APL-2-class barracks ship

The APL-2-class barracks ship was a class of barracks ships of the United States Navy after the Second World War, in the late 1940s.^[1]

USS APL-4
Class overview
Name	APL-2 class
Builders	Puget Sound Navy Yard Boston Navy Yard Nashville Bridge Co.
Operators	United States Navy  United States Coast Guard
Preceded by	Edmund B. Alexander class
Succeeded by	APL-17 class
Built	1943-1945
In commission	1944-1946
Planned	15
Completed	12
Cancelled	3
Active	4
Retired	8
General characteristics
Type	Barracks ship
Displacement	1,300 t (1,279 long tons) (standard) 2,660 t (2,618 long tons) (full load)
Length	260 ft 0 in (79.25 m)
Beam	49 ft 2 in (14.99 m)
Draft	8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Installed power	100kW 450 AC
Propulsion	3 × Diesel generators
Capacity	0 officers 583 enlisted 1,000 Bbls (Diesel)
Complement	6 officers 66 enlisted
Armament	4 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons

Development

Twelve ships were built during World War II with 3 cancelled.^[2] APL-12 and APL-13 were intentionally destroyed after being grounded by Typhoon Louise at Okinawa, by demolition charges, in February 1946.^[3][4] Franklin D. Roosevelt approved the construction of tenders and repair ships in May 1943, it was then recommended by the Auxiliary Vessels Board on 11 June later that year, the construction of barracks ships.^[1]

The class consists of barges with a two-story barracks built on top instead of the a warehouse design, and they had an auxiliary vessel designation of "A". Moreover, on their top deck, 4 Oerlikon 20 mm cannons were placed together with 2 gun and their platforms on each side of the ship.^[1] The guns were later removed after being put into the reserve fleet in 1946.

Since 2011, only 4 ships have been in service at Naval Station San Diego.^[1]

Ships of class

APL-2-class barracks ship[2]
Name	Builders	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate
APL-2	Puget Sound Navy Yard	12 May 1944	6 July 1944	25 May 1945	-	CincPacFlt Berthing and Messing Program and is berthed at San Diego[5]
APL-3		31 May 1944	3 August 1944	30 July 1945	-	Scrapped in 1974
APL-4		27 May 1944	3 August 1944	21 September 1945	-	CincPacFlt Berthing and Messing Program and is berthed at San Diego
APL-5		8 July 1944	14 November 1944	5 November 1945	-	CincPacFlt Berthing and Messing Program and is berthed at San Diego
APL-6		5 August 1944	12 February 1945	Cancelled on 27 August 1945, completed as barge CROWN No.2
APL-7		5 August 1944	12 February 1945	Cancelled on 27 August 1945, completed as barge CROWN No.1
APL-8	Nashville Bridge Co.	21 March 1944	5 June 1944	6 October 1944	-	Sold to commercial service as merchant barge MLC-261 (ON 580686), 1974[6]
APL-9		5 May 1944	21 July 1944	24 November 1944	-	Sold to commercial service as merchant barge MLC-260 (ON 581255), 1974[6]
APL-10		12 July 1944	19 September 1944	6 January 1945	-	Sold to commercial service as merchant barge MLC-263 (ON 561018), 1974[6]
APL-11	Boston Navy Yard	5 August 1944	4 September 1944	10 October 1944	-	Sunk as target by ComNavAirPac, 18 March 1974
APL-12		5 August 1944	4 September 1944	24 October 1944	-	Destroyed on 26 January 1946
APL-13		5 September 1944	12 October 1944	20 November 1944	23 November 1945	Destroyed on 22 February 1946
APL-14	Nashville Bridge Co.	11 September 1944	17 January 1944	29 June 1944	3 January 1946	Sold to Foreign Liquidation Committee (FLC), May 1947
APL-15		29 October 1943	29 January 1944	1 August 1944	-	CincPacFlt Berthing and Messing Program and is berthed at San Diego
APL-16	Cancelled on 22 October 1943

See also

• Barracks ship
• List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy § Barracks Craft (APL)

External links

• Photo gallery of Barracks ships of the US Navy at NavSource Naval History no nationality or prefix;