Return to Naval Historical Center home page. Return to Online Library listing

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Photo # NH 104262:  USS Montauk, probably off New York soon after completion in October 1944.

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIPS --

USS Montauk (LSV-6, previously AN-2 and AP-161), 1944-1973. Later USS Galilea (AKN-6)

USS Montauk was designed as a large net-laying ship (AN-2). While under construction at Pascagoula, Mississippi, she was redesigned as a combined vehicular carrier and troop transport and in August 1943 was redesignated AP-161. She was further redesigned with a stern ramp to allow the launching of amphibious vehicles and redesignated LSV-6 in April 1944. The ship was placed in commission in May 1944 for ferrying to a conversion yard, decommissioned at New York in June 1944, and recommissioned there after completion of work in October 1944. As converted Montauk retained only two of her original four 5"/38 guns due to stability problems discovered in the lead ship of the class, USS Monitor (LSV-5). Following shakedown she sailed for the Pacific and between late November 1944 and late February 1945 carried out several vehicle transport voyages to the central and western Pacific. In March Montauk transported Army troops and equipment to Saipan. She participated in a diversionary feint in support of the assault on Okinawa in April, then discharged her passengers and cargo to reinforce other forces there. During the rest of the war Montauk conducted amphibious supply runs from the west coast to Hawaii, Eniwetok, Guam, and Ulithi. Following the Japanese surrender she helped transport occupation troops in the western Pacific, including two trips to China, and made one eastbound "Magic Carpet" voyage, delivering returning servicemen to San Diego in December 1945.

Montauk was reassigned to the Atlantic Fleet in January 1946 and scheduled for inactivation at New Orleans. However, in February she was designated for conversion to a net cargo ship (AKN) in place of her sister, Saugus (LSV-3). The conversion would also enable the ship to serve as flagship for the Atlantic Fleet mine force commander and as a tender for minesweepers. In May and June 1946 she helped dump surplus ammunition at sea and in July embarked the mine force commander. Montauk arrived at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, in September to begin conversion and in October was renamed Galilea and redesignated AKN-6. However in December 1946 shortages of funds and manpower caused the Chief of Naval Operations to cancel the conversion. The mine force commander moved his flag to another ship and Galilea began inactivation, completing it in April 1947. Decommissioned in July 1947, she entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Charleston. Galilea was transferred to Maritime Administration custody at its James River, Virginia, reserve fleet in August 1960, stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in September 1961, permanently transferred to the Maritime Administration in September 1962, and sold for scrap in June 1973.

This page features all the views we have concerning USS Montauk (LSV-6, previously AN-2 and AP-161) and USS Galilea (AKN-6).


If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: NH 104262

USS Montauk
(LSV-6)

Probably photographed off New York soon after the completion of her LSV conversion there in October 1944.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 90KB; 740 x 605 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104250

USS Galilea
(AKN-6)

At the Charleston Naval Shipyard, South Carolina, 17 February 1947.
The yard is preparing the ship for inactivation following cancellation of her conversion to a net cargo ship in December 1946. There is little evidence of the conversion in this photo; most of the alterations were at the stern or inside the ship.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 87KB; 740 x 620 pixels

 


USS Galilea (AKN-6) is partially visible in the following photograph of another ship:

Photo #: NH 66856

USS Adirondack
(AGC-15)

In the James River Reserve Fleet, 27 May 1962.
Visible to her starboard is the stern of USS Galilea (AKN-6) and the bow of (probably) USS Libra (AKA-12). The stern of Galilea shows the condition of the ship when her conversion from LSV to AKN was cancelled incomplete in December 1946.
Libra and a few other early AKAs can be recognized by the heavy central kingposts added to the goalpost masts forward and aft of the bridge.

Courtesy of the Mariners Museum, Newport News, Virginia. Ted Stone Collection.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph,

Online Image: 52KB; 740 x 610 pixels

 


In addition to the images presented above, the National Archives appears to hold other views of USS Montauk (LSV-6). The following list features some of these images:

The images listed below are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections.
DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".



  • Photo #: 80-G-271293
    A starboard broadside aerial view of USS Montauk photographed on 30 May 1944 by a blimp based at Houma, Louisiana. Although the photo is captioned "U. S. Mine sweeper, unidentified," the photo was taken during the time when Montauk was making the ferry voyage from her builder's yard in Mississippi to her conversion yard at New York. She is in her original configuration with the low netlayer stern. The ship's extreme stern is not in the image.

  • Photo #: 80-G-271294
    As 80-G-271293, but starboard quarter aerial view. The ship's extreme bow and stern are not in the image.

  • Photo #: 80-G-271295
    As 80-G-271293, but starboard broadside aerial view. The entire ship is shown in the image

  • Photo #: 19-N-72326
    One of a series of surface views of USS Montauk taken on 6 October 1944 by the New York Navy Yard after completion of her LSV conversion.

    Reproductions of these images should be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system for pictures not held by the Naval Historical Center.

    The images listed in this box are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections. DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".

  • If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


    Return to Naval Historical Center home page.

    Page made 25 December 2006