USS Skywatcher

	USS Skywatcher (AGR-3) underway, date and location unknown.
History
United States
Name	Rafeal R. Rivera
Namesake	Rafeal R. Rivera
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	States Marine Corp.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C5) hull, MC hull 2337
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$1,169,703
Yard number	78
Way number	6
Laid down	30 November 1944
Launched	16 January 1945
Sponsored by	Mrs.Evelyn Anderson
Completed	30 January 1945
Identification	Call sign: ANFC; ;
Fate	Placed in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, 26 October 1947; Acquired by US Navy, 20 September 1954;
United States
Name	Skywatcher
Commissioned	29 March 1955
Decommissioned	29 March 1965
Reclassified	Guardian-class radar picket ship
Refit	Charleston Naval Shipyard, Charleston, South Carolina
Stricken	1 April 1965
Identification	Hull symbol: YAGR-3 (1956–1958); Hull symbol: AGR-3 (1958–1965);
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 23 December 1970, scrapped, December 1971
General characteristics
Class and type	Liberty ship; type EC2-S-C5, boxed aircraft transport;
Tonnage	10,600 LT DWT; 7,200 GRT;
Displacement	3,380 long tons (3,434 t) (light); 14,245 long tons (14,474 t) (max);
Length	441 feet 6 inches (135 m) oa; 416 feet (127 m) pp; 427 feet (130 m) lwl;
Beam	57 feet (17 m)
Draft	27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m)
Installed power	2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C) boilers, operating at 220 psi (1,500 kPa); 2,500 hp (1,900 kW);
Propulsion	1 × triple-expansion steam engine, (manufactured by Joshua Hendy Iron Works, Sunnyvale, California); 1 × screw propeller;
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	490,000 cubic feet (13,875 m3) (bale)
Complement	38–62 USMM; 21–40 USNAG;
Armament	Varied by ship; Bow-mounted 3-inch (76 mm)/50-caliber gun; Stern-mounted 4-inch (102 mm)/50-caliber gun; 2–8 × single 20-millimeter (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or,; 2–8 × 37-millimeter (1.46 in) M1 AA guns;
General characteristics (US Navy refit)
Class and type	Guardian-class radar picket ship
Capacity	443,646 US gallons (1,679,383 L; 369,413 imp gal) (fuel oil); 68,267 US gallons (258,419 L; 56,844 imp gal) (diesel); 15,082 US gallons (57,092 L; 12,558 imp gal) (fresh water); 1,326,657 US gallons (5,021,943 L; 1,104,673 imp gal) (fresh water ballast);
Complement	13 officers; 138 enlisted;
Armament	2 × 3 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber guns

USS Skywatcher (YAGR/AGR-3) was a Guardian-class radar picket ship, converted from a Liberty Ship, acquired by the US Navy in 1954. She was converted into a radar picket ship and assigned to radar picket duty in the North Atlantic Ocean as part of the Distant Early Warning Line.

Construction

Skywatcher (YAGR-3) was laid down on 30 November 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2337, as the Liberty Ship Rafael R. Rivera, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida. She was launched on 16 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Evelyn Anderson; and delivered 25 June 1945, to the States Marine Corporation.^[5]^[2]

Service history

Seacowboys

In 1946, after World War II, Rafael R. Rivera was converted to a livestock ship, also called a cowboy ship. From 1945 to 1947, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the Brethren Service Committee of the Church of the Brethren sent livestock to war-torn countries. These "seagoing cowboys" made about 360 trips on 73 different ships. The Heifers for Relief project was started by the Church of the Brethren in 1942; in 1953, this became Heifer International.^[6] Rafael R Rivera was one of these ships, known as cowboy ships, as she moved livestock across the Atlantic Ocean. Rafael R Rivera moved horses, heifers, and mules, as well as a some chicks, rabbits, and goats.^[7]^[8]^[9]

U.S. Navy service

She was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 20 September 1954, and converted at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Norfolk, Virginia, into an ocean station radar ship. She was commissioned on 29 March 1955.^[5]^[4]

In July 1955, she assumed her first duties in the Contiguous Radar Coverage System of the United States while operating out of Newport, Rhode Island.^[5]

In September 1958, the ship's designation was changed from YAGR-3 to radar picket ship AGR-3. Her home port was changed to Davisville, Rhode Island, and she operated from there until early 1965, with Radar Picket Squadron 2, spending over 50 percent of her time on her assigned picket station.^[5]

Decommissioning

In March 1965, Skywatcher was placed in reserve, out of commission, and struck from the Navy List on 1 April 1965. She was sold on 23 December 1970, to Daewood Corp., Ltd., of Karachi, Pakistan.^[5] She was resold again for scrapping and in December 1971, she arrived at Santander, Spain, to be scrapped.^[4]

References

^ J.A. Panama City 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c MARCOM.
^ Davies 2004, p. 23.
^ ^a ^b ^c Navsource 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e DANFS.
^ Heifer International
^ Sea going cowboys
^ seagoingcowboys, In Memorium [sic], Posted on April 1, 2017
^ Seacowboys report

Bibliography

"Skywatcher". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
"Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
"SS Rafael R. Rivera". Retrieved 27 November 2019.
"USS Skywatcher (AGR-3)". Navsource.org. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.

External links

Photo gallery of USS Skywatcher at NavSource Naval History

[FOOTNOTEJ.A._Panama_City2010-1] J.A. Panama City 2010.

[FOOTNOTEMARCOM-2] MARCOM.

[FOOTNOTEDavies200423-3] Davies 2004, p. 23.

[FOOTNOTENavsource2019-4] Navsource 2019.

[FOOTNOTEDANFS-5] DANFS.

[6] Heifer International

[7] Sea going cowboys

[8] seagoingcowboys, In Memorium [sic], Posted on April 1, 2017

[9] Seacowboys report

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