USS Accelerate (ARS-30)

History
Name: USS Accelerate
Builder: Kyle & Purdy, New York
Launched: 1921
Acquired: 2 April 1942
Commissioned: 15 March 1945
Struck: 7 February 1947
Fate: Sold as surplus, 1948
General characteristics
Type: Salvage ship
Displacement: 400 long tons (406 t)
Length: 129 ft 6 in (39.47 m)
Beam: 32 ft (9.8 m)
Draft: 14 ft (4.3 m)
Speed: 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Armament: 2 × 6-pounder (2.7 kg) guns

USS Accelerate (ARS-30) was a salvage ship in the service of the United States Navy.

She was originally built as the steam-propelled mooring tender Toteco by Kyle & Purdy, for International Petroleum. Either late in 1929 or early 1930, the vessel was renamed Walling.

Service history

World War II, 1942–1946

After the United States entered World War II, the Navy acquired her at New York City on 2 April 1942, classified her as a salvage vessel, ARS-30, on 11 April 1943, and simultaneously renamed her Accelerate. No conversion was deemed necessary to prepare her for Navy use. Between these last two events, she may have been used privately by the Merritt, Chapman, Scott Co. because the Navy accepted her back from the company on 5 September 1946.

Records on the ship's naval career are scarce and in some matters confusing, if not contradictory. It appears that Accelerate was assigned to the 3rd Naval District throughout her service in the Navy. She was apparently operated under contract with the Navy by the Merritt, Chapman, and Scott Co. in waters near New York City. Some evidence exists indicating that the salvage vessel was placed in commission on 15 March 1945, but, if so, no logs of her service have been found, and no record of her decommissioning has survived.

Disposal and sale

The Navy declared the vessel surplus in February 1946 and her name was stricken from the Navy List on 7 February 1947. On 28 August 1947, the ship was transferred to the War Shipping Administration of the Maritime Commission for disposal.

The ship was sold in 1948 to C. Pateras and G. Glyptis of Venezuela. Soon renamed Marigo, she served several owners under the Venezuelan flag, bearing the names Marigo and George. In the late 1970s, she was registered as George and owned by Maritima Venezolana de Navegacion, S.A.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

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