USS Aegir (AS‑23) was the lead ship of the Aegir‑class submarine tenders of the United States Navy. Built during World War II, she served primarily in the Pacific theater, providing maintenance, repair, and logistical support to United States Navy submarines.
Design and specifications
- Class: Aegir‑class submarine tender (type C3‑S‑A2)
- Displacement: 16,500 long tons (full load)
- Length: 492 ft 6 in (150.11 m)
- Beam: 69 ft 6 in (21.18 m)
- Draft: 27 ft (8.2 m)
- Propulsion: One General Electric steam turbine powered by two Foster–Wheeler D‑type boilers, delivering 8,500 shp (6,300 kW) to a single propeller, giving a speed of 18.4 knots (34.1 km/h).
- Complement: 82 officers and 1,378 enlisted personnel.
- Armament (World War II configuration): One 5 in/38 caliber dual‑purpose gun, four single 3 in/50 caliber guns, two twin 40 mm Bofors mounts, and twenty 20 mm Oerlikon cannons.
Construction
Aegir was laid down on 31 March 1943 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, under Maritime Commission contract MC hull 856. She was launched on 15 September 1943 and temporarily commissioned on 20 November 1943 for transit to a conversion yard. The ship entered the Todd Shipyards Corporation in Brooklyn, New York, for conversion to a submarine tender, and was placed in full commission on 8 September 1944 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Service history
After shakedown operations out of New London, Connecticut, Aegir departed on 23 October 1944 for Pearl Harbor, transiting the Panama Canal and San Diego. Upon arrival in Hawaii on 18 November 1944, she was assigned to Submarine Squadron 24 (SubRon 24). In late November she proceeded to Midway Island, where she remained stationed until 1 September 1945, furnishing refitting and tender services to the squadron’s submarines.
Following the end of hostilities, Aegir returned to the United States, arriving at Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 11 September 1945. She continued to provide services to submarines awaiting decommissioning until she herself was placed out of commission, in reserve, at Mare Island on 18 October 1946.
Decommissioning and fate
USS Aegir was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1971. She was sold for scrap to National Metal and Steel on 16 May 1972 and subsequently dismantled.
Legacy
As the lead ship of her class, Aegir exemplified the logistical support vessels that enabled sustained submarine operations across the vast Pacific during World War II. Her service contributed to the operational readiness of the United States submarine force in the final phases of the conflict.