USS Dorchester (APB-46)

	USS Dorchester (APB-46) probably returning to San Francisco from the Western Pacific on 9 April 1946.
History
United States
Name	USS Dorchester
Namesake	Dorchester County, Maryland and Dorchester County, South Carolina
Builder	Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company, Evansville, Indiana
Launched	12 April 1945
Commissioned	15 June 1945
Decommissioned	16 October 1946
Reclassified	AKS-17 (General Stores Issue Ship), 8 December 1944; APB-46 (Self-propelled Barracks Ship), 1944;
Stricken	1 June 1973
Identification	IMO number: 8133059; MMSI number: 366808000; Callsign: WTH4389;
Fate	Sold for conversion to a fish processing vessel, 1 August 1974
General characteristics
Class and type	LST-542-class tank landing ship
Displacement	2,189 long tons (2,224 t)
Length	328 ft (100 m)
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	11 ft 2 in (3.40 m)
Propulsion	2 General Motors 12-567 diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Capacity	990 troops
Complement	151 officers and men
Armament	2 × quad 40 mm guns

USS Dorchester (APB-46), was a Benewah-class barracks ship. Her hull classification symbol was initially to be LST-1112. She was first redesignated a General Stores Issue Ship (AKS-17) on 8 December 1944, then as a Self-propelled Barracks Ship (APB-46). Her keel was laid down by Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company of Evansville, Indiana. She was launched on 12 April 1945 sponsored by Mrs. J.A. Walsh, and commissioned on 15 June 1945.

Service history

Sailing from New Orleans 5 August 1945, Dorchester embarked troops at Pearl Harbor, then sailed to deliver cargo and receive more passengers at Eniwetok and Guam as she made her passage to Japan. On 15 October she reported for service as barracks ship at Wakayama and at Kobe from 11 February 1946 to 4 March. Dorchester then sailed for San Francisco, California, arriving 9 April.

She was placed out of commission in reserve at Vancouver, Washington on 16 October 1946. Dorchester remained in the reserve fleet until she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1973. She was sold on 1 August 1974 for conversion to commercial service. She was converted to a fish processing vessel under the name Pacific Pride. By 2002, she was owned by Trident Seafoods of Seattle, Washington, and was operating under the name Alaska Packer. She is still on their fleet listing as of February 2008.

References

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

External links