Repair ship

USS Medusa was the first United States Navy ship built as a repair ship.

A repair ship is a naval auxiliary ship designed to provide maintenance support to warships. Repair ships provide similar services to destroyer, submarine and seaplane tenders or depot ships, but may offer a broader range of repair capability including equipment and personnel for repair of more significant machinery failures or battle damage.[1]

United States Navy

With a capable crew of qualified repairmen, USS Vulcan was kept in good repair for a long service life.

The United States Navy became aware of the need for repair ships to maintain Asiatic Fleet ships stationed in the Philippines. Two colliers were converted to USS Prometheus and Vestal in 1913 before the purpose-built USS Medusa was completed at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in 1923.

United Kingdom

HMS Artifex

HMS Resource was built in 1928 and remained the sole Royal Navy repair ship at the outbreak of World War II.[1] The following ships were converted to meet wartime needs:

Lend/Lease

HMS Diligence

These Xanthus-class repair ships were built to Royal Navy specifications by Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard in 1944, but only the first two were temporarily loaned to the United Kingdom while the others were retained for use by the United States Navy:[6]

  • AR-17 became HMS Assistance (F173)
  • AR-18 became HMS Diligence (F174)
  • USS Xanthus was intended to be HMS Hecla (F175)
  • USS Laertes was intended to be HMS Dutiful (F176)
  • USS Dionysus was intended to be HMS Faithful (F177)

Japan

Japan found repair ships valuable for Pacific island bases. The pre-dreadnought battleship Asahi was modified and recommissioned as a repair ship in 1938. The 9,000-ton purpose-designed repair ship Akashi was launched in 1938 as the intended prototype for a class of five ships, but the remaining four ships were cancelled as other wartime shipbuilding projects assumed higher priority.[7]

Sources

  • Lenton, H.T.; Colledge, J.J. (1964). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. Doubleday & Company.
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (1968). U.S. Warships of World War II. Doubleday & Company.
  • Watts, Anthony J. (1966). Japanese Warships of World War II. Doubleday & Company.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Lenton & Colledge, p.333
  2. 1 2 3 Lenton & Colledge, p.341
  3. 1 2 3 4 Lenton & Colledge, p.342
  4. 1 2 Lenton & Colledge, p.348
  5. 1 2 Lenton & Colledge, p.346
  6. ↑ Lenton & Colledge, p.352
  7. ↑ Watts, pp.324&325
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