USS Fairfield (AK-178)

History
United States
Name	Fairfield
Namesake	Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County, Ohio, and Fairfield County, South Carolina
Ordered	as type (C1-M-AV1) hull, MC hull 2374[1]
Builder	Kaiser Shipbuilding Co., Richmond, California
Yard number	70[1]
Laid down	1944
Launched	6 February 1945
Sponsored by	Mrs. Henry W. Creeger
Acquired	28 March 1945
Commissioned	28 March 1945
Decommissioned	11 January 1946
Stricken	12 April 1946
Identification	Hull symbol: AK-178 Code letters: NEKE
Fate	Wrecked 18 December 1946
General characteristics [2]
Class and type	Alamosa-class cargo ship
Type	C1-M-AV1
Tonnage	5,032 long tons deadweight (DWT)[1]
Displacement	2,382 long tons (2,420 t) (standard) 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) (full load)
Length	388 ft 8 in (118.47 m)
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)
Installed power	1 × Nordberg, TSM 6 diesel engine 1,750 shp (1,300 kW)
Propulsion	1 × propeller
Speed	11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	3,945 t (3,883 long tons) DWT 9,830 cu ft (278 m3) (refrigerated) 227,730 cu ft (6,449 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement	15 Officers 70 Enlisted
Armament	1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber dual purpose gun (DP) 6 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons

USS Fairfield (AK-178) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during the final months of World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations and was decommissioned shortly after war’s end.