USS Bellatrix (AF-62)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Bellatrix.
Bellatrix replenishing Coral Sea and Duncan in 1962. Taken off the coast of Thailand in 1962 and 1963, with QM3 Brannon on the helm.
History
United States
Ordered:
  • as SS Fleetwood,
  • R2-S-BV1 hull, MC hull 1207
Laid down: 16 October 1944
Launched: 4 December 1944
Commissioned: 18 November 1961
Decommissioned: 30 September 1968
Struck: 30 September 1968
Fate: scrapped in 1969
General characteristics
Displacement: 14,180 tons (fl)
Length: 460 ft (140 m)
Beam: 63 ft (19 m)
Draught: 26 ft 7 in (8.10 m)
Propulsion: cross-compound turbines, single propeller
Speed: 16 kts.
Complement: 292
Armament: one 3"/ 50 gun mount

USS Bellatrix (AF-62) was an Alstede-class stores ship acquired by the U.S. Navy, tasked with transport of cargo such as refrigerated items and equipment for USN ships on station and in staging areas.

Prior to Commissioning

The USS Bellatrix was laid down as the Fleetwood on October 16, 1944, in Oakland, California, by the Moore Dry Dock Company under the Maritime Commission contract. Sponsored by Mrs. Agatha Bittman, hull 1207, was launched on December 4, 1944, and the Fleetwood was later delivered on June 21, 1945.

Turned over to the United Fruit Company, the Fleetwood sailed in the North Atlantic Ocean under contract until October 1946. Thereafter, it was transferred by the Maritime Commission to the Pacific Far-East Line[note 1] making numerous cargo runs to ports throughout the Pacific Ocean, including that of the Alaskan waters.

After April 1958, although still operated by the Pacific Far-East Line, the Fleetwood served the Military Sea Transportation Service. On August 22, 1961, the Fleetwood was transferred back to the US Navy, who converted the vessel into a USN stores ship at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, with work being completed on October 13, 1961.

Renamed Bellatrix AF-62, the renamed ship was once again commissioned on November 18, 1961, at the Puget Sound yard under the command of Nathan E. Dozier.

Support of ships engaged in nuclear testing

Following outfitting and shakedown training based in San Diego, California, the Bellatrix departed from her home port in San Francisco, California on March 3, 1962, beginning her first deployment into the western Pacific.

The Bellatrix provided logistical support for Joint Task Force 8, responsible for Operation Dominic I and II, which tested nuclear weapons at Christmas Island.

The remainder of that deployment was spent re-supplying Navy ships via both underway and by in-port replenishment including visits to Yokosuka, Sasebo, Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

In June 1962, the Bellatrix returned to San Francisco for overhaul.

Vietnam operations support

Bellatrix spent the next six years supplying ships of the U.S. 7th Fleet in the Vietnam War. After August 1964, she was concentrated to support the fleet operating off the coast of Vietnam. The fleet was tasked with bolstering the defenses of the South Vietnamese Republic.

Until September 1968, Bellatrix alternated between brief periods on the West Coast of the United States, and longer periods off the coast of Vietnam. During that period the Bellatrix visited Nagasaki, Midway Island, and Pearl Harbor.

Decommissioning

While an overhaul late in the summer of 1968 was being prepared, the decision was made to decommission the Bellatrix. Accordingly, she was decommissioned on September 30, 1968, at Hunters Point, California. After being decommissioned, her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register that same day. The vessel was eventually sold for scrapping to Ridell Explorations Inc., for $36,606.60 [1] on March 24, 1969, under MARAD contract PD-X-824 of February 27, 1969.

Military awards and honors

Bellatrix AF-62 earned five battle stars during the Vietnam War:

Her crew was eligible for the following medals and citations:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Stores Ship Photo Index". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 2016-01-27.

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

Notes

  1. ↑ Pacific Far-East Line

External links


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