New York Shipbuilding: The Last Survivors

	A Place Called YORKSHIP The Last Survivors of New York Shipbuilding Co.
	Last Revised: 05 January, 2008

CVL-28 Cabot being scrapped in Brownsville, TX

The roster of surviving vessels built by New York Shipbuilding continues to shrink, with AOE-2 Camden the most recent to go to the torch. On the positive side, NS Savannah has been recalled from the James River Reserve Fleet to receive a $1 million clean-up at Colonna's Shipyard, Norfolk, with removal of her nuclear components to follow. This should pave the way for her to once again become a museum ship, befitting her status as a National Historic Landmark.

Of the 17 known remaining ships, the future of only six can be considered reasonably secure: the three museum ships, the Savannah, and the only two vessels whose screws are still turning, Observation Island and Kitty Hawk (but with Kitty Hawk scheduled for retirement in 2008). One deteriorating lightship is in private hands in New Jersey, and one destroyer escort is in pieces in Colombia. The remaining nine are in the custody of MARAD, with eight flagged for disposal and the ninth on loan to the Coast Guard for fire training.

It's possible that one or more of the unpowered minor vessels (car floats and cargo barges) is still in use along a river waterfront or quietly rusting away in something like the Staten Island boat graveyard. It's even possible that somewhere an LCT or LCI lumbers on as an island ferry or delivery truck. But if so, it would not appreciably slow the inexorable march toward industrial extinction, nor mitigate the history already lost: every submarine, every cruiser, every battleship, every destroyer, every light carrier.

The following list is organized by date of launch.

