USS Hidalgo
Cargo ship of the United States Navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
USS Hidalgo (AK-189) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that was constructed for the U.S. Navy during the closing period of World War II. She was declared excess-to-needs and returned to the U.S. Maritime Commission.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Hidalgo |
| Namesake | |
| Ordered | as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2120[1] |
| Builder | Walter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin |
| Yard number | 38[1] |
| Laid down | date unknown |
| Launched | 28 July 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Claude Pepper |
| Commissioned | 4 August 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 26 April 1946 |
| Stricken | 8 May 1946 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sold in 25 February 1947[2] |
 Turkey | |
| Name | Rize |
| Namesake | Rize Province |
| Owner | Deniz Nakliyati T.A.O., Turkey |
| Acquired | 25 February 1947 |
| Home port | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Identification | IMO number: 5297311 |
| Fate | Scrapped in August 1982 at Aliağa, Turkey |
| General characteristics [3] | |
| Class & type | Alamosa-class cargo ship |
| Type | C1-M-AV1 |
| Tonnage | 5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1] |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 388 ft 8 in (118.47 m) |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft | 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 1 × propeller |
| Speed | 11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
Construction
Hidalgo was a diesel-powered C1-M-AV1 cargo hull, was launched 28 July 1944 under Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2120, by Walter Butler Shipbuilding, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin, sponsored by Mrs. Claude Pepper, wife of the Senator from Florida; placed in service while being towed to Galveston, Texas, and commissioned 4 August 1945.[4]
Service history
World War II Pacific Theatre operations
After conducting a brief shakedown cruise off the coast of Texas, Hidalgo sailed to the Panama Canal Zone for routing to the Pacific Ocean 5 September 1945, but the war's end brought orders to proceed to Norfolk, Virginia.[4]
Post-war decommissioning
The ship arrived in Hampton Roads, Virginia, 11 March 1946 and decommissioned 26 April 1946. Subsequently, she was sold to Turkey for $693,862.00 and serves as cargo ship SS Rize in merchant service.[4]
Merchant service
Hidalgo was renamed Rize in 1947. Along with her sister ships, ex-Antrim, renamed Kars, ex-Craighead, renamed Kastamonu, and ex-Bullock, renamed Edirne, she would, for the next 15 years, provide cargo service between Turkey and Northern Europe. She was finally broken up in the Turkish port of Aliağa in August 1982.[3]
Honors and awards
Qualified Hidalgo personnel were eligible for the following:
