View source for USS Greenwich Bay

{{short description|Tender of the United States Navy}}

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|Ship image=[[File:USS Greenwich Bay AVP-41 May 1945.jpg|300px|Greenwich Bay seen here in May 1945]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Greenwich Bay'' (AVP-41) in May 1945
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1945}}
|Ship name=USS ''Greenwich Bay''
|Ship namesake=[[Greenwich Bay (Rhode Island)|Greenwich Bay]], off the coast of [[Rhode Island]]
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|Ship builder=[[Lake Washington Shipyard]], [[Houghton, Washington|Houghton]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
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|Ship laid down=18 July 1944
|Ship launched=17 March 1945
|Ship sponsor=Mrs. Francis B. Johnson
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|Ship commissioned=20 May 1945
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|Ship decommissioned=June 1966
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|Ship struck=1 July 1966
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|Ship fate=Sold for scrapping 21 June 1967
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship class=[[Barnegat class seaplane tender|''Barnegat''-class]] small [[seaplane tender]]
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|Ship displacement=*1,766&nbsp;[[ton]]s (light)
*2,750 tons (full load)
|Ship length={{convert|310|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|41|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship draught={{convert|13|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship power=6,000 [[horsepower]] (4.48 [[megawatt]]s)
|Ship propulsion=[[Diesel engine]]s, two shafts
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|Ship speed={{convert|18|kn|km/h}}
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|Ship complement=*215 (ship's company)
*367 (including aviation unit)
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|Ship sensors=[[Radar]]; [[sonar]]
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|Ship armament=*1 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}]] guns
*6 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] guns
*2 × [[depth charge]] tracks
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|Ship aircraft facilities=Supplies, spare parts, repairs, and berthing for one [[seaplane]] [[Squadron (aviation)|squadron]]; {{convert|80,000|USgal|L}} [[aviation fuel]]
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'''USS ''Greenwich Bay'' (AVP-41)''', was a [[United States Navy]] [[Barnegat class small seaplane tender|''Barnegat''-class]] small [[seaplane tender]] in commission from 1945 to 1966.

== Construction and commissioning ==

''Greenwich Bay'' was laid down on 18 July 1944 at [[Lake Washington Shipyard]], [[Houghton, Washington|Houghton]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. She was launched on 17 March 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Francis B. Johnson, wife of the Commander of [[Fleet Air Wing 6]] (FAW-6), and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 20 May 1945.

== Post-World War II occupation duty 1945–1946 ==

''Greenwich Bay'' had not yet left the [[United States West Coast]] when [[World War II]] ended with the cessation of hostilities with [[Japan]] on 15 August 1945. Departing [[San Diego, California|San Diego]], [[California]], on 26 August 1945, she called at [[Pearl Harbor]] in [[Hawaii]], [[Midway Atoll]], and [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] before arriving at [[Taku, China|Taku]], [[China]], on 5 October 1945. ''Greenwich Bay'' spent the rest of 1945 along the China coast, touching at [[Qingdao|Tsingtao]] and [[Shanghai]] as well as Taku, tending [[seaplane]]s of the [[United States Seventh Fleet]]. She operated in Japanese waters during January 1946, and after a short stint in the [[Philippine Islands]], departed for the [[United States]] on 1 May 1946. Calling at [[Hong Kong]]; [[Singapore]]; [[Naples]], [[Italy]]; [[Casablanca]], [[French Morocco]]; and [[Gibraltar]] during the voyage, she arrived at  [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Virginia]] on 1 July 1946. She then moved to [[New York City]] for [[wikt:overhaul|overhaul]].

== Escort duty for the Presidential Yacht 1947–1948 ==

''Greenwich Bay'' reported to the [[Potomac River Naval Command]] on 19 February 1947 to serve as escort to [[Williamsburg (yacht)|USS ''Williamsburg'' (AGC-369)]], ex-PG-56, the [[Presidential yacht]]. This assignment ended on 21 June 1948.

== Around-the-world cruise 1948 ==

''Greenwich Bay'' departed Norfolk on 21 June 1948 for an around-the-world cruise. During The four-month voyage, she made good-will visits to Gibraltar; [[Port Said]], [[Egypt]];  [[Muscat, Oman|Muscat]]; [[Bahrain]], [[Kuwait]], [[Trincomalee]], [[Ceylon]]; [[Fremantle, Western Australia|Fremantle]], [[Australia]]; [[Pago Pago]], [[American Samoa]]; [[Papeete]], [[Tahiti]]; and [[Coco Solo]], [[Panama Canal Zone]], before returning to Norfolk on 14 October 1948.

