.jpg) USS Guardian, the lead ship of the class
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Guardian class |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Built | 1943–1945 |
| In commission | 1954–1965 |
| Completed | 16 |
| Retired | 16 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Radar picket ship, converted Liberty ship, type Z-EC2-S-C5 |
| Displacement | 10,760 long tons (10,930 t) full load |
| Length | 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m) |
| Draft | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Propulsion | two 220 PSI boilers; one 3 cylinder triple-expansion steam engine; one 4-blade, 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) propeller; 2,500 shp (1,900 kW) |
| Speed | 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Complement | 13-20 officers, 138-150 enlisted |
| Armament | 2 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber guns |
The Guardian-class radar picket ships were a class of ocean radar picket ships (YAGR, later AGR), converted 1954–1958 from World War II Liberty ships acquired by the U.S. Navy. Their task was to act as part of the radar defenses of the United States in the Cold War, serving until 1965.