thePanama Canal in mid-March1946 , then headed across theAtlantic Ocean toFrance . On the 28th, she arrived atLe Havre to begin transporting men and equipment betweenEurope and theUnited States .U.S. Army service
Two and a half months later, on
14 June 1946 , she was transferred to theU.S. War Department but continued hertransatlantic runs as an Army transport. Renamed "Private Francis X. McGraw",31 October 1947 , theVictory ship remained a unit of theArmy Transportation Service until1 March 1950 .ervice with the MSTS
Then returned to the
U.S. Maritime Commission , she was simultaneously transferred to the Navy, given the designation T–AK–241, and assigned to the newly formedMilitary Sea Transportation Service (MSTS).Since that time, "Private Francis X. McGraw", manned by a civil service crew, carried supplies and equipment to “far flung” ports for MSTS, Atlantic. Although primarily rotated between
Caribbean ,North Sea , andMediterranean runs, she has, when necessary, and particularly from the mid-1960’s into 1970, been diverted from such assignments to carry cargo toPacific Ocean ports.Decommissioning
The vessel was decommissioned and struck from the
Navy list at unknown dates. She was transferred to theU.S. Maritime Administration on8 May 1974 and was sold for scrapping on21 August 1974 .Honors and awards
:*
National Defense Service Medal (1)References
*
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/13/130241.htm USNS Pvt. Francis X. McGraw (T-AK-241) – ex - USAT Pvt. Francis X. McGraw (1947 - 1950)]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.