USS Roxane

History
United States
Name	USS Roxane
Namesake	The asteroid Roxane
Builder	Walsh-Kaiser Company, Providence, Rhode Island
Laid down	1 December 1944
Launched	14 February 1945
Commissioned	12 March 1945
Decommissioned	5 June 1946
Stricken	3 July 1946
Fate	Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 29 June 1946, scrapped 1966
General characteristics
Class and type	Artemis-class attack cargo ship
Type	S4–SE2–BE1
Displacement	4,087 long tons (4,153 t) light 7,080 long tons (7,194 t) full
Length	426 ft (130 m)
Beam	58 ft (18 m)
Draft	16 ft (4.9 m)
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement	303 officers and enlisted
Armament	1 × 5"/38 caliber gun mount 4 × twin 40 mm gun mounts 10 × 20 mm gun mounts

USS Roxane (AKA-37) was an Artemis-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1966.

History

Roxane (AKA-37) was named after the minor planet 317 Roxane, which in turn was named after Roxana, the wife of Alexander the Great. The ship was laid down 1 December 1944 by Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc., Providence, R.I.; launched 14 February 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Edwin H. Armstrong; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission (MC Hull 1898) and commissioned at Boston 12 March 1945.

Following shakedown off Boston, Roxane loaded at Norfolk and transited the Panama Canal 24 April 1945. Arriving Pearl Harbor 11 May, she proceeded on to Eniwetok and Saipan before putting into San Francisco 12 July. Departing San Francisco 25 July, she proceeded by way of Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, and Ulithi, to Manila where she arrived 3 September. She operated on cargo runs between various Philippine ports until arriving Japan 23 October 1945.

On 1 November 1945, Roxane reported to ComServPac for "Magic Carpet" duty at Mitsugahama, and proceeded via Okinawa and arrived San Francisco with returning veterans 22 November. Departing again 11 December, she picked up additional troops at Yokosuka and Sasebo and reached Seattle 7 February.

Roxane reported for disposal to Commander 13th Naval District 18 March 1946, decommissioned 5 June 1946, was transferred to the Maritime Commission 29 June 1946, and was struck from the Navy list 3 July 1946. Scrapped 1966

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• NavSource Online: AKA-37 Roxane
• 51 Years of AKAs
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