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USNS Provo (T-AG-173)
Encyclopedia
USNS Provo (T-AG-173) was a Phoenix-class miscellaneous auxiliary acquired by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1962, crewed by a civilian crew from the Military Sea Transportation Service, and sent to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
to serve as a delivery ship of parts and supplies to other Navy ships and stations in the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n area. Provo remained in the Philippines, issuing parts and other supplies, until the early 1970s, being struck by the Navy in 1973.
Victory ship built in Oregon
Provo, a special projects ship, was laid down 28 April 1945; launched 17 June 1945 by Oregon Shipbuilding CorporationOregon Shipbuilding Corporation
Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation was a World War II emergency shipyard located in Portland, Oregon, United States, that built over 1000 Liberty and Victory ships between 1941 and 1945. It was closed after the war ended....
, Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
; sponsored by Miss Anna P. Burkhalter; and delivered as Drew Victory 14 July 1945. While in merchant marine service, she was subsequently renamed California and Utah.
Assigned to the U.S. Navy
On 2 March 1963, she was acquired by the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) from the U.S. Maritime AdministrationU.S. Maritime Administration
The United States Maritime Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation that maintains the National Defense Reserve Fleet as a ready source of ships for use during national emergencies, and assists the NDRF in fulfilling its role as the nation's fourth arm of...
, and renamed Provo, 20 November 1962, with the designation of Special Project Ship (AG–173).
In July 1963, she and two other MSTS ships, Cheyenne
USNS Cheyenne (T-AG-174)
USNS Cheyenne was a acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1962, crewed by a civilian crew from the Military Sea Transportation Service, and sent to the Philippines to serve as a delivery ship of parts and supplies to other Navy ships and stations in the Asian area...
and Phoenix
USNS Phoenix (T-AG-172)
USNS Phoenix was a Phoenix-class miscellaneous auxiliary acquired by the United States Navy in 1962, crewed by a civilian crew from the Military Sea Transportation Service, and sent to the Philippines to serve as a floating depot...
, were stationed at Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, as Forward Floating Depots. This mission concept involved the use of depot ships for floating storage and issuance of vital military materials in meeting contingencies. The operational application of the concept was tested in 1964 in operation “Quick Release.”
The ship acted as a point to point cargo carrier, delivering military supplies to Okinawa and Viet Nam from stocking points in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Subic Bay.