| Geoanna (IX-61) | |
|---|---|
| Career (US) |  |
| Launched: | 1934 |
| Acquired: |
1 February 1942 (US Navy) 3 September 1943 (US Army) |
| In service: |
19 February 1942—28 August 1943 (US Navy) 3 September 1943—1945 (US Army) |
| Fate: | Undergoing restoration in the Philippines in the year 2000.[1][2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 111 ft 6 in (33.99 m) |
| Beam: | 22 ft 6 in (6.86 m) |
| Draft: | 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m) |
| Speed: | 8 knots |
Geoanna was a steel auxiliary schooner built in 1934 by Craig Shipbuilding Company in Long Beach, California.[3] On 1 February 1942 the vessel was acquired by the U.S. Navy from the Maritime Commission and placed in service 19 February 1942 as the unclassified miscellaneous vessel Geoanna (IX-61).[3] Geoanna was never commissioned and thus never bore the USS designation.[4] The vessel was assigned to the 11th Naval District performing miscellaneous duties for Port Director, San Pedro, California. On 2 July 1943 Geoanna was turned over to the United States Coast Guard for service as a Coast Guard operational training ship until being redelivered to the Maritime Commission by the Navy 28 August 1943.[3]
The U.S. Army acquired Geoanna on 3 September 1943 for service in the Southwest Pacific Area.[2] That command modified the vessel as a communications ship for use by the Signal Corps. On 12 December 1943 the ship became part of the Army operated radio communication fleet joining the other sailing ships Volador and the previously operating, Australian registered vessels, Harold and Argosy Lamal. A crew of mixed Army, Navy and Australian civilian personnel operated these predecessors of the CP, or Command Post, ships in the Port Moresby, Woodlark and Laee-Salamau areas.[5][6] Geoanna was given the Army designation of TP-249.[7] The ship served as a communications relay during operations of the Western New Guinea campaign into the Moluccas through landings at Tacloban in the Philippines.[8]
References[]
- ↑ "Signal Corps; Later News of These Ships". Army Ships -- The Ghost Fleet. http://patriot.net/~eastlnd2/army-sc.htm. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Geoanna (IX-61) / USA Ship TP-249". NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive. 30 September 2011. http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/46/46061.htm.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Geoanna". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History & Heritage Command. http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g4/geoanna.htm. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ↑ "Ship Naming in the United States Navy". Navy History & Heritage Command. http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq63-1.htm. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ↑ Thompson, George Raynor; Harris, Dixie R. (1991). United States Army In World War II-The Technical Services-The Signal Corps: The Outcome (Mid-1943 Through 1945). Center Of Military History, United States Army. pp. 262–265. LCCN 64-60001. http://archive.org/stream/TheSignalCorpsTheOutcome/SignalCorpsTheOutcome#page/n0/mode/2up.
- ↑ Grover, David (1987). U.S. Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II. Naval Institute Press. p. 146. ISBN 0-87021-766-6.)
- ↑ Lunney, Bill; Finch, Frank (1995). Forgotten Fleet. Medlowie NSW, Australia: Forfleet Publishing. p. 136. ISBN 0-646-26048-0.)
- ↑ Gerard Viracola Sr.. "SS Geoanna TP-249 Army Communications Ship". AboutWW2.com. http://www.aboutww2.com/SS-Geoanna-TP-249.html. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
External links[]
- Photo gallery at Navsource.org
- Army schooner Geoanna (TP-249) image
- Forgotten Fleet Review
The original article can be found at Geoanna (IX-61) and the edit history here.