She was launched on 24 September 1938 at the Fore River shipyard of the Bethlehem Steel Company, Quincy, Massachusetts on behalf of the Panama Railroad Company to be used as a freighter and passenger ship. She was sponsored by mrs. Harry Woording, spouse of the Secretary of War.(1) On 22 June a year later she started on the route between New York City and Christobal, Panama Canal Zone. On 11 January 1942 handed over to the Army Transport Service and used as the USAT Ancon for troop transports towards Australia. The navy purchased her on 7 August of the same year and commissioned her as the Ancon (AP-66) five days later. In 1943 she was became part of the Naval Transport Service and the same year on 26 February reclassified as the AGC-4. After the end of the Second World War was she not longer wanted and after being decommissioned on 25 February 1946 handed over via the Maritime Administration back to the Panama Railroad Company and officially stricken from the Navy List on 17 April. Later she was given back to the Maritime Administration which handed her over in 1962 to the Maine Maritime Academy where she until 1973 was used as the training ship State of Maine. The Maritime Administration who get her back in 1973 decided that she was to be broken up.
With a displacement of 14,150 tons were her dimensions 150 x 20 x 8,00 metres or 493’x 64’x 26’3”. Her two steam turbines supplied 9,166 ship allowing a speed of 18 knots. Her crew numbered 707 men and she was armed with 2-5” gun mounts, 4x2-40mm gun mounts and 14x1-20mm gun mounts.
Note
1. Harry Hines Woodring (31 May 1890 Elk City, Kansas-9 September 1967 Topeka, Kansas), a Democratic politician, married with Helen Coolidge and secretary if war between 25 September 1936 and 20 June 1940. He had to resign from his post while he openly made clear to disagree with the administration’s policy of shipping war material towards the United Kingdom,
