View source for USS Pontiac (AF-20)

{{short description|Cargo ship of the United States Navy}}

{{other ships|USS Pontiac}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
| infobox caption = 
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = USS Pontiac (AF-20) underway off Boston, Mssachusetts (USA), 21 August 1944 (80-G-245493).jpg
| Ship image size = 
| Ship caption = ''Pontiac'' underway 21 August 1944
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship name = *''Australian Reefer'' (1937-1941)
*''Pontiac'' (1941-1945)
| Ship owner = *{{flagicon|Denmark}} Lauritzen, Esbjerg, Denmark (1937-1941)
*{{flag|United States|civil}} [[Maritime Administration]] (1941-1945)
| Ship operator = *Lauritzen, Esbjerg, Denmark (1937-1941)
*[[War Shipping Administration]] agent: United States Lines (1941-1942)
*U.S. Navy (1942—1945)
| Ship flag = 
| Ship registry = [[Esbjerg, Denmark]] (''Australian Reefer'')
| Ship route = 
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = Nakskov Skibsværft A/C, Nakskov, Denmark
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 79
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 
| Ship launched = 6 February 1937
| Ship completed = 
| Ship christened = 
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship maiden voyage = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship identification = ''Australian Reefer'' signal: OZKH
| Ship fate = *Sunk: 30 January 1945
*Raised: 17 February 1945
*Delivered to be scrapped: 22 May 1946
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = 
| Ship type = Refrigerated cargo
| Ship tonnage = *{{GRT|2321}}, {{NRT|1289}}{{sfn|Lloyd's Register 1940-41}}
| Ship displacement = 5,410 tons{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}
| Ship length = *{{cvt|447|ft|10|in|m|1|abbr=on}} LOA{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}
*{{cvt|332.6|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} [[length between perpendiculars|Registry]]{{sfn|Lloyd's Register 1940-41}}
| Ship beam = {{cvt|47.8|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Lloyd's Register 1940-41}}
| Ship height = 
| Ship draught = 
| Ship draft = {{cvt|18|ft|11|in|m|1|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}
| Ship depth = {{cvt|17.2|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Lloyd's Register 1940-41}}
| Ship decks = 1
| Ship deck clearance = 
| Ship ramps = 
| Ship ice class = 
| Ship sail plan = 
| Ship power = 
| Ship propulsion = 10 cy. [[Burmeister & Wain]] diesel
| Ship speed = 
| Ship capacity = 
| Ship crew = *Commercial: unknown
*Navy: 166 officers and enlisted
| Ship notes = *Ammonia based refrigeration with granulated cork insulation.{{sfn|Lloyd's Register 1937-38}}
*Navy, armament:{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}
*2 × single [[3"/50 caliber gun]]s
*2 × twin [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm]] gun mounts
}}
|}

'''USS ''Pontiac'' (AF-20)''' was the Danish refrigerated cargo ship '''''Australian Reefer''''' that sought refuge in the neutral United States when [[German invasion of Denmark (1940)|Germany occupied Denmark]] in April 1940. In 1941 the United States seized 40 Danish ships idle in its ports with ''Australian Reefer'' being among those ships.

The ship was turned over to the [[War Shipping Administration]] (WSA) on 12 July 1941 and put into operation with United States Lines as its agent. ''Australian Reefer'' operated under a [[United States Army Transportation Corps]] agreement until 11 May 1942 when the ship was transferred to the Navy under [[bareboat charter]]. After conversion and being renamed ''Pontiac'' the ship served as a [[refrigerator ship]] or [[reefer ship]], and provided food to Allied forces in the North [[Atlantic Ocean]].

''Pontiac'' was heavily damaged on 30 January 1945 by  being holed by a [[Paravane (weapon)|paravane]] off [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]] causing the ship to sink. After being raised the ship was towed to Norfolk, Virginia and declared a total constructive loss on 13 April 1945. The actual title to the ship was requisitioned and the Danish owner paid compensation on 12 July 1945.

