Figure 1: USS Barnegat (AVP-10) in Puget Sound, Washington, on 14 October 1941. She is in her original configuration with two 5-inch guns forward and a large seaplane-handling crane aft. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.
Figure 2: USS Barnegat (AVP-10) in Puget Sound, Washington, on 14 October 1941. She is displaying her original seaplane-handling facilities, including a large crane aft and a clear fantail. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.
Figure 3: USS Barnegat (AVP-10) off the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, on 1 January 1942. Note that she is wearing the Naval Aviation star insignia by her hull number, in addition to a Measure 12 (modified) camouflage paint scheme. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.
Figure 4: USS Barnegat (AVP-10) underway off the coast of Brazil on 4 April 1944. The ship is painted in the "two-tone" Measure 22 camouflage scheme. Note the "star and bar" aircraft insignia on the bow aft of the hull number. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.
Figure 5: USS Barnegat (AVP-10) underway off the coast of Brazil on 4 April 1944. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.
Figure 6: A near overhead view of USS Barnegat (AVP-10) underway off the coast of Brazil on 4 April 1944. Her original large aircraft crane has been replaced with a smaller model and a third 5-inch mount has been added on the fantail. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
Figure 7: Plate 3 (mislabeled as Plate 2) of USS Barnegat's Booklet of General Plans, corrected through 18 June 1943. This drawing shows the ship's outboard profile. The original plan has Bureau of Ships plan # 303470. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.
Figure 8: Plates 8, 9, and 10 of USS Barnegat's Booklet of General Plans, corrected through 18 June 1943. This shows drawings of the ship's main, second, and platform decks. The original plan has Bureau of Ships plan # 303470. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.
Figure 9: Ex-USS Barnegat (AVP-10) rebuilt for passenger service under the Greek flag. Renamed MV Kentavros, she is seen here at anchor in the Greek Isles, date unknown. Courtesy Gerhard Mueller-Debus. Click on photograph for larger image.
Named after a
bay on the coast of New Jersey, the 2,563-ton USS Barnegat (AVP-10) was the lead ship in a new class of small
seaplane tenders. The ship was built by the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton,
Washington, and was commissioned on 3 July 1941. Barnegat was approximately 311 feet long and 41 feet wide, had a
top speed of 18 knots, and had a crew of 367 officers and men. The seaplane
tender was armed with two 5-inch guns, two twin 40-mm guns, four twin 20-mm
guns, and depth charges.
Being the
lead ship in a new design for small seaplane tenders, Barnegat spent her first ten months after being commissioned
conducting various trials. She remained primarily in Puget Sound area during
this time, but in November 1941 the ship was sent to Boston, Massachusetts. Barnegat remained there until May 1942,
when she was deployed to Iceland, where she tended to a seaplane squadron based
there. The ship also performed a variety of other support services, such as
salvage missions and cargo transport duties.
In November
of 1942, Barnegat and the seaplanes
she supported participated in the invasion of North Africa. Barnegat’s 5-inch guns destroyed an
enemy shore battery at Mehedia, French Morocco, and she also was assigned to
escort and anti-submarine duties during the invasion. Once the amphibious
assault was completed, Barnegat returned
to Boston for repairs after sustaining some damage during a brutal North
Atlantic storm. Repairs to the ship were not completed until the beginning of
February 1943.
After
spending some months patrolling the waters between Boston and Iceland, Barnegat was sent to South America. From
June 1943 to May 1944, Barnegat was
based in Brazil where the seaplanes she tended to sank two German U-boats. In
July 1944, after returning to the United States and completing another overhaul
at Boston, Barnegat was assigned to
various patrol and escort duties that took her to the Azores, Morocco, and then
to England. In November, she went to the Norfolk Navy Yard at Norfolk,
Virginia, to have her engines repaired. This work was completed on 14 December.
Barnegat spent the next two months tending to
seaplanes in the Norfolk area and Bermuda. In February 1945, Barnegat arrived in Panama, where she
tended to seaplanes and conducted a wide range of support activities until
returning to the United States in November.
