USS Scanner

The U.S. Navy radar picket ship USS Scanner (AGR-5), c. 1965. Scanner was decommissioned on 21 July 1965.
History
United States
Name	Edwin D. Howard
Namesake	Edwin D. Howard
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Alcoa Steamship Co. Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C5) hull, MC hull 2344
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida[1]
Cost	$1,004,408[2]
Yard number	85
Way number	1
Laid down	24 January 1945
Launched	27 February 1945
Sponsored by	Mrs. J. E. Davidson
Completed	14 March 1945
Identification	Call sign: ANQC [2]
Fate	Placed in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, 21 November 1947 Acquired by US Navy, 10 June 1955
United States
Name	Scanner
Namesake	One who examines and searches an area by regular sweeps
Commissioned	30 January 1956
Decommissioned	21 July 1965
Reclassified	Guardian-class radar picket ship
Refit	Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Norfolk, Virginia
Stricken	1 September 1965
Identification	Hull symbol: YAGR-5 (1956–1958) Hull symbol: AGR-5 (1958–1965) Call sign: NOLH [3]
Fate	Placed in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California, 4 February 1966 Sold for non-transportation use, 3 October 1974
General characteristics [4]
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 General Machinery Corp., Hamilton, Ohio) 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 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber gun Stern-mounted 4 inches (102 mm)/50 caliber gun 2–8 × single 20 millimeters (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37 millimeters (1.46 in) M1 AA guns
General characteristics (US Navy refit)[3]
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 Scanner (AGR/YAGR-5) was a Guardian-class radar picket ship, converted from a liberty ship, acquired by the United States Navy in 1955. She was obtained from the National Defense Reserve Fleet and reconfigured as a radar picket ship and assigned to radar picket duty in the North Pacific Ocean as part of the Distant Early Warning Line.

Scanner (YAGR-5) was laid down on 24 January 1945, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2344, as the liberty ship Edwin D. Howard, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida. She was launched on 27 February 1945, sponsored by Mrs. John E. Davidson, and delivered on 14 March 1945, to the Alcoa Steamship Company.^[5][2]

She was acquired by the Navy from the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) on 10 June 1955. She was converted to a radar picket ship at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and commissioned Scanner on 30 January 1956.^[5][3]

Scanner departed Norfolk, on 28 March 1956, for her home port, San Francisco, California, and commenced her first patrol in the Pacific Ocean in July 1956, with the seaward extension of America's early warning defense system.^[5]

Fitted with sophisticated electronic search and tracking equipment, Scanner could detect, track, and report enemy aircraft at great distances, and control high speed interceptor aircraft in event of attack. She also carried out weather reporting duties during her three to four-week-long cruises.^[5]

Scanner was redesignated AGR-5 effective 28 September 1958. She was decommissioned on 21 July 1965, at San Francisco, and turned over to Maritime Administration (MARAD) custody on 26 July, at Suisun Bay, California. Struck from the Navy List on 1 September 1965, she was transferred permanently to the MARAD on 4 February 1966, and remained in the Suisun Bay reserve fleet until 3 October 1974, when she was sold for non-transport use.^[5][3]

Scanner's crew was eligible for the following medals:

• National Defense Service Medal

^[3]

• United States Navy
• Radar picket

• Photo gallery of USS Scanner at NavSource Naval History