USNS Neptune (ARC-2)

USNS "Neptune" (ARC-2), was the lead ship in a class ofcable laying ships built for the US Armynear the end of World War II. "Neptune" was built by Pusey & Jones Corp. of
Wilmington, Delaware, and at the time of her
delivery to the Army in February 1946,she was named for Rear Adm. William H. G. Bullard.

Function

"Neptune"'s assignments were typically to transport, deploy, retrieve and repair submarine cables, test underwater sound devices, and conduct acoustic, hydrographic, and bathymetric surveys.

Career

"Neptune" may have done some cable work for the Armysoon after delivery in 1946 (unverified at present), but she was soon handed to the
Maritime Commission and placed in the reserve fleet.

In 1953, "Neptune" was activated by the Navy to support the SOSUS program. She went to the Bethlehem Steel Co. in Baltimore, Maryland for a number of modifications:e.g., electric cable machinery (in place of steam), precision navigation instrumentation, and a helicopter platform over the fantail. She was commissioned on 1 June 1953 as a regular Navy ship (USS "Neptune"), with Cdr. Robert A. Bogardus in command.

In 1973, "Neptune" transferred to the Military Sealift Command (MSC),was re-designated T-ARC-2, and continued operations with a mostly civilian crew."Neptune" was extensively modernized in 1982 by General Dynamics Corp. in Quincy, Massachusetts,and that work included new turbo-electric engines.It is said that "Neptune" and sister ship
"Albert J. Meyer"were the last ships in the Navy to operate using
reciprocating steam engines.

"Neptune" performed cable repair duties all over the world until 1991,when she'd been in service for some 38 years. During her career, she received a Navy E ribbon in 1988.

Inactivated in 1991, she was eventually placed in the James River reserve fleet near Ft. Eustis, VA.The ex-"Neptune" was dismantled and recycled by International Shipbreaking Ltdof Brownsville, TX in late 2005.

References

This article includes information collected from the
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
* "The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet", Norman Polmar, Naval Institute Press, 13th edition, 1984.
* "OPNAV NOTICE 1650", Master List of Unit Awards and Campaign Medals, 9 Mar 2001.
* "MARAD press release 14-05", 28 July 2005, Maritime Administration announcement of the disposal of ex-"Meyer" & ex-"Neptune".

ee also

* List of United States Navy ships, A
* List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy
* [http://www.navyvets.com/group/ussneptunearc2 USS Neptune] at [http://www.navyvets.com/ NavyVets.com]