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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Sierra - Papa - Kilo
 NSPK
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

National Defense Service Medal (1)
Alstede Class Stores Ship:
  • Laid down, 23 October 1941, as SS Blue Jacket a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 183) at Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, CA.
  • Launched, 14 February 1942
  • Delivered to her operators, United Fruit Co., 25 March 1943
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission for charter to Pacific Far East Lines, 9 September 1946
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission for charter to Black Diamond SS Corp., 9 July 1947
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission for charter to the War Department at New York, 1 October 1948 and Commissioned USAT Blue Jacket
  • Acquired by the US Navy from the US Army Transportation Service, 1 March 1950
  • Assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) and placed in service as USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51)
  • Placed out of service, 19 August 1970 and transferred, temporary custody, to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Lee Hall, VA.
  • Transferred, 1 September 1971, permanent custody to MARAD
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 19 October 1971
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 1 March 1973, to Andy International, Inc., Houston, TX. (PD-X-954 dated 24 January 1973) for $75,666.66
    Specifications:
    Displacement 6,239 t.(lt) 13,893 t.(fl)
    Length 459' 2"
    Beam 63'
    Draft 25' 9"
    Speed 15.5 kts.
    Complement 55
    Largest Boom Capacity 50 t.
    Cargo Capacity 7,800DWT
    Fuel Capacity NSFO 18,575 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one Westinghouse cross compound steam turbine
    two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 525psi 750°
    double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears
    two turbo-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators
    single propeller, 6,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51)
    Blue Jacket
    09065121    		 103k
    Namesake
    Blue Jacket (c. 1743 – 1810) was a war chief of the Shawnee people, known for his militant defense of Shawnee lands in the Ohio Country. Perhaps the pre-eminent American Indian leader in the Northwest Indian War, in which a pantribal confederacy fought several battles with the nascent United States, he was an important predecessor of the famous Shawnee leader Tecumseh.
    Photo from the Gemi website.    		 Tommy Trampp
    Blue Jacket
    09065122    		 437k USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51) berthed at the Cold Storage Unit in Bremerhaven, Germany in May 1963. Photo by Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    Blue Jacket 83k USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51) arriving at Bremerhaven, Germany immediately after she had collided in thick fog with a German coaster in the River Weser estuary off Bremerhaven in March 1964. There was heavy loss of lives aboard the German coaster. Note scratches on Blue Jacket's bow and lost starboard anchor. Gerhard L. Mueller-Debus
    Blue Jacket 179k USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51) moored at Bremerhaven, Germany after she had collided in thick fog with a German coaster in the River Weser estuary, off Bremerhaven (Germany) in March 1964. Gerhard L. Mueller-Debus
    Blue Jacket 212k USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51) being maneuvered by tugs after being aground at Cheatham Annex, VA., 9 March 1965.
    US National Archives, Photo # USN 1111477-D, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Mike Green
    Blue Jacket 505k USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51) moored pierside at Bremerhaven, Germany, March 1970, while unloading frozen goods at a cold storage facility for distribution to the US Armed Forces in Germany. Photo by Gerhard L. Mueller-Debus
    Blue Jacket 201k USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51) under way, date and location unknown.
    Photo courtesy Skyfotos     		Robert Hurst
    Blue Jacket 177k USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51) moored pierside, date and location unknown. Tommy Trampp
    Blue Jacket 69k USNS Blue Jacket (T-AF-51) under way, date and location unknown. Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    USNS Blue Jacket (AF-51)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Postal Covers related to the ship
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 24 April 2020