Portrait of Capt. Benjamin Dutton, Jr., USN (1883-1937). This is the portrait which hung aboard USNS Dutton T-AGS-22. The photo of the portrait was taken in 1962. USNS Dutton was named in honor of Capt. Dutton, the author of Navigation and Nautical Astronomy, 1926.

From the Preface to the 15th Edition:

"When Commander Benjamin Dutton, U.S. Navy, wrote his first edition of Navigation and Nautical Astronomy, it probably did not occur to him that his book would become one of the greats of navigation, continuing on for more than three-quarters of a century and enjoying a reputation exceeded only by that of the two-hundred-year-old American Practical Navigator by Nathaniel Bowditch."

Dutton's original incarnation. Photo taken at Antwerp, probably late 1940s.

Photo from John Hansen, purchasesd on Ebay.

Another photo, date and location not identified.

Photo found on shipsnostalgia.com

An official photograph of USNS Dutton at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on October 20, 1958. She is perhaps on trials, or moving berths. Dutton underwent conversion from her original merchant cargo configuration to a T-AGS at this shipyard from November 8, 1957 to November 16, 1958, according to some sources, and, according to other sources, was delivered as USNS Dutton to MSTS on November 1, 1958. This photo was therefore taken just before her rebirth, from SS Tuskegee Victory to USNS Dutton.

A copy of the photograph was provided to this site by the Naval Oceanographic Office on 4/11/2007.

Photo from the National Archives.

July 8, 1968

Photo from Shipspotter.com.

July 9, 1968

Photo from Shipspotter.com.

Bremerhaven, Germany, June 1968

Photo from Navsource.

Date and location unknown

Photo from Navsource.

Photo from 1970-71

Courtesy of Channing Zucker.

c. 1972-74

Courtesy of Paul Rokoff.

At Marseilles c. 1973.

Courtesy of Kevin O'Hare.

Photo from an undated commercial post card

Courtesy of Phil Brooks.

Date and location are unknown but the photo is probably after 1976. Thanks to Edward Alford for the photograph.

In these later photographs, it is obvious that MSC in the 1970s and 1980s had more money for maintenance--or at least for painting--than MSTS in the 1960s and early 1970s. Railings and hatch covers are nicely detailed in white, and not a single spot of rust is visible. Perhaps the Navy also finally ran out of WWII surplus lead-based paint and red-lead primer.

From the National Archives.

Title: USNS DUTTON (T-AGS-22)
Caption: Off Hampton Roads, Virginia, 18 May 1976
Description:
Catalog #: K-113530
Copyright Owner: National Archives.

Photo July 29, 1976, inscribed "Seattle Ship File" and "Official Navy Photograph" on back." Description taped to back reads "USNS Dutton as seen from lifeboat during drills at sea." Note that both #2 and #4 lifeboats have been launched.

Purchased on Ebay by John Hansen 7/2022.

Courtesy of Bill Truslow

August 24, 1990

Photo from "Combined Military Service Photographic Files".

First in line of ships awaiting final disposition, January 1, 2005

Photo by Jens Naldal at shipsspotting.com