USNS Private John R. Towle

USNS Private John R. Towle (T-AK-240) underway in pack ice near Antarctica.
History
United States
Name	Appleton Victory Private John R. Towle
Namesake	Five cities in as many States in the United States share the name Appleton John R. Towle awarded the Medal of Honor
Ordered	as type (VC2-S-AP2) hull, MCV hull 162
Builder	Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation, Portland, Oregon
Laid down	9 December 1944, as SS Appleton Victory
Launched	19 January 1945
Sponsored by	Mrs. John Goodland, Jr.
Completed	23 March 1945
Commissioned	30 August 1946, as USAT Private John R. Towle
Decommissioned	date unknown
In service	1 March 1950, as USNS Private John R. Towle (T-AK-240)
Out of service	date unknown
Stricken	31 July 1982
Identification	Hull symbol:T-AK-240
Fate	Sold for scrapping 4 June 1982
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	Greenville Victory-class cargo ship
Displacement	4,960 metric tons (4,880 long tons) (standard) 15,589 metric tons (15,343 long tons) (full load)
Length	455 ft (139 m)
Beam	62 ft (19 m)
Draft	29 ft 2 in (8.89 m)
Installed power	8,500 shp (6,300 kW)
Propulsion	1 × steam turbine 1 × shaft
Speed	15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)
Complement	99
Armament	None

USNS Private John R. Towle (T-AK-240) was a Greenville Victory-class cargo ship that served as a commercial cargo ship during the final year of World War II. Post-war she was acquired by the U.S. Army as USAT Private John R. Towle until the 1950s when she was assigned to the U.S. Navy's Military Sea Transportation Service for various duties, including runs to Antarctica's McMurdo Sound.