USS Williamsburg (AGC-369) - Private Yacht

Private Yacht

The steel-hulled, diesel-powered yacht Aras was laid down on 19 March 1930 by the Bath Iron Works; launched on 8 December 1930; and delivered to wood-pulp magnate Hugh J. Chisholm on 15 January 1931.

Aras displaced 1,805 tons fully loaded; with a length of 243 feet; 9 inches; a beam of 36 feet; and a draft of 14 feet. Her two Winton diesels generated 1,100 bhp, with a speed of 13.5 knots

The U.S. Navy acquired Aras on 24 April 1941, and renamed her Williamsburg. The former pleasure craft entered the Brewer Drydock and Repair Co., of Brooklyn, New York, on 23 June for conversion into a gunboat.

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