(AO-157: dp. 21,880 (f.); l. 523'6"; b. 68'; dr. 29'11"; s. 14.5 k.; cpl. 251; cl. Suamico; T. T2-SE-A1)
A locality in Chester County, Pennsylvania; Paoli retained her merchant name.
Paoli, MC hull 1770, was laid down under Maritime Commission contract 18 July 1944 by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, Pa.; launched 31 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Lina Martin; and delivered to the Maritime Commission 11 November 1944.
Paoli, operated by War Emergency Tankers, made oil runs to the United Kingdom; between the Caribbean and the east coast; and to the Persian Gulf during World War II. Laid up in reserve after the war, she was reactivated for MSTS use as political tensions in the Middle East heightened in 1956. Accepted from the Maritime Administration, 2 December 1956, and designated AO-157, Paoli served MSTS until returned to MARAD custody and struck from the Navy List 2 October 1957.
