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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Kerstin (AF-34)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Xray - Bravo - Uniform NXBU

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

Adria Class Stores Ship:

Laid down, date unknown, as a Maritime Commission type (R1-M-AV3) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2198) at Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc., Beaumont, TX.

Launched, 16 July 1944

Acquired by the Navy, 22 January 1945

Commissioned USS Kerstin (AF-34), 23 February 1945, LT. Harlow C. Prichard in command

During World War II USS Kerstin was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Following World War II USS Kerstin was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
12 to 27 August 1946	28 August to 13 September 1946
14 to 15 February 1947	3 to 11 February 1947
	11 to 22 January 1949
	1 to 10 October 1949

Decommissioned, 12 May 1950 and transferred to the Maritime Administration for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 16 June 1950

Final Disposition, scrapped, date unknown

Specifications:
Displacement 3,139 t.(lt) 7,435 t.(fl)
Length 338' 6"
Beam 50'
Draft 21' 1"
Speed 11.5 kts. (trial)

Complement

Officers 10

Enlisted 74

Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.

Cargo Capacity 3,170 DWT

non-refrigerated 47,510 Cu ft

refrigerated 114,580 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 Diesel TSM engine

three Diesel-drive 250Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

one propeller, 1,700shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
09063403	103k	*USS Kerstin* (AF-34)** underway off the Texas coast in early 1945. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 6AO. U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships photo BS 78354	Robert Hurst
09063402	312k	U.S. Navy ships docked at Saipan, Mariana Island. In the center is the stores ship *USS Kerstin* (AF-34)**. She docked at Saipan 16-20 May 1945, 12-15 July 1945 and on 8 September 1945. Photo inherited by George Anton Groeschl from his grandfather. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license	Robert Hurst
	107k	*USS Kerstin* (AF-34)** at anchor near or soon after the end of World War II, possibly at San Francisco, with original armament for the class of one 3"/50 gun aft and six 20 mm single mounts, including two on the upper bridge wings. The single 20 mm guns were later replaced in most of these ships by four twin mounts, freeing up the bridge wings. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 82219, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst

USS Kerstin (AF-34)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Prichard, Harlow C.	23 February 1945 - 18 March 1946
02	LT. Smith, Milton Graham USN (USNA 1942)	18 March 1946 - 5 February 1948
03	LCDR.Banyon, Howard Harrison, USN	5 February 1948 - 1 December 1948
04	LT.Steimer, Walter Vernon, USN	1 December 1948 - ?


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 Data Base

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 15 December 2023