Kanawha-class fleet replenishment oiler

The Kanawha-class oiler was a class of oil tankers of United States Navy and later sold to the Republic of China Navy.

USS Kanawha
Class overview
Name	Kanawha class
Builders	Mare Island Naval Shipyard Boston Navy Yard
Operators	United States Navy  Republic of China Navy
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Patoka class
Subclasses	Cuyama class
Built	1913–1921
In commission	1915–1946
Planned	6
Completed	6
Lost	3
Retired	3
General characteristics
Type	Oil tanker
Displacement	5,723 long tons (5,815 t) light 14,800 long tons (15,037 t) full load
Length	475 ft 7 in (144.96 m)
Beam	56 ft 3 in (17.15 m)
Draft	26 ft 8 in (8.13 m)
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement	317 officers and enlisted
Armament	2 × 5-inch/38-caliber guns 2 × twin Bofors 40 mm guns 2 × twin Oerlikon 20 mm cannons

Development

Six oilers were ordered for construction by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard and the Boston Navy Yard. They were one of the earliest purpose-built oilers for the United States Navy. Kanawha and Maumee were recommissioned during the Second World War meanwhile the other ships remained in service ever since commissioning.^[1]

The Cuyama subclass was an improved version of the first two ships of the Kanawha class.

Kanawha, Neches and Pecos were sunk in battles in the Pacific against the Japanese while the other three served until the end of the war. Maumee was transferred on a lend lease to the Nationalist Army in China in which she was renamed ROCS Omei (AO-509).

Ships of class

Hull number	Name	Callsign	Builders	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate
Kanawha-class oiler[2]
AO-1	Kanawha	NND / NEQD	Mare Island Navy Yard	8 December 1913	11 July 1914	5 June 1915		Sunk off Tulagi Harbor on 8 April 1943
AO-2 / AG-124	Maumee	NNE / NEQL		23 July 1914	17 April 1915	20 October 1916	5 November 1946	Transferred to the Republic of China and renamed ROCS Omei (AO-509).
Cuyama-class oiler[2]
AO-3	Cuyama	NERP	Mare Island Navy Yard	15 December 1915	17 June 1916	12 April 1917	12 April 1946	Scrapped on 10 September 1947
AO-4	Brazos	NIFK	Boston Navy Yard	21 June 1917	1 May 1919	1 October 1919	8 February 1946	Scrapped on 6 January 1947
AO-5	Neches	NIFP		8 June 1919	2 June 1920	25 October 1920		Sunk by I-72 on 23 January 1942
AO-6	Pecos	NIFQ		2 June 1920	23 April 1921	25 August 1921		Sunk by aircraft from Sōryū on 1 March 1942