The USNS Wheeling (T-AGM-8) was a Wheeling-class missile range instrumentation ship originally constructed as a Victory ship cargo vessel. Laid down on 10 April 1945 by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation under a U.S. Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 686), she was launched on 22 May 1945 and delivered to the Maritime Commission on 21 June 1945. Initially named Seton Hall Victory, she served as a cargo ship operated by various civilian contractors, including Olympic Steamship Line and Pope & Talbot, Inc., until she was placed out of service in September 1957 and berthed in the James River Reserve Fleet. In late 1962, she was transferred to the U.S. Navy for conversion into a missile range instrumentation ship. Renamed USNS Wheeling on 19 March 1963 and designated AGM-8, she was assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service on 28 May 1964, operated by a civilian crew in support of the Pacific Missile Range. As part of her role, Wheeling functioned as a mobile tracking station, recording data on missiles and satellites beyond the reach of land-based stations, primarily along the Pacific coast. Her operational history included notable surveillance missions in the early 1970s, where during summers of 1972 and 1973, she spent about three months each year near Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific, conducting research and surveillance operations related to French nuclear tests. These activities were under the auspices of the Defense Nuclear Agency, with Stanford Research Institute serving as the primary contractor. The vessel remained in service until at least 1990, being struck from the Navy List on 31 October of that year. Notably, on 12 July 1981, USNS Wheeling was used as a target ship during Harpoon missile tests. She was hit by two Harpoons—one launched from a submarine and another from a P-3 Orion aircraft—though a planned third launch was not executed. The details of her final disposal are not documented, but she was ultimately sunk as a target.

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