Skip to main content
Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Tags
Related Content
Topic
Document Type
  • Ship History
Wars & Conflicts
File Formats
Location of Archival Materials
Mission Santa Clara
(AO‑132: dp. 21,880; l. 524'; b. 68'; dr. 30'; s. 16.5 k.; cpl. 52; a. none; cl. Mission Buenaventura; T.T2‑SE‑A2)

A merchant name retained. A Franciscan mission in colonial California founded in 1777.

I

Mission Santa Clara was laid down 15 March 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract by Marine Ship Corp., Sausalito, Calif.; launched 18 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Donald E. Reed; and delivered 21 June 1944.

Chartered to Los Angeles Tanker Operators, Inc., for operations, she spent the remainder of the war carrying fuel to our forces in the western Pacific. She remained in this capacity until 8 April 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 chartered to Pacific Tankers, Inc., for operations and placed under the operational control of the Naval Transportation as Mission Santa Clara (AO‑132). Taken over by the Military Sea Transportation Service 1 October 1949 and designated USNS Mission Santa Clara (T‑AO‑132), she served until 25 June 1959, when she was transferred to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, Calif.

Reacquired by the Navy 30 November 1959, she was placed in service with MSTS and chartered to Mathiasens Tanker Industries, Inc., for operations. However, she served less than a month for on 22 December 1959, she was transferred to MARAD and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, Calif. Her name was struck from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register 1 July 1961.

Reacquired by the Navy 10 May 1962, the Mission Santa Clara was converted to an underway replenishment oiler. Upon completion of conversion she was transferred to Pakistan 17 January 1963 and commissioned in the Pakistani Navy, on the same date, as Dacca (A‑41). Into 1969, she continues to serve the Pakistani Navy as faithfully as she did the U.S. Navy.