USS Stratford, lead ship of the Stratford class
Class overview
Builders	Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company
Built	1917-?
In commission	25 Aug 1941-17 Apr 1946
Completed	2
General characteristics
Class and type	Stratford class transport
Displacement	2,300 (lt) 3,640 (fl)
Length	261 ft (80 m)
Beam	43 ft 6 in (13.3 m)
Draft	15 ft 7 in (4.7 m)
Propulsion	Steam turbine, single screw
Speed	8.5-9.6 knots
Complement	132 (Stratford), 365 (Gemini)
Armament	Stratford: 1 x single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mount; 3 x single 40mm AA gun mounts Gemini: 2 x single 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts

The Stratford class transport was a class of transport ship that served with the United States Navy during World War II. Their purpose was to transport soldiers to overseas service.

History

There were only two Stratford class vessels, both built by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company. They were both apparently built for commercial service on the Great Lakes as freighters in about 1918, and operated as commercial vessels between the wars.

Shortly before America's entry into World War II, two ships were requisitioned by the US Navy. The first ship, USS Stratford, was commissioned in August 1941 and the second, USS Gemini, in August 1942. Initially designated as cargo ships (AK), they were both converted to transports (AP) shortly after commission and hence became the Stratford class transports.

Both ships were initially assigned to convoy duty to Iceland in 1942, and then later took part in operations against the Japanese in the Pacific until the end of the war. Both were decommissioned in 1946. Gemini subsequently returned to commercial service, in Norway. Stratford was scrapped in 1956.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.