== Middle East service 1949–1966 ==

''Greenwich Bay'' departed Norfolk on 30 April 1949 to assume duties as [[flagship]] for the Commander of the U.S. Navy [[Middle East Force]]. Every year thereafter she repeated this duty, sailing through the [[Mediterranean]] to operate as flagship in the [[Red Sea]], [[Persian Gulf]], and [[Indian Ocean]] for 4 to 6 months.  In total ''Greenwich Bay'' made fifteen Mediterranean deployments. During most of this period, she performed these duties in rotation with two other ''Barnegat''-class ships, {{USS|Duxbury Bay|AVP-38}} and {{USS|Valcour|AVP-55}}.  These three ships were dubbed the "little white fleet", in reference to the white paint jobs they shared to counter the region's extreme heat.

[[File:USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41).jpg|thumb|300px|left|USS ''Greenwich Bay'' (AVP-41) visits [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]], in May or early June 1961 on her way to that year's deployment as [[flagship]] in the [[Middle East]].]]Ports which ''Greenwich Bay'' visited as part of her official duties as flagship included [[Recife]], [[Brazil]]; [[Lisbon]], [[Portugal]]; and virtually every major Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, and Red Sea city as well as several African ones. Among them were [[Malta]]; [[Bombay]] and [[Madras]], [[India]]; [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]]; [[Athens]], [[Greece]]; [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]; [[Mombassa]], [[Kenya]]; [[Cannes]], [[France]]; and [[Karachi]], [[Pakistan]]. In addition to operating with foreign naval units in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean, ''Greenwich Bay'' performed extensive work in the [[People-to-People]] program, particularly in carrying [[drug]]s and other [[Medicine|medical]] supplies to [[Arab world|Arab]] and [[Africa]]n nations, and operated as an important tool of [[diplomacy]] in the region.  In her [[Middle East]] duties, which were punctuated by local operations and exercises out of Norfolk, ''Greenwich Bay'' was visited by many dignitaries, including [[King Ibn Saud]] of [[Saudi Arabia]], the [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah of Iran]], [[Emperor]] [[Haile Selassie]] of [[Ethiopia]], and the [[Sheikh|Shaikh]] of [[Kuwait]].

In 1950 ''Greenwich Bay''{{'}}s crew distinguished itself in [[Bahrain]], as [[Air France]] planes crashed there on 13 June 1950 and 15 June 1950 while attempting to make early-morning landings on a [[fog]]-shrouded [[airfield]]. ''Greenwich Bay'' sent out a total of six [[search-and-rescue]] missions on those two days. On 15 June 1950 one of her [[Launch (boat)|launches]], containing both her [[Commanding officer#United States|captain]] and [[Physician|medical officer]], succeeded in rescuing nine survivors of the crash. For her heroic actions, ''Greenwich Bay'' received the special commendation and thanks of both the Arabian and [[France|French]] governments.

When the [[Suez Crisis]] flared up in 1956, ''Greenwich Bay'' extended her normal cruise in the Persian Gulf to be able to evacuate [[United States|American]] dependents and [[civilian]]s if necessary. As a result of the blocking of the [[Suez Canal]], she had to return to the [[United States]] around the [[Cape of Good Hope]].

== Decommissioning and disposal ==

After completing her fifteenth Middle East deployment, ''Greenwich Bay'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] in June 1966 and stricken from the [[Navy List]] on 1 July 1966. She was sold for scrapping on 21 June 1967 to [[Boston Metals Company]] of [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]], [[Maryland]].

== References ==
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/greenwich-bay.html}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040406081321/http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/4341.htm navsource.org: NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive: USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41)]
*[http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/avp41.htm hazegray.org: ''Greenwich Bay'' (AVP-41)]
*[http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-g/avp41.htm Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships: USS ''Greenwich Bay'' (AVP-41), 1945–1967]
* Chesneau, Roger. ''Conway{{'}}s All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946''. New York: Mayflower Books, Inc., 1980. {{ISBN|0-8317-0303-2}}.

{{Barnegat class small seaplane tender}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenwich Bay}}
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Barnegat-class seaplane tenders]]
[[Category:1945 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built at Lake Washington Shipyard]]