Xanthus-class repair ship
AR-18 (HMS Diligence), a Xanthus type destined for the Royal Navy, March 1945.
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| Class overview | |
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| Name: | Xanthus class |
| Builders: | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard |
| Operators: |
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| In commission: | 1945–1955 |
| Planned: | 5 |
| Completed: | 5 |
| Active: | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Repair ship |
| Displacement: | 5801 tons |
| Length: | 441 feet 7 inches |
| Beam: | 56 feet 11 inches |
| Draft: | 22 feet |
| Propulsion: | Hooven, Owens, Rentschler Co. vertical triple expansion, 1 screw rated at 2500 shp |
| Speed: | 12.5 knots |
| Complement: | 525 |
| Armament: |
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The Xanthus-class repair ships were a class of five auxiliary ships built for the United States Navy and Royal Navy. Ships of the class served in a diverse range of environments in varying capacities during both World War II and the Korean War. Xanthus-class ships were in commission between 1945–1955.
On 26 February 1944, the United States CNO FADM Ernest J. King authorized the construction of five vessels in response to a British Royal Navy request for several Heavy Duty Fleet Repair Ships. These ships were to have been constructed in the United States and later transferred to Britain under the Lend-Lease agreement.
Xanthus-class vessels were first laid down in mid-1944 by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard under a Maritime Commission contract. These ships were originally intended as Liberty ships, hull design EC2-S-C1 (which, at the time, were also under construction for Britain). Instead, five of the partially completed Liberty ship hulls were requisitioned for conversion into repair ships.
It was soon realized that the Liberty ship hull and configuration would not be suitable for the role of repair ship. Substantial modification was necessary in order to ensure operating efficiency and functionality. A planning commission investigating the problem decided that the modifications would be based off the design of Luzon-class repair ships, ARG type repair ships which had already seen substantial service in the Pacific. Construction proceeded, with initial hull alterations and armament based off the Luzon class. The Luzon-class repair ship USS Tutuila (ARG-4) was selected as the conversion template. It was quickly realized that conversion based ultimately off the Luzon would not be entirely successful, because British configuration requirements for the ships differed substantially from the Luzon design. A complete overhaul of the internal configuration, and thus completely new plans for the internal configuration, were necessary.
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