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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Tuscana (AKN-3)

Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Whiskey - Alpha - Sierra NWAS

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (28 March 1945, Okinawa) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal

Indus Class Net Cargo Ship:

Laid down, 5 December 1943, as SS William R. Cox, a Maritime Commission type (EC2-S-C1) hull under Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 2406) at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard Inc., Baltimore, MD.

Launched, 29 December 1943

Completed and delivered to the US Navy, 8 January 1944, as a bareboat charter, renamed Tuscana

Converted to a Net Cargo Ship at Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore, MD.

Commissioned USS Tuscana (AKN-3), 29 March 1944, CDR. Thomas J. Butler, USNR, in command

During World War II USS Tuscana was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Saipan, 1 to 10 August 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 17 April to 6 June 1945

Following World War II USS Tuscana was assigned to Occupation duty from 13 October to 22 November 1945

Decommissioned, 28 January 1946

Returned to the Maritime Commission, 29 January 1946, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 25 February 1946

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 24 March 1967, to Horton Industries, Inc. for $50,600.00 (PD-X-752 dated 1 March 1967)

USS Tuscana earned two battle stars for World War II service

Specifications:
Displacement 4,023 t.(lt) 14,550 t.(fl)
Length 441' 6"
Beam 56' 11"
Draft 28' 4"
Speed 12.5 kts.

Complement

Officers 20

Enlisted 208

Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four single 40mm AA gun mounts

Fuel Capacities

NSFO 10,000 Bbls

Diesel 2,000 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Machine Corp. vertical triple expansion reciprocating steam engine

two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 220psi 450°

three turbo-drive 60Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

single propeller, 2,500shp

Size	Image Description	Source
242k	SS William R. Cox launching, 29 March 1943, at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard Inc., Baltimore, MD.	David Nixon
84k	*USS Tuscana* (AKN-3)** in Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore, 5 April 1944. US Navy Bureau of Ships photo # 19-N-63634 from the collections of the US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Mike Green
87k	*USS Tuscana* (AKN-3)** underway probably in Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore, circa 5 April 1944. US Navy photo from the collections of the US Navy Memorial	Stan Svec

USS Tuscana (AKN-3)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Butler, Thomas J., USNR	29 March 1944 - 14 January 1945
02	CDR. Ames, John G., USNR	14 January 1945 - 13 June 1945
03	CDR. Ide, Charles E., USNR	13 June 1945 - 16 December 1945
04	LCDR. Waugh, Gordon Bruce, USNR	16 December 1945 - 28 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 Navsource Photo Archives Main Page

Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index

Back To The Net Cargo Ship (AKN) Photo Index

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 30 October 2015