USS Gratia

USS Gratia (AKS-11) was an Acubens-class general stores issue ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering and disbursing goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

Gratia was a standard liberty ship, similar to SS John W. Brown, seen here.
History
United States
Name	John W. Draper Gratia
Namesake	John W. Draper The asteroid Gratia
Ordered	as EC2-S-C1 hull
Laid down	date unknown
Launched	21 October 1944
Acquired	20 November 1944
Commissioned	5 May 1945
Decommissioned	1 July 1946
Stricken	1 July 1946
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 1964
General characteristics
Displacement	4,023 t.(lt) 14,350 t.(fl)
Length	441 ft 7 in (134.59 m)
Beam	56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft	27 ft 7 in (8.41 m)
Propulsion	reciprocating steam engine, single shaft, 2,500 hp
Speed	11 knots (20 km/h)
Endurance	17,000 miles
Complement	195
Armament	one 5 in (130 mm) dual purpose gun mount one single 3 in (76 mm) dual purpose gun mount *eight single 20 mm gun mounts

Gratia (AKS-11) was launched under Maritime Commission contract by Delta Shipbuilding Co., New Orleans, Louisiana, 21 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. John W. Boatwright; acquired by the Navy 20 November 1944; and commissioned the same day.

World War II service

She remained in commission only long enough to sail to Galveston, Texas, where she decommissioned 3 November to undergo conversion. She recommissioned 5 May 1945 and sailed for the Pacific Ocean as part of Service Squadron 8.

Operating out of Manila, Gratia carried stores and passengers to ports in the Philippines, the Admiralties, and New Guinea. In January 1946, she departed Manila the final time, reaching San Francisco, California, 4 April via various Japanese ports and Pearl Harbor.

Post-war decommissioning

After returning to Pearl Harbor 30 May, Gratia decommissioned there 1 July 1946, and was towed to San Francisco, California. Her name was struck from the Navy Register 17 July 1947, and she was transferred to the Maritime Commission. Gratia was part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, berthed in Suisun Bay, California, until the fall of 1964 when she was scrapped.

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Photo gallery of USS Gratia at NavSource Naval History