SS ''Sackett's Harbor'' was a

T2 tanker The T2 tanker, or T2, was a class of oil tanker constructed and produced in large numbers in the United States during World War II. Only the T3 tankers were larger "navy oilers" of the period. Some 533 T2s were built between 1940 and the end of 1 ...

that was built in August 1943. She served in the

United States Merchant Marine The United States Merchant Marine is an organization composed of United States civilian sailor, mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The ship was a namesake of

Sackets Harbor, New York Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sackett (surname), Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augus ...

. ''Sackett's Harbor'' survived the war basically unscathed but on 1 March 1946 she was sailing between

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city i ...

and Balboa when she broke in half about 800 miles southwest of

Adak, Alaska Adak (; , ), formerly Adak Station, is a city located on Adak Island, in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 171, down from 326 in 2010. It is the westernmost municipality in the Unite ...

. The bow of the ship was sunk but the stern continued to float. The stern section was able to get to Adak under her own power. The only reported fatalities were two cats.

Power plant

The ship was later towed to

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the List of cities in Alaska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of ...

where she served as Anchorage's first major power source. The ship's electric drive supplied about 55% of Anchorage's electricity requirements from 1946 to 1955. In 1955, she was replaced by the

Eklutna Dam The Eklutna Dam, also referred to as the New Eklutna Dam or Upper Eklutna Dam, is an embankment dam on the Eklutna River about northeast of Anchorage in Alaska, United States. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and ...

New bow

The ship was given a new bow around 1957 and was rechristened as the SS ''Angelo Petri''. She was fitted with stainless steel tanks and hauled wine for the Associated Vintners from

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

through the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

to the East Coast. She was renamed ''Californian'' in 1970, and then ''Sea Chemist'' in 1975 when she was sold to Antilles Navegacion S.A., of

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. She was sold for scrapping in early 1978 and was broken up at

Vinaròs Vinaròs () () is a city located in eastern Spain and the capital of the Baix Maestrat in the province of Castellón. It is in the border between the Valencian Community and Catalonia. Vinaròs is a fishing harbour and tourist destination. His ...

References

External links

armed-guard.comAnchorage Municipal Light and Powerwestcoastwine.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sackett's Harbor 1943 ships 1946 in Alaska Maritime incidents in 1946 Ships built in Portland, Oregon Shipwrecks of the Alaska coast Type T2-SE-A1 tankers World War II tankers of the United States