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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USCGC Unalga (WAK-185)
ex
 USS Tipton (AK-215) (1945 - 1946)


International Radio Call Signs,

USS Tipton (AK-213)
1945 International Radio Call Sign:
Nan - Xray - Queen - How
 NXQH
USCGC Unalga (WAK-185)
1946 International Radio Call Sign:
Nan - Roger - Charlie - Peter
 NRCP
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

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

USS Tipton (AK-215) was manned by the US Coast Guard
Alamosa Class Cargo Ship
  • Laid down, 28 December 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (C1-M-AV1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2169), at Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, WI.
  • Launched, 13 March 1945
  • Acquired by the US Navy, 7 September 1945
  • Commissioned, USS Tipton (AK-215), 9 October 1945, LCDR. H. E. Gray, USCGR, in command
  • Decommissioned, 4 March 1946 and commissioned into the US Coast Guard the same day as USCGC Unalga (WAK-185)
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 20 March 1946
  • Laid up, 1 June 1950, in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Olympia, WA.
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 6 January 1971, to Marine Power & Equipment Co., Inc., delivered 1 February 1971
    Specifications:
    Displacement 2,382 t.(lt) 7,450 t.(fl)
    Length 338' 6"
    Beam 50'
    Draft 21' 1"
    Speed 11.5 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 15
    Enlisted 70
    Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.
    Cargo Capacity 3,945 DWT
    non refrigerated 177,515 Cu ft.
    Armament
    one single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mount
    six single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Fuel Capacity Diesel 6,300 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one Nordberg TSM6 Diesel engine
    two Diesel-drive 250Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators
    single propeller, 1,700shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    Houston 67k Launching of Tipton (AK-215) at Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, WI., 13 March 1945.
    Photo from the Historical Collection of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University    		 Robert Hurst
    USS Tipton (AK-215)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Gray, H. E., USCGR 9 October 1945 - 4 March 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
    U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office - Unalga (ex- USS Tipton) WAK-185; AKA-215; MC-2169
    MARAD Vessel History Data Base
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Cargo Ship (AK) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 24 May 2024