USS Metomkin (AVP-47)

History
United States
Name	USS Metomkin (AVP-47)
Namesake	Metomkin Island in Virginia
Builder	Lake Washington Shipyard, Houghton, Washington (proposed)
Laid down	Never
Fate	Construction contract cancelled 29 April 1943
General characteristics
Class and type	Barnegat-class small seaplane tender
Displacement	1,766 tons (light); 2,750 tons (full load);
Length	311 ft 8 in (95.00 m)
Beam	41 ft 1 in (12.52 m)
Draught	13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Installed power	6,000 horsepower (4.48 megawatts)
Propulsion	Diesel engines, two shafts
Speed	18.6 knots (34.4 km/h)
Complement	215 (ship's company); 367 (including aviation unit);
Sensors and ; processing systems	Radar; sonar
Armament	Probably either 2 x 5-inch (127 mm) 38-caliber guns, 4 x 20-mm antiaircraft guns, and 2 x depth charge tracks, or 1 x 5-inch (127 mm) 38-caliber gun, 1 x quadruple 40-mm antiaircraft gun mount, 2 x twin 40-mm gun mounts, 6 x 20-mm antiaircraft guns, and 2 x depth charge tracks
Aviation facilities	Supplies, spare parts, fuel, repairs, and berthing for one seaplane squadron; 80,000 US gallons (300,000 L) aviation fuel

What would have been the first USS Metomkin (AVP-47) was a proposed United States Navy seaplane tender that was never laid down.

Construction and commissioning

Metomkin was to have been one of 41 Barnegat-class small seaplane tenders the U.S. Navy planned to commission during the early 1940s, and was to have been built at Houghton, Washington, by the Lake Washington Shipyard. However, by the spring of 1943 the Navy deemed that number of seaplane tenders excess to requirements, and decided to complete four of them as motor torpedo boat tenders and one as a catapult training ship. In addition, the Navy also decided to cancel six of the Barnegat-class ships prior to their construction, freeing up the diesel engines that would have powered them for use in escort vessels and amphibious landing craft.

AVP-47 was assigned the name Metomkin on 23 August 1942. However, she became one of the final two ships to be cancelled when the Navy cancelled the contract for her construction on 29 April 1943 before construction could begin.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive Small Seaplane Tender (AVP) Index