Probably safe

Endangered

Gone

Launched	Designation/Name	Status (links are to ship or facility Web sites)
1904	LV-79 Cape Lookout Shoal (aka Barnegat)	Contract 23. Lightship. Oldest surviving Yorkship vessel. From mid-1970s to mid-1990s, on exhibition at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, PA. Currently moored at Pyne Poynt Marina in Camden, NJ, and reportedly in poor condition.
1904	LV-83 Relief (aka Swiftsure)	Contract 26. Lightship. Since 1967, on exhibition at the Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center, Seattle, WA.
1908	LV-87 Ambrose	Contract 47. Lightship. Since 1968, on exhibition at the South Street Seaport Museum, New York, NY.
1927	WSC-146 McLane	Contract 339. Coast Guard cutter. Since 1993, preserved as a museum ship at Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum, Muskegon, MI.
1940-12/14	anoAR-5 Vulcan	Contract 422. Repair vessel. Last surviving vessel from NYSB's World War II production. Transferred to the Maritime Administration’s NDRF, Feb 1999. As of November 30, 2007, homeported in Chesapeake, VA. On MARAD's "Non-Retention- Military" list with status Disposal.
1943-04/04	CVL-28 Cabot	Contract 434. Light carrier. Purchased at US Marshal's auction Sept. 9, 1999 by Sabe Marine Salvage. An 11th-hour effort by ECOSAT to save her from the torches failed, and she was scrapped in Brownsville, Texas. The island tower, CIC, and Ready Room were purchased by the Texas Air Museum, and are to be displayed as part of a Light Carrier Memorial.
1951-01/09	State of Maine	Contract 487. Cargo vessel. Ex-President Hayes, ex-T-AP-198 Upshur. From 1973-1997, training vessel, Maine Maritime Academy. As of November 30, 2007, on loan from MARAD to US Coast Guard's Fire & Safety Test Detachment on Little Sand Island, Mobile AL, for fire-fighting research.
1953-08/15	T-AGM-23 Observation Island	Contract 494. Missile tracking ship. Ex-Empire State Mariner. From 1956-1979, missile test ship (YAG-57/EAG-154/AG-154) for Polaris test and evaluation. Modified to missile tracking ship 1979-81 and redesignated T-AGM-23. Assigned to the Pacific Fleet and used to monitor Russian missile launches. Currently operated by Military Sealift Command, Special Mission Support, with a civilian crew.
1954-06/12	AO-144 Mississinewa	Contract 500. Fleet oiler. Transferred to the Maritime Administration’s NDRF, May 1999. As of November 30, 2007, in Brownsville, TX. On MARAD's "Non-Retention - Tanker" list with status Disposal.
1954-09/12	AO-145 Hassayampa	Contract 501. Fleet oiler. Transferred to the Maritime Administration’s NDRF, May 1999. As of November 30, 2007, in Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, CA. On MARAD's "Non-Retention - Tanker" list with status Disposal.
1954-12/11	AO-146 Kawishiwi	Contract 502. Fleet oiler. Transferred to the Maritime Administration’s NDRF, May 1999. As of November 30, 2007, in Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, CA. On MARAD's "Non-Retention - Tanker" list with status Disposal.
1955-03/10	AO-147 Truckee	Contract 503. Fleet oiler. Transferred to the Maritime Administration’s NDRF, May 1999. As of November 30, 2007, in James River Reserve Fleet, James River, VA. On MARAD's "Non-Retention - Tanker" list with status Disposal.
1955-07/09	AO-148 Ponchatoula	Contract 504. Fleet oiler. Transferred to the Maritime Administration’s NDRF, May 1999. As of November 30, 2007, in Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, CA. On MARAD's "Non-Retention - Tanker" list with status Disposal.
1957-01/01	DE-1029 Hartley	Contract 512. Destroyer escort. Sold to Colombia in 1972 and redesignated DE-16 Boyaca. Stricken in 1994 after ending its career as a stationary headquarters ship. According to the Newport Dealeys web site, Boyaca was disassembled for transport to Guatape, Colombia, where it was to become a museum. However, the estimated $4.5 million cost of .reassembly and restoration has left the project in limbo.
1959-07/21	N.S. Savannah	Contract 529. Nuclear-powered demonstration cargo-passenger liner (P2-N1-MA40a). Laid up and defueled, 1972. From 1981 to 1994 was a museum ship at Patriot's Point, South Carolina. From 1994 to 2006, was berthed in the James River Reserve Fleet, VA. In late 2006 was withdrawn from JRRF to receive $1 million in repairs and maintenance in Norfolk in preparation for removal of its nuclear components. Listed on National Register of Historic Places, and expected to eventually become a museum ship again.
1960-04/23	Export Ambassador	Contract 530. Cargo ship, C3-S-38a class. As of November 30, 2007, in Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California. On Marad's "Non-Retention - Break Bulk" list with status Historic Review.
1960-05/21	CVA-63 Kitty Hawk	Contract 514. Aircraft carrier. Commissioned, active fleet. As of May, 2003, forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. Scheduled to be replaced in 2008 by the George H. W. Bush (CVN-77).
1960-06/04	DDG-5 Claude V. Ricketts	Contract 527. Guided-missile destroyer. Stricken and sold for scrap to a breaker in Baltimore in 1994, but contractor defaulted. Navy cancelled contract 10/01/96 and repossessed vessel. Placed in NISMF at Philadelphia, 2nd Street Wharf, Berth 6. Finally scrapped by Metro Machine, with work completed 8 November 2002.
1960-07/09	Export Adventurer	Contract 531. Cargo ship, C3-S-38a class. NYSB's final civilian vessel. As of November 30, 2007, in Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California. On Marad's "Non-Retention - Break Bulk" list with status Historic Review.
1960-12/10	DDG-6 Barney	Contract 528. Guided-missile destroyer, Adams-class. Stricken 1992 and sold for scrap 1994;. Survived another 5 years in Philadelphia NISMF due to default by scrapper. Resold in 1999 and scrapped.
1961-07/21	DDG-15 Berkeley	Contract 536. Guided-missile destroyer. Transferred in 1992 to the Greek Navy, where it served as DDG-221 Themistokles, a Kimon-class air defense destroyer. Decommissioned 18 February 2002, and sold for scrap 19 February 2004.
1961-12/09	DDG-16 Joseph Strauss	Contract 537. Guided-missile destroyer. Transferred in 1992 to the Greek Navy, where it served as DDG-220 Formion, a Kimon-class air defense destroyer. Decommissioned 18 February 2002 and sold for scrap 19 February 2004.
1965-05/29	AOE-2 Camden	Contract 542. Served as a fast support ship assigned to Pacific Fleet, homeported in Bremerton, WA. Decommissioned October 14, 2005 at Kitsap Bay. Sold for scrap April 13, 2007. Made final transit of Panama Canal in August, 2007, en route to Brownsville, TX. Scrapped at ESCO Marine.

For more details about any particular vessel, go the Ships List.

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your Yorkship memories to Michael Kube-McDowell, Class of '68