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Mission San Francisco (1)
T2-SE-A2
Escambia Class Fleet Oiler:
 
There is a model of USS TAMALPAIS AO-96
As of April 2nd it is located at the Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, VA.
DLA handles oil and other bulk supplies for the Department of Defense.
The ship model and display case have been moved to a lower floor and placed on
display in a corridor there, at the Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, VA.
 
USS Tamalpais (AO-96), before her launch.
One of the many floats in the unusual parade passes by the head of Way 5, which was a reviewing stand for distinguished
officers of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
 
William E. Waste, v. p. and gen. mgr. of the Sausalito yard, welcoming his fellow workers and friends to
Marinship's Flagship Day.
 
Mrs. H. B. Anderson, yard employee, proudly christens the USS "Tamalpais", flagship of the Marin-buiit fleet of tankers.
 
USS Tamalpais (AO-96), during launch.
( Photo navy.memorieshop.com )
 
USS Tamalpais (AO-96), after her launch.
( Photo navy.memorieshop.com )

Marinship's Flagship
To become the flagship of a fleet of sixtytwo vessels already launched, the Navy oiler USS Tamalpais was christened at Marinship in Sausalito, on October 29, before a crowd of over 20,000 persons.
In the presence of high ranking Army and Navy ofiicers, the 523' foot high speed tanker was christened by Mrs. H. B. Anderson, a Marinship employee for more than two years. The ship is named for Mt. Tamalpais, famous greensloped peak at whose foot the scenic shipyard is located.
''Without ships of this type the operations of our great battlefleet would be impossible," declared Vice Admiral David W. Bagley, Commander of the Western Sea Frontier, as he accepted a Marinship flag from the hands of L. H. Lucas, hull supervisor, whose men built the powerful 10,000 hp ship. The flag will be placed aboard the oiler when she is commissioned, denominating her as
flagship of the Marinship fleet.
Source : Pacific marine Review, December 1944, Volume 41.
 
USS Tamalpais AO-96, Photo Refinished, at anchor.
Photo was taken while the ship was stationed at Hong Kong in March 1946.
( Photo contributed by James E. Leavelle, USS TAMALPAIS AO-96  - RADIOMAN 3/C USNR V-6  -  1944 – 1946 )

He wrote :
Dear Sir:
 I would like to submit a better photo of the USS TAMALPAIS AO-96 for your use on the T2 tanker website.

 The photo was taken by a Chinese photographer and sold to several members of the crew.
When he delivered the photos, it was the day we sailed for the USA to decommission the ship.
To make the photo more dramatic, the Chinese photographer brushed in smoke coming from the
smokestack even though the ship was anchored (note anchor chain) and small boats tied up on the fantail.
Therefore, we did not have an opportunity to require the photographer to correct the photo.  
 Recently I have had the smoke professionally removed and I believe it is a much more presentable photo.

TAMALPAIS, T2-SE-A2
History :
Built by Marinship Co., Sausalito, California.
Yardnumber 55. UMSC No. 1831. Off. nr. AO-96.
Keel laid 19-9-1944. Launched 29-10-1944. Completed 20-5-1945. Gr. 10448 t., Net. 6423 t., Dw. 16613 t. L.o.a. 159,57 m., Br. 20,78 m., Dr. 8,99 m. Engine: 2 steam turbines, manufactured by General Electric Company, Lynn, Massachussetts. 10000 B.h.p., 7356 kW. Speed 15 knots. 26 Tanks.
History:
TAMALPAIS.-1944 Laid down as SS Mission Los Angeles a Maritime Commission type (T2-SE-A2) tanker hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1831) at Marinship, Sausalito, CA.
AO-96 TAMALPAIS-1945 Acquired by the Navy and Commissioned USS Tamalpais (AO-96), 20 May.
AO-96 TAMALPAIS-1946 Decommissioned, 21 June, at Mobile AL. Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 21 June, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, AL. Struck from the Naval Register, 8 July.
AO-96 TAMALPAIS-1948 Reacquired by the Navy, 10 March 1948, assigned to NTS (Navy Transportation Service) operated by a commercial contractor.
AO-96 TAMALPAIS-1949 Absorbed into the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), 1 October.
T-AO-96 TAMALPAIS-1950 Reinstated in the Naval Register, 28 April and placed in service as USNS Tamalpais (T-AO-96).
T-AO-96 TAMALPAIS-1957 Placed out of service. Transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 18 December, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.
TAMALPAIS-1966 Transferred to the Department of the Army, 3 June, for project "Powerfloat".
TAMALPAIS-1967 Struck from the Naval Register, 18 December.
TAMALPAIS-1974 Title transferred to the Maritime Administration by the Department of the Army, 9 September.
Additional Reports :
Reported Tamalpais sold to shipbreakers in Taiwan in 1974. Arrived Kaoshiung on 9 Sep. 1974.[ By China Dismantled Vessel Trading Co. ]

USS. Tamalpais, Tanker, T2-SE-A2, 10,000 HP power plant, hull # 54, keel laid Sept. 18, 1944, launched Oct. 29, 1944 Sponsor: Mrs. John Simpson; maid of honor, Else Boye. In USMC Reserve Fleet in October, 1960. 1966 Vietnam, power plant. Note: original designation was to be SS Mission San Francisco.