USS Habersham

History
United States
Name	Habersham
Namesake	Habersham County, Georgia
Ordered	as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2117[1]
Builder	Walter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin
Yard number	35[1]
Laid down	1944
Launched	7 June 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Carl Gray, Jr.
Acquired	26 April 1945
Commissioned	12 May 1945
Decommissioned	9 April 1946
Stricken	17 April 1946
Identification	Hull symbol: AK-186 Code letters: NENE
Fate	Sold, 6 February 1947
Sweden
Name	Rosa Thordén
Owner	Thordén Lines AB
Acquired	6 February 1947
Fate	Sold 1952
South Korea
Name	Pusan (1952–1974) Busan (1974–1976)
Namesake	City of Pusan, South Korea
Owner	Korean Shipping Corporation
Acquired	1952
Fate	Sold 1976
South Korea
Name	Busan
Owner	Ah Jin Shipping Ltd
Acquired	1976
Fate	Sold 1976
South Korea
Name	Sam Dae
Owner	Sammisa Shipping Co., Ltd.
Acquired	1976
Fate	1978
South Korea
Name	Sam Dae
Owner	Tai Young Shipping Co., Ltd.
Acquired	1978
Fate	Scrapped in Inchon, South Korea in 1979
General characteristics [2]
Class and type	Alamosa-class cargo ship
Type	C1-M-AV1
Tonnage	5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1]
Displacement	2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard) 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length	388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power	1 × Nordberg, TSM 6 diesel engine 1,750 shp (1,300 kW)
Propulsion	1 × propeller
Speed	11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT 9,830 cu ft (278 m3) (refrigerated) 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement	15 Officers 70 Enlisted
Armament	1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber dual purpose gun (DP) 6 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons

USS Habersham (AK-186) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that served the US Navy during the final months of World War II. She was named for Habersham County, Georgia.

Habersham was launched 7 June 1944, by the Walter Butler Shipbuilding Company in Superior, Wisconsin, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2117. She was sponsored by Mrs. Carl Gray, Jr. and acquired by the US Navy on 26 April 1945, and commissioned 12 May 1945.^[3]

Following shakedown training off Galveston, Texas the ship sailed 2 June 1945, for Gulfport, Mississippi, to take on cargo and departed four days later to join the Pacific Fleet. Habersham arrived at Pearl Harbor via the Canal Zone 30 June, unloaded her cargo, and returned to San Francisco with passengers and cargo 12 July. She then loaded cargo and sailed 21 July for Eniwetok, arriving on 7 August.^[3]

Habersham was at Eniwetok when the surrender of Japan was announced, and departed 9 September to carry cargo for occupation forces in Japan. Arriving Tokyo Bay, 17 September, she unloaded cargo and departed for Guam and San Francisco 27 November. She arrived 12 January 1946 and sailed for the East Coast on 11 February, arriving Norfolk, Virginia 6 March. Habersham decommissioned at Baltimore, Maryland 9 April 1946 and was returned to the Maritime Commission.^[3]

Sold to the Thordén Lines AB, for $693,862,^[4] for merchant service, she became Rosa Thordén. In 1952, she was sold to the Korean Shipping Corporation, and renamed Pusan. She was again renamed in 1974, to Busan, and then sold to Ah Jin Shipping Ltd., in 1976. She was sold again in 1976, to Sammisa Shipping Co, Ltd., and renamed Sam Dae. She was finally sold to Tai Young Shipping Co, Ltd., in 1978. On 14 April 1979 she was damaged by fire and scrapped later that year in Inchon, South Korea.^[5]

Citations

• Photo gallery of USS Habersham (AK-186) at NavSource Naval History