Mission San Jose
A merchant name retained. A Franciscan mission In California founded In 1797.
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Mission San Jose was laid down 17 July 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract by Marine Ship Corp., Sausalito, Calif.; launched 7 October 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Robert L. Bridges and delivered 29 January 1944.
Chartered to Pacific Tankers, Inc., for operations, she spent the remainder of the war carrying fuel to our forces overseas. She served in this capacity until 3 May 1946 when she was returned to the Maritime Commission and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Mobile, Ala.
Acquired by the Navy 5 November 1947, she was placed in service with the Naval Transportation Service as Mission San Jose (AO‑125). After 1 October 1949, she was under the operational control of the new Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission San Jose (T‑AO‑125). She served with MSTS until 15 October 1957 when she was struck from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register and transferred to the Maritime Administration for layup in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, Calif.
Sold to Hudson Waterways Corp. 24 June 1966 for conversion into a combination containership and train ferry, she was renamed Ohio on the same day, but was again renamed, Seatrain Ohio, on 5 August 1967. Upon completion of conversion, and into 1969, Seatrain Ohio carries cargo between the east coast of the United States and the Caribbean, and occasionally to Vietnam.
