>From the “Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,” 

(1969) Vol. 4, p.476

(1970) Vol. 5, pp.57-58.





NEW HANOVER





	A county in North Carolina.





AKA-73

Displacement:  6,318 t.

Length:  459’

Beam:  63’

Draft:  26’4”

Speed:  17 k.

Complement:  365

Armament:  1 5”; 8 40mm

Class:  TOLLAND

Maritime Standard Type:  C2-S-AJ3





		CLASS STATISTICAL SUMMARY





AKA 64-87, 101-108

Length Overall:

	AKA 64-69, 71-87, 101-108:

		459’2”

	AKA 70:

		459’0”

Extreme Beam:  

	AKA 64-87, 101, 102, 104-108:

		63’0”

	AKA 103:

		63’2”

Trail Displacement:  13,910 t.

Limiting Draft:  26’4”

Trial Speed:  16.5 k.

Accommodations:

	AKA 64:

		Officers:   48

		Enlisted:  326

	AKA 65-80:

		Officers:   62

		Enlisted:  333

	AKA 81-87, 101-108:

		Officers:   38

		Enlisted:  387

Cargo Capacity:  

	380,000 cu.ft.

	  5,275 t.

Armament:  

	AKA 64-75, 77-87, 101-108:

		 1 single 5”/38

		 4 twin 40mm

		16 single 20mm

	AKA 76:

		 1 single 5”/38

		 4 twin 40mm

		12 single 20mm

Engines:  General Electric; geared turbine drive

Boilers:

	AKA 64, 77, 78:

		2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type

	AKA 65-71, 74, 75, 79-87:

		Foster-Wheeler header-type

	AKA 101, 102, 104-108:

		Combustion Engineering header-type

	AKA 103:

		Foster-Wheeler 2-drum boiler

Propulsion:

	Propellers:  1

	Shaft Horsepower:  6,000



	NEW HANOVER (AKA-73) was laid down 31 August 1944 by 

North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C.; launched 

31 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. O. M. Creekmore, and 

commissioned 22 December 1944 at Charleston, S.C., Lt. 

Comdr. J. R. Haines, USNR, in command.



	After training in Chesapeake Bay, NEW HANOVER cleared 

Norfolk 24 January 1945 with cargo for the Pacific, sailing 

through the Panama Canal 1 February and reaching Pearl 

Harbor 19 February.  Joining Amphibious Forces, Pacific 

Fleet, she began a round of cargo operations which took her 

to the Solomons, New Hebrides, and Ulithi, all in 

preparation for the assault on Okinawa, off which she 

arrived 10 April.  During the next week of cargo operations, 

her crew went to General Quarters 30 times as Japanese air 

attacks harassed the invasion.  She returned to Ulithi 

23 April and began a series of passages with mail, cargo, 

and passengers to Guam, the Russells, Eniwetok, and Saipan, 

serving the bases essential to Pacific victory.  She carried 

passengers to San Francisco in July, then continued cargo 

and passenger operations which took her to Pearl Harbor, 

Tinian, Saipan, the Philippines, and ultimately Japan, from 

which she returned to Pearl Harbor 27 November with 

passengers and a cargo composed largely of captured Japanese 

equipment.  She sailed for the Canal Zone 29 November, bound 

for the East Coast.  After service on the Atlantic coast she 

decommissioned at Norfolk 30 July 1946.  Transferred to the 

Maritime Commission 31 July 1946, she was struck from the 

Naval Register 15 August 1946 and sold in early 1947 and 

renamed ALAUS.  Renamed FRANKLIN BERWIS in 1955, the ship 

was again renamed SANTA MERCEDES in 1957, and GREIEA WARD in 

1960.  The ship serves under the latter name into 1970.





Transcribed by Michael Hansen

mhansen2@home.com