The USS Antares (AK-258) was a Greenville Victory-class cargo ship built during World War II, later serving in the U.S. Navy from 1952 to 1964. Originally launched as the SS Nampa Victory, she was laid down on April 6, 1944, by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation in Portland, Oregon, as a Maritime Commission type VC2-S-AP3 hull. She was launched on May 19, 1944, and delivered to the Maritime Commission on June 10, 1944. During the war, she operated as a merchant cargo vessel under the International Freighting Company, supporting Pacific theater operations, including the Battle of Okinawa, where her crew earned Battle Stars for their action. After World War II, Nampa Victory was operated by various shipping companies before being laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in 1948. She was briefly returned to service in 1950 under United States Lines before being acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1951. Renamed USS Antares (AK-258), she was converted at Baltimore’s Maryland Drydock Company and commissioned in February 1952. As a Navy cargo ship, Antares primarily operated along the U.S. East Coast, the West Indies, and the Mediterranean. She supported U.S. military operations, including participation in the 1958 Lebanon crisis, earning the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. In 1959, she was redesignated as AKS-33 following her conversion into a general stores issue ship, enabling her to perform underway replenishment. She also supported fleet ballistic missile submarines, particularly during her Mediterranean deployments, including resupply missions to Holy Loch, Scotland. In 1964, Antares was decommissioned and transferred to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, remaining inactive until her final sale for scrapping in 1974. Throughout her service, she played a vital logistical role during the Cold War, notably supporting fleet operations and ballistic missile submarine deployments, making her an important vessel in mid-20th-century naval logistics.

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