SS ''Mission Santa Ynez'' was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the

United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The co ...

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 ...

. After the war she was acquired by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

as USS ''Mission Santa Ynez'' (AO-134). Later the tanker transferred to the

Military Sea Transportation Service The Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all U ...

as USNS ''Mission Santa Ynez'' (T-AO-134). A , she was named for

Mission Santa Inés Mission Santa Inés (sometimes spelled Santa Ynez) was a Spanish mission in present-day Solvang, California, United States, and named after St. Agnes of Rome. Founded on September 17, 1804, by Father Estévan Tapís of the Franciscan order, t ...

located in

Solvang, California Solvang (; Danish for "sunny field") is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang was founded in 1911 and incorporated as a city on May 1, 1985. The population was 6,126 at the 2020 ...

. The Mission Santa Ynez, the last T-2 tanker in existence, was stored at

Suisun Bay Suisun Bay ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a shallow tidal estuary (a northeastern extension of the San Francisco Bay) in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the e ...

as part of the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet from 1975 until April 2010 when a lawsuit forced the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to remove her. The tanker was transported to a ship recycling facility in

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...

via 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 ...

in May 2010 for scrapping by Esco Marine.

Career

''Mission Santa Ynez'' was laid down 9 September 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract by Marinship Corporation,

Sausalito, California Sausalito ( Spanish for "small willow grove") is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located southeast of Marin City, south-southeast of San Rafael, and about north of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge. Sausalito's ...

; launched 19 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Ralph K. Davies; and delivered 13 March 1944. Chartered to Pacific Tankers, Inc., for operations, she spent the remainder of the War carrying fuel to our forces overseas. She remained in this capacity until 28 March 1946 when she was returned to the Maritime Commission and laid up in the Maritime reserve Fleet at

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

, Virginia. Acquired by the Navy 22 October 1947 she was placed in service with the Naval Transportation Service as ''Mission Santa Ynez'' (AO-134). Taken over by the newly created Military Sea Transportation Service 1 October 1949 she was redesignated ''USNS Mission Santa Ynez'' (T-AO-134). Chartered to Mathiasens Tanker Industries, Inc., for operations, she entered the Maritime Administration's Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on 6 March 1975. She was the last T-2 tanker extant. Towed from the Maritime reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California on 31 March 2010, headed for dismantling in Texas via the Panama Canal. During her active duty, she was awarded the

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

(twice), the

Korean Service Medal The Korean Service Medal (KSM) was a military award for service in the United States Armed Forces and was established November 8, 1950, by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary US military award for ...

, the

United Nations Service Medal The United Nations Service Medal Korea (UNSMK) is an international military decoration established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950 as the United Nations Service Medal. The decoration was the first international award ever created by the ...

and the

Republic of Korea War Service Medal The Korean War Service Medal (KWSM, , ), also known as the Republic of Korea War Service Medal (ROKWSM), is a military award of South Korea which was first authorized in December 1950. History 6.25 Incident Participation Medal Originally and te ...

(retroactively).

References

* * * (This link includes two large and recent photographs of her while moored at the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mission Santa Ynez (T-Ao-134) Type T2-SE-A2 tankers Ships built in Sausalito, California 1943 ships World War II tankers of the United States

Santa Ynez Santa Ynez ( ; Spanish for "St. Agnes", originally spelled ''Santa Inés'') is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 4,505 at the 2020 census, up from 4,418 a ...

Type T2-SE-A2 tankers of the United States Navy Historic American Engineering Record in California