==Service career==
''Australian Reefer'', a refrigerator ship built as hull 79 by Nakskov Skibsværft A/C, [[Nakskov]], [[Denmark]] was launched 6 February 1937.{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}{{sfn|Marcussen|2021}} Registry as of 1940 was at the port of [[Esbjerg, Denmark]] for a motor ship owned and operated by [[J. Lauritzen A/S|J. Lauritzen]], Esbjerg, of {{GRT|2321}}, {{NRT|1289}}, {{cvt|332.6|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} [[length between perpendiculars|registry length]], {{cvt|47.8|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} beam and hold depth of {{cvt|17.2|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} with signal OZKH. ''Australian Reefer'' was propelled by a 10 cylinder [[Burmeister & Wain]] diesel engine.{{sfn|Lloyd's Register 1940-41}} The ship operated between Denmark, [[New York City|New York]] and [[South America]] until after the [[occupation of Denmark]] by German forces.{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}

The Danish ship was one of forty Danish merchant vessels, totaling {{GRT|142,641}}, seized by the [[United States Coast Guard]] under the authority of Public Law 101,<ref group=note>[http://www.usmm.org/requistion.html Public Law 101, Acquisition of Domestic or Foreign Merchant Vessels].</ref> 77th Congress and Executive Order 8771, 6 June 1941.{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}{{sfn|USMM}} Most of the Danish ships were delivered to the War Shipping Administration (WSA), registered in Panama for diplomatic reasons, and operated under new names by commercial companies as WSA agents.{{sfn|USMM}}

''Australian Reefer'' was delivered to the War Shipping Administration at New York 12 July 1941 for operation by its agent, [[United States Lines]], under an Army Transportation Corps agreement between New York and [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] until 5 February 1942.{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}{{sfn|MARAD}}

After voyage repairs she was transferred to the Navy on a bareboat charter basis on 11 May 1942 and commissioned as ''Pontiac'' (AF-20), 12 May 1942.{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}{{sfn|MARAD}} Following conversion and [[shakedown cruise|shakedown]], ''Pontiac'', assigned to Service Force, Atlantic, departed [[Norfolk, Virginia]], 15 June 1942 on her first [[Argentia]] run. On 15 July she completed that run at [[Boston, Massachusetts]], whence she continued to carry supplies to the [[Maritime Provinces]] and [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] through 1943. Between late January and May 1944 she conducted sugar runs between Norfolk and [[Trinidad]], [[Guantánamo Bay]] and [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], then returned to Boston to resume runs to Argentia and, in June, to [[Iceland]].{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}

She completed a quick run to [[Bermuda]] in early August, then returned to the Boston-Argentia route before undertaking her last [[Caribbean]] run from New York 7 September. On 25 September she arrived at Norfolk from San Juan, made a trip to Bermuda and on 16 November returned to Boston to resume carrying stores to [[Nova Scotia]] and [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]]. For the next two months she alternated voyages to Argentia with runs to Bermuda and on 29 January 1945 departed Boston for her last run to [[Canada]].

On 30 January 1945 in heavy seas off [[City of Halifax|Halifax]] the ship's hull was damaged by a loose [[Paravane (weapon)|paravane]]. She began taking water in her forward compartments and sank off [[McNabs Island]] in {{cvt|40|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} of water.{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}  The tug {{ship||Foundation Franklin||2}}, out of Halifax, took her in tow and subsequently beached the vessel on Maughers Beach, McNabs Island at coordinates {{coord|44|36|40|N|63|32|2|W}}.{{sfn|MMA}} Raised on 17 February, she was towed to Halifax for temporary repairs.{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}

The Navy's [[Bureau of Ships]] noted in a review that the cargo space lacked bulkheads with only a half-height one between number one and two cargo hatches and none aft between the engine room bulkhead and afterpeak. The near loss — and actual total constructive loss — of the ship due to damage from relatively small holes in the hull confirmed estimation that the ship would sink in event of any uncontrolled flooding either forward or aft.{{sfn|Roberts|2001}}

On 14 March she arrived at Norfolk, where she decommissioned 20 May 1945.{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}} The Navy had removed deck machinery, stripped main and auxiliary engines of usable parts and removed items such as the laundry. To decrease draft and improve stability the topside areas had been stripped of movable items.{{sfn|MARAD}} ''Pontiac'' was returned to the [[Maritime Commission]] on the 21st and was struck from the [[Navy List]] 2 June 1945.{{sfn|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}} For compensation, $1,374,255.86 were paid to her former Danish owner on 12 July 1945. The ship itself was sold for scrapping for $33,669.00 to the Patapsco Scrap Corporporation on 7 May 1945.{{sfn|MARAD}}

