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Acme (2) - (1916-1943)
See also : Career Data Acme (2) & Repairs to the tanker SS Acme
"Acme" port side view at dock.( Photo ELDREDGE COLLECTION )
"Acme" starboardside, under way, October 8th, 1923.( Photo Taylor, William B. )
SS "Acme" moored pierside, possibly in the vicinity of San Francisco, CA., 7 December 1917,
when she was inspected by the Twelfth Naval District.
( US Navy photo )
SS "Acme", settled by the stern but later was towed to Lynnhaven Roads, Virginia by
Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, where she was anchored.
"Acme", Vessel torpedoed March 17 ,1942. salvaged and then grounded September 7-8, 1944.View showing port side quarter stern view of damaged ship grounded.
( Photo US Coast Guard )
"Acme". Port side view under way, August 19th, 1943.( Photo US Coast Guard )
"Acme", inbound, June 6th, 1943.( Photo US Coast Guard )
"Acme (2)", inbound, March 25th, 1943. (Photo US Coast Guard)
SS ACME - 1916
LOA 435' Beam 56' Depth 33'6", 10,645 DWT 76,281 bbls, Triple expansion engine 48" stroke 3000 IHP
Launched 29 April and commissioned 22 June 1916 at Union Plant, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, San Francisco, California.
ACME was the first of a group of five tankers known to the Marine Transportation Department as "A" boats. She was designed to carry oil in bulk to those Far Eastern ports where storage tanks had already been built and which had been previously served by the British-flag sailing vessels and steamers.
In 1914, on the outbreak ofWWI, these British-flag ships had been commandeered by the British Admiralty. ACME was the first of the US-flag ships which were to take the place of the commandeered vessels.
ACME's first voyage was to China, with subsequent trips out of San Francisco for more than five years, with only rare visits to New York to load for Singapore by way of the Suez Canal. When America entered WWI, acme was one of the three ships left available for company use in the Pacific, mainly because on the return trip she was used to bring home coconut oil from the Philippines, a valuable war cargo because of its 12% glycerine content.
In 1925, ACME entered the Texas-oil-coast to ports-north-of-Hatteras (northeast US) run and remained on this route, with the exception of a few coast-to-coast trips, from that year on.
In March 1942, while rounding Diamond Shoal Gas Buoy off the coast of North Carolina, ACME was torpedoed by a German U-boat and 11 men lost their lives. ACME, however, did not sink. She was towed into Newport News, Virginia, for repairs.
A month later, while in dock, she was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration (WSA).
Repaired, acme re-entered the war and served in transatlantic convoys with an occasional delivery of Navy fuel to Guantanomo, Cuba. Full title to acme passed to WSA in September 1943, in a trade of six obsolete tankers for three new.
As the government-owned abarenda, the former ACME successfully served out the war.
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The Miramar Ship Index for "ACME"
IDNo:
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2214173
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Year:
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1916
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Name:
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ACME
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Keel:
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Type:
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Tanker
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Launch Date:
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29.04.1916
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Flag:
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USA
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Date of completion:
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06.1916
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Tons:
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6894
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Link:
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-
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DWT:
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Yard No:
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125
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Length overall:
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Ship Design:
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LPP:
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132.6
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Country of build:
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USA
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Beam:
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17.1
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Builder:
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Union Iron Works Co.
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Material of build:
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Location of yard:
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San Francisco
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Number of screws/Mchy/Speed(kn):
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1T-10.5
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Subsequent History:
1944 ABARENDA - 1946 ACME
Disposal Data:
Scrapped at Shanghai 1948 [ By Asian Development Corp. ]
History:
ON
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LR/IMO
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ID
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Year
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Name
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Tons
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Change
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Registered Owner
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214173
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2214173
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1916
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ACME
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6894
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Standard Tptn Co Inc.
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214173
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2214173
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1916
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ACME
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6894
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1931
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Standard-Vacuum Tptn Co Inc.
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214173
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2214173
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1916
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ACME
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6894
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1935
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Socony-Vacuum Oil Co Inc.
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IX-131
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2214173
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1916
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ABARENDA
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6894
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1944
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U.S. Navy
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214173
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2214173
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1916
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ACME
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6894
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1946
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U.S. Govt.
