History
United States
Name
  • Coastal Expounder (1944–1945)
  • Lehigh (1945)
NamesakeLehigh County, Pennsylvania
Orderedas type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2123[1]
BuilderWalter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin
Yard number41[1]
Laid down8 June 1944
Launched25 November 1944
Sponsored byMrs. Stanley Butler
Acquired30 July 1945
Commissioned13 September 1945
Decommissioned6 November 1945
Strickendate unknown
Identification
Fatereturned to Maritime Commission, 6 November 1945
History
United States
NameCoastal Archer
OwnerMaritime Commission
Operator
  • T.J. Stevenson & Company (1945)
  • New York and Cuba Mail (1946)
  • Agwilines Inc. (1946)
Acquired6 November 1945
In service6 November 1945
Out of service15 February 1948
FateSold, 7 March 1947
History
BrazilBrazil
NameRio Solimões
NamesakeSolimões River
OperatorLloyd Brasileiro, Patrimonio Nicional
Acquired15 February 1947
In service7 March 1947
FateScrapped 1969
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeAlamosa-class cargo ship
TypeC1-M-AV1
Tonnage5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1]
Displacement
  • 2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard)
  • 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam50 ft (15 m)
Draft21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power
Propulsion1 × propeller
Speed11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity
  • 3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT
  • 9,830 cu ft (278 m3) (refrigerated)
  • 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement
  • 15 Officers
  • 70 Enlisted
Armament

USS Lehigh (AK-192) was an Alamosa class cargo ship that was constructed by the United States Navy during the closing period of World War II. She was declared excess-to-needs and returned to the United States Maritime Commission shortly after commissioning.

Construction

The second ship to be so named by the Navy, Lehigh was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 2123, by Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin, 8 June 1944; launched 25 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Stanley Butler; acquired by the Navy 30 July 1945; placed in service the same day for ferrying from Beaumont, Texas, to Galveston, Texas; placed out of service on the 31st; and commissioned at New Orleans 13 September 1945.[3]

Post-war decommissioning

Because of the reduced need for cargo ships following World War II, Lehigh decommissioned 6 November 1945 and was turned over to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) the same day,[3] and her name was reverted to Coastal Expounder.[2]

Merchant service

Coastal Expounder was used by several shipping companies from 1945–1947, when she was placed in the reserve fleet before being transferred then sold to Lloyd Brasileiro, Patrimônio Nicional, of Brazil.[2]

On 7 March 1947, she was sold for $693,862 and renamed Rio Solimões.[4] She was scrapped in 1969.

Notes

    Citations
    1. 1 2 3 C1 Cargo Ships 2009.
    2. 1 2 3 Navsource 2013.
    3. 1 2 DANFS 2015.
    4. ↑ MARAD.

    Bibliography

    Online resources

    • "Lehigh II (AK-192)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2016.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
    • "C1 Cargo Ships". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
    • "USS Lehigh (AK-192)". Navsource.org. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
    • "Coastal Expounder". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
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