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NavSource Online: Army Ship Photo Archive

USAT Sea Barb


Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal


  • Laid down in August 1943 as SS Sea Barb a Maritime Commission type (C3-S-A2) cargo ship under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 277) at Western Pipe and Steel Co., South San Francisco, CA.
  • Launched in 1943
  • Delivered, 6 August 1943, to the War Shipping Administration and allocated to the War Department as a bare bottom charter
  • Converted to a troopship by the US Army San Francisco Port of Embarkation Marine Repair Shop, completed in December 1943
  • Commissioned USAT Sea Barb in December 1943
  • During World War II USAT Sea Barb was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
  • Returned, 28 October 1946, to the War Shipping Administration for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.
  • Delivered, 22 April 1948, to Luckenbach Steam Ship Co. under a General Agency Agreement
  • Sold, 1 March 1949, to Luckenbach Steam Ship Co., renamed SS F.J. Luckenbach
  • Sold, 1 November 1960, to Pope & Talbot Inc.
  • Renamed, 9 November 1960, SS P & T Seafarer
  • Sold, 13 November 1963, to American-Foreign Steamship Co., renamed SS American Hawk
  • SS American Hawk was limpet mined at Qui Nhon, South Vietnam in June 1971 and beached
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping,7 October 1971, to Leung Yau Ship-Breaking Co., Hong Kong
    Specifications:
    Displacement 8,266 gross t.
    Length 492'
    Beam 69'6"
    Draft 28'6"
    Speed 18.5 kts
    Complement
    Officers unknown
    Enlisted unknown
    Passenger Capacity 2,811
    Cargo Capacity 187,900 cu ft
    Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.
    Armament unknown
    Fuel Capacity
    NSFO 8,510 Bbls
    Diesel 750 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one General Electric geared turbine
    two Combustion Engineering D-type boilers, 465psi 750°
    double General Electric Main Reduction Gears
    three turbo-drive 250Kw 240V D.C.
    single propeller, 8,500shp

    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image
    Size Image Description Source
    USAT Sea Barb
    Sea Barb
    301302703
    112k Cartoon drawing, Troop Transport Staff.
    WikiTree - Lt. Col. Thomas Cleland (Cleland) "Clee" Hunt, US Army, Sea Barb Troop Transport Commander
    Tommy Trampp
    Sea Barb
    301302704
    332k USAT Sea Barb Commanding Officer; Transport Chaplain; LT.Col Hunt, Troop Transport Commander; Transport Surgeon. date and location unknown.
    Wikitree - Lt. Col. Thomas Cleland (Cleland) "Clee" Hunt US Army, Sea Barb Troop Transport Commander
    Tommy Trampp
    Sea Barb
    301302705
    403k USAT Sea Barb Troop Transport staff?, date and location unknown.
    Wikitree - Lt. Col. Thomas Cleland (Cleland) "Clee" Hunt US Army, Sea Barb Troop Transport Commander
    Tommy Trampp
    Sea Barb
    301302702
    112k USAT Sea Barb Magic Carpet voyage arriving with troops from Manila, Philippine Islands., 11 August 1946, at the U.S. Army Port of Embarkation, San Francisco, CA.
    Strand Photos, San Francisco, Souvenir picture of the Pacific.
    Tommy Trampp
    Sea Barb
    301302706
    170k Domain of Neptunus Rex Certificate issued to PFC Walter T. Stoddard for crossing the equator, 18 December 1943, while embarked in USAT Sea Barb.
    Ebay
    Tommy Trampp
    Merchant Service Luckenbach Steamship Co..
    Sea Barb
    301302701
    215k Ex-USAT Sea Barb at anchor while in Luckenbach Steamship Co. colors as SS F.J. Luckenbach, circa March 1949 to November 1960, location unknown.
    Photo ©foreign.
    Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    Sea Barb
    301302707
    98k American-Foreign Steamship Co. freighter SS American Hawk after being limpet mined and beached at Qui Nhon, South Vietnam in June 1971
    Photo from www.vietnamwarera.tumblr.com
    John Spivey

    USAT Sea Barb history is from "Troopships of World War II", by Roland W. Charles, Published by The Army Transportation Association, Washington, D.C., 1947
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 25 August 2023