Artemis Class Attack Cargo Ship

The Artemis class attack cargo ships were built by Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc. of Providence, R.I., during World War II.

Like all AKA's, they were designed to carry combat loaded military cargo and landing craft, and to use the latter to land weapons, supplies, and troops on enemy shores during amphibious operations.

Compared to other classes of AKA's, these ships had a much shallower draft, and a lower main deck aft.

All these ships were built on the same standard hull design, but there were some differences from ship to ship:

The armament varied, as did that of the other ships of the day. During 1944-1945, the 5"/38 was recognized as the best gun for the dual role of antiaircraft and naval gunfire support, and the 40 mm was seen as the best antiaircraft gun. The older 20 mm and .50 caliber guns had been recognized to be of limited value, and were being phased out, though they appeared on some of these ships. The 20 mm's were later removed from all of them, but it is not clear just when this happened.

The complement varied as well, but the DANFS figures sometimes seem to confuse ship's company with embarked troops in determining a ship's complement.

Famous quotes containing the words class, attack, cargo and/or ship:

    No human being is innocent, but there is a class of innocent human actions called Games.
    —W.H. (Wystan Hugh)

    Scandal is an importunate wasp, against which we must make no movement unless we are quite sure that we can kill it; otherwise it will return to the attack more furious than ever.
    —Sébastien-Roch Nicolas De Chamfort (1741–1794)

    Nitrates and phosphates for ammunition. The seeds of war. They’re loading a full cargo of death. And when that ship takes it home, the world will die a little more.
    Earl Felton, and Richard Fleischer. Captain Nemo (James Mason)

    O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
    The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
    The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
    While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
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    O the bleeding drops of red,
    Where on the deck my Captain lies,
    Fallen cold and dead.
    Walt Whitman (1819–1892)