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Additional information Starke & Schell registers :
ACME - 1916 USA 1T (aft) (10½)
6,894 GRT for Standard Transportation Co., Inc., New York 435.0 x 56.0
Tanker build by Union Iron Works Co., San Francisco (6) #125 214173
1931 - Standard-Vacuum Transportation Co., Inc., New York
1935 - Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., Inc., New York
03/17/1942, Torpedoed but repaired.
1944 - U. S. War Shipping Administration, New York
1944 - ABARENDA (IX-131) U. S. Navy - depot tanker
1946 - ACME U. S. Maritime Commission, New York
Sold 1948 to Asian Development Corp., Shanghai for scrapping.
Additional information :
Floating Storage Tanker:
The tanker Acme, was built in 1916 for the United States Shipping Board at Union Iron Works, San Francisco, CA:
Renamed Abarenda, 3 November 1943;
Acquired by the US Navy, 26 February 1944;
Commissioned USS Abarenda (IX-131), 18 April 1944, with a Coast Guard crew;
Decommissioned, 28 February 1946, in the Philippines;
Returned to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) that same day;
Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, at Subic Bay, PI;
Struck from the Naval Register, 20 March 1946 and renamed Acme;
Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 3 March 1948 to the Asia Development Corp.
Specifications:
Displacement 19,410 t.(fl);
Length 453';
Beam 56':
Draft 25' 6";
Speed 10.2 kts;
Complement 120;
Armament, unknown;
Propulsion, unknown, single propeller.
View the Abarenda (IX-131)
DANFS history entry located at Navsource.
Career Data :29 April 1916 launched by Union Iron Works Co., San Franscisco as Yard Nr: 125 named Acme for Standard Transportation Co Inc., New York
June 1916 completed
1931 owners became Standard-Vacuum Transportation Co Inc, New York - name unchanged
1935 owners became Socony-Vacuum Oil Co Inc., New York - name unchanged
1942 owners became US WSA - name unchanged
WW2 served as an escort oiler - name unchanged
17 March 1942 torpedoed and damaged by U124 about 1 mile W of Diamond Shoals Light Buoy, North Carolina in position 35.05 N 75.20 W while on passage in ballast from New York to Corpus Christi with the loss of 11 lives. She was abandoned and 20 survivors were rescued by USCG Dione and were landed at Norfolk, VA. The ship was later towed to Lynnhaven Roads, VA then to Newport News for repairs
22 February 1943 sailed Liverppol in convoy ON169 to New York arriving 21 March 1943. Acting as an escort oiler with this convoy with one other tanker
3 November 1943 requisitioned by the USN and renamed Abarenda (IX131) and was converted into a floating storage tanker
9 January 1944 sailed Aruba independently to Cristobal 12 January 1944
13 January 1944 sailed Balboa independently to Noumea arriving 18 February 1944
26 February 1944 purchased by the USN
18 April 1944 commissioned in the USN and served at Manus, Admiralty Islands until 20 February 1945
15 May 1944 at Noumea, New Caledonia USS Taylor (DD468) berthed alongside to refuel
26 August 1944 at Seeadler Harbour, Admiralty Islands USS Witter (DE636) berthed alongside to refuel.
24 September 1944 at Seeadler Harbour, Admiralty Islands USS Ormsby (APA49) berthed alongside to refuel. Received 150,438 gallons of FFO
1 October 1944 at Seeadler Harbour, Admiralty Islands USS Rathburne (APD25) berthed alongside to refuel
18 November 1944 at Seeadler Harbour, Admiralty Islands USS Honolulu (CL48) berthed alongside to refuel. Received 202,329 gallons of FFO
21 November 1944 USS Aries (AK51) alongside to be refuelled
28 February 1945 at Ulithi with USS Sepuga (AO20) alongside to pumpover her cargo - 7854 bbls transfered
13 March 1945 was stationed at Leyte until VJ Day
23 March 1945 at San Pedro Bay with USS Eldorado (AGC11) alongside being refuelled
23 May 1945 at Leyte USS Fremont (APA44) alongside to be refuelled - received 4,700 bbs of FFO
14 June 1945 at Leyte with USS Topeka (CL67) alongside being refuelled
25 June 1945 at Leyte with USS Topeka (CL67) alongside being refuelled
26 February 1946 was decommissioned from the USN and was returned to the WSA Reserve Fleet at Subic Bay - renamed Acme
3 March 1948 arrived Shanghai for demolition by Asian Development Corp.
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