&sq=&lang=&file=File:USS_Altair_(AKS-32)_underway,_circa_in_1966_(NH_96650).jpg) USS Altair (AKS-32) underway in 1966. From the appearance of her decks and helicopter landing pad, aft, she is ready to commence an underway replenishment.
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake |
|
| Operator | Waterman Steamship Company |
| Ordered | as type (VC2-S-AP2) hull, MCV hull 110 |
| Builder | Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation, Portland, Oregon |
| Laid down | 20 April 1944, as SS Aberdeen Victory |
| Launched | 30 May 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. A. L. M. Wiggins |
| Completed | 22 June 1944 |
| Acquired | 7 July 1951, by the USN |
| Commissioned | 31 January 1952, as USS Altair (AK-257) |
| Decommissioned | 5 January 1953 |
| Refit | 5 January 1953, converted to a General Stores Issue Ship Antares-class General Stores Issue Ship |
| Identification |
|
| Recommissioned | 15 December 1953, as USS Altair (AKS-32) |
| Decommissioned | 2 May 1969 |
| Stricken | 1 June 1973 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 31 January 1975, to Luria Brothers & Co., Philadelphia, PA. |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type |
|
| Displacement | 4,960 metric tons (4,880 long tons) |
| Length | 455 ft 3 in (138.76 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m) |
| Installed power | 8,500 shp (6,300 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Complement | 250 |
| Armament | 4 × 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors antiaircraft guns (2×2) |
| Aviation facilities | Helicopter deck added in 1959 |
The second USS Altair (AK-257) was a United States Navy Greenville Victory-class cargo ship in commission from 1952 to 1953. She was converted into a Antares-class general stores issue ship (AKS-32) in 1953 and was in commission as such from 1953 to 1969, seeing extensive service during the Cold War. Prior to her U.S. Navy career, she had operated as the merchant ship SS Aberdeen Victory during the latter stages of World War II.