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USNS Range Tracker (T-AGM-1)
Encyclopedia
USNS Range Tracker (T-AGM-1/T-AG-160) was an Air Force Systems Command
Range Tracker-class missile range instrumentation ship
. She was acquired from the National Defense Reserve Fleet
in the 1950s and converted into a missile range tracking ship with a civilian crew. She performed tracking duties from 1961 through 1969 on the Western Launch and Test Range
.
as Skidmore
Victory (MCV hull 685); launched 19 May 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Harry C. Bates; delivered to Northland Transportation 18 June 1945; and later served American President Lines
as President Buchanan.
in the late 1950s and converted by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, Pascagoula, Mississippi
, into a complex electronics center; named Range Tracker and designated AG-160 on 12 July 1960; reclassified AGM-1 on 27 November 1960; and placed in service in May 1961.
A mobile tracking platform for recording data on missiles and satellites that are out of range of established land stations, Range Tracker was homeported at Port Hueneme, California
, on the Pacific Missile Range from June 1961 to 1969.
She was operated by the Military Sea Transportation Service with a civilian crew.
Gordon Cooper
's 22-orbit space flight during July 1963.
no longer needed Range Tracker, she was placed out of service at Port Hueneme 27 September 1969; transferred to the U.S. Maritime Administration
12 November 1969; and laid up at Suisun Bay
. On 10 July 1970, she was sold to American Ship Dismantlers, Inc., for scrapping.
Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command is a former United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland...
Range Tracker-class missile range instrumentation ship
Missile Range Instrumentation Ship
Missile Range Instrumentation Ships, Range Ships, or Tracking Ships, are ships equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets...
. She was acquired from the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
in the 1950s and converted into a missile range tracking ship with a civilian crew. She performed tracking duties from 1961 through 1969 on the Western Launch and Test Range
Western Launch and Test Range
The Western Range is the space launch range that supports the major launch head at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Managed by the 30th Space Wing, the WR extends from the West Coast of the United States to 90 degrees East longitude in the Indian Ocean where it meets the Eastern Range Operations...
.
Built in Portland, Oregon
Range Tracker (AGM-1) was laid down 6 April 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....
as Skidmore
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
Victory (MCV hull 685); launched 19 May 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Harry C. Bates; delivered to Northland Transportation 18 June 1945; and later served American President Lines
American President Lines
American President Lines Ltd. is the world's seventh-largest container transportation and shipping company, providing services to more than 140 countries through a network combining intermodal freight transport operations with IT and e-commerce...
as President Buchanan.
Placed into service as a tracking ship
She was taken out of the National Defense Reserve FleetNational Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
in the late 1950s and converted by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
, into a complex electronics center; named Range Tracker and designated AG-160 on 12 July 1960; reclassified AGM-1 on 27 November 1960; and placed in service in May 1961.
A mobile tracking platform for recording data on missiles and satellites that are out of range of established land stations, Range Tracker was homeported at Port Hueneme, California
Port Hueneme, California
Port Hueneme is a small beach city in Ventura County, California surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Pacific Ocean. The name derives from the Spanish spelling of the Chumash wene me, meaning "Resting Place". The area was discovered by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in the mid 16th century...
, on the Pacific Missile Range from June 1961 to 1969.
She was operated by the Military Sea Transportation Service with a civilian crew.
Tracking astronauts
USNS Range Tracker's inertial navigation system monitored astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Gordon Cooper
Gordon Cooper
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. , also known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and NASA astronaut. Cooper was one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space effort by the United States...
's 22-orbit space flight during July 1963.
Out of service
In 1969, when the Air Force Systems CommandAir Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command is a former United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland...
no longer needed Range Tracker, she was placed out of service at Port Hueneme 27 September 1969; transferred to the U.S. Maritime Administration
U.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...
12 November 1969; and laid up at Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary at in northern California, USA. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta...
. On 10 July 1970, she was sold to American Ship Dismantlers, Inc., for scrapping.
See also
- Western Launch and Test RangeWestern Launch and Test RangeThe Western Range is the space launch range that supports the major launch head at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Managed by the 30th Space Wing, the WR extends from the West Coast of the United States to 90 degrees East longitude in the Indian Ocean where it meets the Eastern Range Operations...
- List of ships of the United States Air Force