== See also ==
* [[USAT Sicilien]]
* {{MS|Tunis|1935}}

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/p/pontiac-iv.html}}
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite web |title=Foreign Passenger and Cargo Ships Taken Over by U.S Maritime Commission during World War II |publisher=American Merchant Marine at War (USMM.org) |date=21 March 2011 |url=http://www.usmm.org/foreign.html |accessdate=21 September 2021|ref={{sfnref|USMM}}}}
*{{cite web |url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/37/37a0868.pdf |title=Lloyd's Register 1937-38 |author=Lloyds |publisher=Lloyd's Register |accessdate=20 September 2021|ref={{sfnref|Lloyd's Register 1937-38}}}}
*{{cite web |url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/40/40a0118.pdf |title=Lloyd's Register 1940-41 |author=Lloyds |publisher=Lloyd's Register |accessdate=20 September 2021|ref={{sfnref|Lloyd's Register 1940-41}}}}
*{{cite DANFS |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/p/pontiac-iv.html |title=Pontiac IV (AF-20) |author=Naval History And Heritage Command |date=August 24, 2015 |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |publisher=Naval History And Heritage Command |accessdate=20 September 2021|ref={{sfnref|Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships}}}}
*{{cite web |url=https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/3950 |title=PONTIAC (AF-20) |author=Maritime Administration |work=Ship History Database Vessel Status Card |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration |accessdate=20 September 2021|ref={{sfnref|MARAD}}}}
*{{cite web |last=Marcussen |first=Jørgen |title=Detaljerede oplysninger om skibet: ''Australian Reefer'' (Detailed information about the ship: ''Australian Reefer'') |publisher=Maritim Og Historisk Information (Maritime and Historical Information) |year=2021 |url=http://www.jmarcussen.dk/maritim/skibsliste/side.php?id=11595 |accessdate=20 September 2021}}
*{{cite web |title=''Pontiac'' - 1945 |location=Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |publisher=Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (MMA), Marine Heritage Database |date=10 May 2007 |url=https://novascotia.ca/museum/wrecks/wrecks/shipwrecks.asp?ID=3870 |accessdate=20 September 2021|ref={{sfnref|MMA}}}}
*{{cite web |last=Roberts |first=Stephen S. |title=Class:        PONTIAC (AF-20) |publisher=ShipScribe |date=15 September 2001 |url=https://www.shipscribe.com/usnaux/AF/AF20.html |accessdate=20 September 2021}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commonscat}}
* [https://arkiv.dk/vis/4853778 ''Australian Reefer'' on ways showing stern.]
* [https://leokragh.dk/index-2/rederiet%2520j.%2520lauritzen/australian%20reefer%201937.html M/S ''Australian Reefer'' construction & operation photos.]
* [https://leokragh.dk/____impro/1/onewebmedia/Rederiet%20J,%20Lauritzen/Australian%20Reefer%201936/Slide19.JPG?etag=%221e9ff-5e777691%22&sourceContentType=image%2Fjpeg&quality=85 Launch photo with date of 6 February 1937.]
* [https://leokragh.dk/____impro/1/onewebmedia/Rederiet%20J,%20Lauritzen/Australian%20Reefer%201936/Slide31.JPG?etag=%2232dbf-5e77769d%22&sourceContentType=image%2Fjpeg&quality=85 Photo of hold]
* [https://leokragh.dk/____impro/1/onewebmedia/Rederiet%20J,%20Lauritzen/Australian%20Reefer%201936/Slide28.JPG?etag=W%2F%222bb9b-5e7776a4%22&sourceContentType=image%2Fjpeg&quality=85 Interior, officer's mess]
* [http://billedarkiv.mfs.dk/fotoweb/archives/5001-Museet-for-s%C3%B8farts-billedarkiv/archive/Arkiv-47/000002940.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5001-Museet-for-s%25C3%25B8farts-billedarkiv%2F%3Fq%3D%2522Australian%2520Reefer%2522 M/S ''Australian Reefer'' at Esbjerg.]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/06/0620.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AF-20 Pontiac]

{{January 1945 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pontiac}}
[[Category:1937 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Denmark]]
[[Category:Merchant ships of Denmark]]
[[Category:Stores ships of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1945]]