View source for USNS Lt. James E. Robinson

{{short description|Cargo ship of the United States Navy}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=August 2023}}

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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1945}}
|Ship name=*''Czechoslovakia Victory''
|Ship namesake=*[[Czechoslovakia]]
|Ship owner= War Shipping Administration
|Ship operator= [[American-Hawaiian SS Company]]
|Ship registry= 
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=as type (VC2-S-AP2) hull, [[Maritime Commission|MCV]] hull 86
|Ship awarded= awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] during World War II
|Ship builder=[[Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation]], [[Portland, Oregon]]
|Ship original cost=
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|Ship laid down=25 November 1943, as SS ''Czechoslovakia Victory''
|Ship launched=20 January 1944
|Ship sponsor= 
|Ship christened=Miss Barbara Vickery
|Ship completed= March 11, 1944
|Ship acquired= 
|Ship recommissioned= 
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|Ship out of service=
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|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname= 
|Ship honors=  one [[battle star]] for World War II service
|Ship captured= 
|Ship fate= Transferred to US Navy in 1946
|Ship notes= 
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Ship country             = United States
| Ship flag                = {{USN flag|1945}}
| Ship name                = USNS ''Lt. James E. Robinson''
|Ship namesake= [[James E. Robinson, Jr.]]
| Ship operator            = US Navy
|Ship identification=*[[Hull classification symbol#Support type|Hull symbol]]:T-AKV-3
*Hull symbol:T-AG-170
*Hull symbol:T-AK-274
| Ship route= 
|Ship in service=1 March 1950 as Aircraft Transport USNS ''Lt. James E. Robinson'' (T-AKV-3)
|Ship commissioned=3 May 1948 as USAT ''Lt. James E. Robinson''
|Ship reclassified=*December 1962, as Miscellaneous Auxiliary USNS ''Lt. James E. Robinson'' (T-AG-170), a cable transport ship
*1 July 1964, as Cargo Ship USNS ''Lt. James E. Robinson'' (T-AK-274)             = 
|Ship struck=       16 January 1981
| Ship renamed             = 
| Ship fate                = sold for scrapping, 26 May 1983, to Andy Exports, Inc.
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=<ref name="navsource">{{cite web | url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/13/130274.htm | title=USNS LT. James E. Robinson (T-AK-274)
 | publisher=Navsource.org | access-date=June 5, 2015}}</ref>
|Ship class= VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship, then rebuilt in 1946 to {{sclass|Lt. James E. Robinson|cargo ship}}
|Ship type= 
|Ship tonnage= 
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|4512|t|LT|sp=us}} (standard)
*{{convert|15589|t|LT|sp=us}} (full load)
|Ship length={{convert|455|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|62|ft|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship draft={{convert|29|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship power={{convert|8500|shp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*1 × steam turbine
*1 × [[Drive shaft#Marine drive shafts|shaft]]
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed={{convert|15.5|kn|lk=in}}
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|Ship complement=*12 Officers
*87 Enlisted
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|Ship armament=*1 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|5 inch (127&nbsp;mm)/38 caliber gun]] (''Czechoslovakia Victory'' only)
*1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun|3 inch (76&nbsp;mm)/50 caliber gun]] (''Czechoslovakia Victory'' only)
*8 × [[Oerlikon 20&nbsp;mm cannon|20 mm Oerlikon]] (''Czechoslovakia Victory'' only)
* None as ''James E. Robinson''
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|Ship notes= <ref>{{Cite journal |author=[[Babcock & Wilcox]] |date=April 1944 |title=Victory Ships |journal=Marine Engineering and Shipping Review}}</ref>
}}
|}

'''USNS ''Lt. James E. Robinson'' (T-AKV-3/T-AG-170/T-AK-274)''' was a [[U.S. Navy]] [[cargo ship]], which was launched as a World War II commercial [[Victory ship]] '''SS ''Czechoslovakia Victory''''' under the [[Emergency Shipbuilding program]]. She had earlier been the [[U.S. Army]]'s '''USAT ''LT. James E. Robinson''''' before being acquired by the U.S. Navy.

==Construction==
SS ''Czechoslovakia Victory'' was laid down as a VC2-S-AP2 type [[Victory ship]] under [[U.S. Maritime Commission]] contract as by [[Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation]], [[Portland, Oregon]], 25 November 1943; launched 20 January 1944; sponsored by Miss Barbara Vickery; and delivered to her operator, American Hawaiian Steamship Corp., 11 March 1944. In 1948 she was renamed the ''Lt. James E. Robinson'' (AKV 3).

==World War II service==
SS ''Czechoslovakia Victory'' was owned by the Maritime Commission, she served on the merchant sealanes under the control of the [[War Shipping Administration]] during the remainder of World War II. She was operated by the [[American-Hawaiian SS Company]]
On 8 August 1946 with the war over she was chartered to [[Black Diamond Steamship Company]].
On 17 November 1947 she was laid up in the [[National Defense Reserve Fleet]] at the [[James River]].  On 3 May 1948 she was removed from the [[Reserve Fleet]] and transferred to the [[Army Transportation Service]] as USAT ''LT. James E. Robinson''. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred by the Maritime Administration to the US Navy and assigned to duty under the [[Military Sea Transportation Service]] (MSTS). The [[USNS Sgt. Jack J. Pendleton (T-AKV-5)]] was also transferred to the Army Transportation Service at the same time and both ships were given the ''Lt. James E. Robinson-class cargo ship'' designation.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

==Post-war service==
Crewed by civilians, ''Lt. James E. Robinson'' operated out of [[U.S. East Coast]] ports, primarily New York City, while making runs to ports in [[West Germany]] and the [[British Isles]]. In September 1953 she expanded the scope of her operations with a supply and logistics run to the Mediterranean which sent her to Greece, Turkey, and [[Trieste]].

