Chicopee class oiler

USS Chicopee (AO-34) underway in the Mediterranean en route to Casablanca, Morocco, 2 June 1944
Class overview
Name:	Chicopee
Builders:	Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Chester, Pennsylvania
Preceded by:	Cimarron-class oiler
Succeeded by:	Kennebec-class oiler
In commission:	9 January 1942 - 11 March 1946
Completed:	2
Lost:	0
General characteristics
Type:	oiler
Length:	520 ft (160 m)[1]
Beam:	68 ft (21 m)[1]
Draft:	30 ft 10 in (9.40 m)[1]
Propulsion:	geared steam turbine single screw 9,000 hp (6,700 kW)[2]
Speed:	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h)[2]
Capacity:	131,600 bbl (~17,950 t)[2]
Complement:	279[2]
Armament:	1 × 5"/38 caliber gun mounts 4 × 3"/50 caliber gun mounts 2 × twin 40 mm AA gun mounts 2 × twin 20 mm AA gun mounts[2]

The Chicopee-class oilers were oilers operated by the United States Navy during World War II. There were two ships of the class, and both survived the war.

Description

The class consisted of two petroleum tankers that had been ordered by Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and were acquired by the U.S. Navy in early 1942. Chicopee (AO-34), the former Esso Trenton,^[3] was acquired by the U.S. Navy shortly after launching, while Housatonic (AO-35), the former Esso Albany,^[4] was acquired after making two voyages for Standard Oil.^[1]

Operational history

The Chicopee oilers both operated in the Atlantic and Mediterranean areas from commissioning through late 1944, when they both were assigned to the Pacific theater.^[1][3]

Both ships were returned to Standard Oil at decommissioning, and both were later converted to container ships.^[2][4] The extant portions of the hull of the ex-Chicopee, were scrapped in 1963,^[2] while the ex-Housatonic was scrapped some time after 1989.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Housatonic". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Navy. http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h8/housatonic-iii.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-07. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Priolo, Gary P. (2007-11-16). "AO-34 Chicopee". NavSource Online. NavSource Naval History. http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/19034.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-07. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Chicopee". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Navy. http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c8/chicopee-ii.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-07. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Priolo, Gary P. (2007-11-16). "AO-35 Housatonic". NavSource Online. NavSource Naval History. http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/19034.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-07. 

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Wildenberg, Thomas (1996). Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy, 1912-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/GSBO/index.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28.