The SS Pacific Tracker is a United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) missile range instrumentation ship, currently listed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) at Portland, Oregon, as of September 2023. Originally constructed as a cargo vessel, it has undergone several transformations throughout its service life. The vessel was laid down on April 13, 1964, as the break-bulk freighter SS Mormacdraco with hull number 487, built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Inc. in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Launched on January 14, 1965, and delivered to MARAD on May 28, 1965, she initially served with Moore-McCormack Lines. In 1976, the ship was lengthened and converted into a partial container ship by Todd Shipyard in Galveston, Texas. Later, in 1983, she was sold to United States Lines and renamed SS American Draco. Following the cessation of US Lines operations in 1986, the vessel was transferred back to MARAD and placed in the NDRF. Although initially selected for conversion into a crane ship (C6-S-MA60b), the project was canceled in 1990. The conversion was resumed in 1992 and completed by National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. in 1997, after which she was designated SS Beaver State (T-ACS-10). She was assigned to the Ready Reserve Force, berthed at Bremerton, Washington, and maintained in a five-day readiness status, under the operation of the Military Sealift Command. In 2009, the vessel was extensively modified at Cascade General Shipyards in Portland, Oregon, for missile testing purposes. She was converted into an X-Band Transportable Radar Ship (XTR-1) and renamed SS Pacific Tracker. This conversion transformed her into a missile range instrumentation platform, capable of supporting tests conducted by the Missile Defense Agency. The SS Pacific Tracker thus holds maritime significance as a key asset in missile testing and defense readiness, reflecting her evolution from a cargo vessel to a specialized military support ship.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.