Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Crux (AK-115)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Tango - Juliet
 NKTJ
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Liberation Medal
Crater Class Cargo Ship
  • Laid down, 27 September 1943, as SS Peter Stuyvesant, a Maritime Commission type (EC2-S-C1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MCE 1212) at St. John's River Shipbuilding Co., Inc., Jacksonville, FL.
  • Launched, 16 November 1943
  • Acquired by the US Navy, 27 November 1943
  • Commissioned, USS Crux (AK-115), 17 March 1944, CDR. Charles R. Beyer, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS Crux was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
  • Decommissioned, 31 January 1946, delivered to the Maritime Commission for disposal the same day
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 25 February 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 30 November 1961, to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., removed, 19 December 1961, scrapping completed, 13 August 1962, by Learner Corp.
    Specifications:
    Displacement 4,023 t.(lt) 14,550 t.(fl)
    Length 441' 6"
    Beam 56' 11"
    Draft 28' 4"
    Speed 12.5 kts. (trial)
    Complement
    Officers 16
    Enlisted 190
    Troop Accommodations
    Officers 47
    Enlisted 1017
    Largest Boom Capacity 37 t.
    Cargo Capacity 4,520 DWT
    non-refrigerated 417,330 Cu ft.
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount
    four single 40mm AA gun mounts
    six single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Fuel Capacity
    NSFO 7,285 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one General Machine vertical triple expansion reciprocating steam engine
    two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers, 220psi 450°
    Ship's Service Generators
     three turbo-drive 60Kw 120V D.C.
    single propeller, 2,500shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Crux
    0913011502    		 159k Starboard bow view of Crux (AK-115), date and location unknown.
    Naval History and Heritage Command, Catalog No. NH 78556 Courtesy of Mr. James Russell.    		 Mike Green
    Crux 53k Ex-Crux (AK-115) moored, probably in a breakers yard, sometime after being returned to the Maritime Commission by the Navy in January 1946. David Nixon
    USS Crux (AK-115)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
    Commanding Officers
    01CDR. Beyer, Charles Robert, USNR17 March 1944 - 16 January 1945
    02LCDR. Paulsen, Paul Herman, USNR16 January 1945 - 20 February 1945
    03LCDR. Steele, Allen Leason20 February 1945 - 31 January 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Back To The Main Photo Index Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Cargo Ship (AK) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 12 March 2021