She maintained this pattern of Mediterranean and western European cruises during the next 7 years. In addition, during the periods of August 1955, August–September 1956, and July October 1958, she carried cargo to [[Thule, Greenland]], in support of military defense construction projects. Late in November 1958, again expanding her area of operations, she cruised to ports in the [[Red Sea]], the [[Gulf of Aden]], and the [[Persian Gulf]] before returning to New York City 31 January 1959.

==Vietnam-era operations==
''Lt. James E. Robinson'' was reclassified ''AK-274'' in May 1959 while operating in the Atlantic Ocean. Between 1 August 1960 and 9 September she steamed from New York to [[Saigon]], [[South Vietnam]], carrying cargo for the American military effort there. After making ports in [[Formosa]], [[South Korea]], and Japan, she returned to New York via the [[U.S. West Coast]] 29 November, thence resumed [[transatlantic crossing|transatlantic]] cargo service 16 December.

==Circumnavigating the globe==
During April and May 1961 she cruised to the [[Indian Ocean]] and back; and between 19 August and 5 January 1962, she [[circumnavigated the globe]] steaming from [[Davisville, Rhode Island]], and back via the [[Panama Canal]], Australia, the [[Suez Canal]], and [[Gibraltar]].

During much of 1962 and 1963 Lt. ''James E. Robinson'' took part in special logistics operations in the South Atlantic and the Indian Oceans. Reclassified ''AG-170'' in December 1962, she operated out of [[Cape Town]] and [[Durban, South Africa]], and ranged the African coast from [[Liberia]] to [[Kenya]].

She continued these operations during the first 4 months of 1964 and returned to New York 31 May via Suez and [[Rota, Spain]]. She again reclassified ''AK-274'' on 1 July 1964 and resumed transatlantic cargo runs to western European ports. Continuing this duty through 1969, she remained assigned to the Atlantic Area of MSTS.

==Inactivation==
''Lt. James E. Robinson'' was placed out of service at an unknown date and was transferred to the [[Maritime Administration]] (MARAD), 17 March 1976, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. She was struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register|Navy List]] on 16 January 1981 and was sold for scrap to Andy Exports, Inc., on 26 May 1983.

==Honors and awards==
SS ''Czechoslovakia''  (''Lt. James E. Robinson'')received one [[battle star]] for World War II service for war action from  10 April 1945 to 26 April 1945 for the assault occupation of [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive-org.com/org/u/usmm.org/2013-04-03_1808202_35/World_War_II_Posters_Train_or_return_to_sea/ |title=usmm.org, "Battle Stars" in World War II. |access-date=2017-01-21 |archive-date=2017-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202011946/http://archive-org.com/org/u/usmm.org/2013-04-03_1808202_35/World_War_II_Posters_Train_or_return_to_sea/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
She also earned the [[National Defense Service Medal]], [[Vietnam Service Medal]] and the [[Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal]].

==See also==
*[[List of Victory ships]]
* [[Liberty ship]]
* [[Type C1 ship]]
* [[Type C2 ship]]
* [[Type C3 ship]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lt-james-e-robinson-akv-3.html}}
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/13/130274.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USNS LT. James E. Robinson (T-AK-274) – ex - USNS LT. James E. Robinson (T-AG-170) (1962 - 1964) - USNS LT. James E. Robinson (T-AKV-3) (1950 - 1962) - USAT LT. James E. Robinson (1948 - 1950)]
*Sawyer, L.A. and W.H. Mitchell. ''Victory ships and tankers: The history of the ‘Victory’ type cargo ships and of the tankers built in the United States of America during World War II'', Cornell Maritime Press, 1974, 0-87033-182-5.
*United States Maritime Commission: [http://www.usmm.org/victoryships.html]
*Victory Cargo Ships [http://www.armed-guard.com/recbr2.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050922060615/http://www.armed-guard.com/recbr2.html |date=2005-09-22 }}

==Sources==
*Sawyer, L.A. and W.H. Mitchell. ''Victory ships and tankers: The history of the ‘Victory’ type cargo ships and of the tankers built in the United States of America during World War II'', Cornell Maritime Press, 1974, 0-87033-182-5.
*United States Maritime Commission: [http://www.usmm.org/victoryships.html]
*Victory Cargo Ships [http://www.armed-guard.com/recbr2.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050922060615/http://www.armed-guard.com/recbr2.html |date=2005-09-22 }}

{{Victory ship cargo ship classes}}
{{MARCOMships}}
{{WWII US ships}}
{{Victory ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lt. James E. Robinson (T-AKV-274)}}
[[Category:Victory ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships of the United States Army]]
[[Category:Lt. James E. Robinson-class cargo ships]]
[[Category:Vietnam War auxiliary ships of the United States]]