The USS Investigator (AGR/YAGR-9) was a Guardian-class radar picket ship that originated as a Liberty Ship, built during World War II. She was laid down on November 28, 1944, under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2336) as the Charles A. Draper by J.A. Jones Construction in Panama City, Florida. Launched on January 9, 1945, and delivered shortly thereafter on January 24 to the Polarus Steamship Co., Inc., she initially served by transporting replacement aircraft and cargo until the end of the war. Following her wartime service, she was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at the James River Reserve Fleet in Virginia on October 26, 1945, and later in 1947, she briefly served before entering the Reserve Fleet at Mobile, Alabama. The vessel was acquired by the U.S. Navy on July 2, 1956, and converted into a radar picket ship at Charleston Navy Yard. She was commissioned as USS Investigator (YAGR-9) on January 16, 1957. During her conversion, she was equipped with advanced air search and tracking systems, allowing her to serve as a seaward extension of the continental air defense network. After shakedown training in the Caribbean, she arrived at her home port, Davisville, Rhode Island, and embarked on her primary mission: conducting radar picket patrols across the North Atlantic. Her role was vital in the early warning system, detecting, tracking, and reporting aircraft at long range, as well as controlling interceptor aircraft to respond to potential threats. On September 28, 1958, her classification was changed to AGR-9. She continued her radar picket duties until her decommissioning on March 29, 1965. Her name was stricken from the Navy List on April 1, 1965, and she was transferred to the U.S. Maritime Commission, entering the Hudson River Reserve Fleet at Jones Point, New York. She remained there until being sold for scrapping in Spain on May 15, 1971. Throughout her service, Investigator contributed significantly to the air defense strategy during the Cold War era, providing critical early warning and tracking capabilities over the North Atlantic.

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