&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:USS_Bellatrix_(AKA-3)_underway_in_the_1950s.jpg) USS Bellatrix (AKA-3)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Bellatrix |
| Namesake | Bellatrix, a star in the constellation Orion |
| Builder | Tampa Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. |
| Laid down | 20 November 1940 |
| Launched | 15 August 1941 |
| Commissioned | 17 February 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 1 April 1946 |
| Recommissioned | 16 May 1952 |
| Decommissioned | 3 June 1955 |
| Identification | Hull number: AK-20/AKA-3 |
| Honors and awards | Six battle stars |
| Fate | Transferred to Peruvian Navy on 20 July 1963 |
 Peru | |
| Name | BAP Independencia |
| Commissioned | 1963 |
| Decommissioned | 1991 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping in October 1991, but sank on the way to breakers. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Arcturus-class attack cargo ship |
| Displacement | 8,045 long tons (8,174 t) |
| Length | 459 ft 1 in (139.93 m) |
| Beam | 63 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft 5 in (8.05 m) |
| Propulsion | Diesel engine, 6,900 hp (5,100 kW), single propeller |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement | 369 |
| Armament |
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USS Bellatrix (AK-20/AKA-3) was an Arcturus-class attack cargo ship in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War. Originally ordered as a C2-T cargo ship named Raven for the Maritime Commission, the vessel was transferred to United States Navy control while under construction and launched in August 1941.
Bellatrix was assigned to the US Pacific theater of operations and took part in the Battle of Guadalcanal. This was followed by a transfer to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and participation in the Allied invasion of Sicily. Returning to the Pacific, Bellatrix took part in the Battle of Saipan, the attack cargo ship's last combat operation in World War II. The vessel was decommissioned in April 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission. The ship was reactivated for the Korean War, transporting supplies from Japan to the Korean peninsula before being decommissioned again. Placed in reserve, the ship was sold to Peru in 1953 and renamed BAP Independencia. The vessel remained in service until 1991 when Independencia was sold for scrap. However, while being towed to the ship breakers, the vessel sank.