USS Oxford (AG159)

USS Oxford (AG-159) was originally constructed as the Liberty ship *Samuel R. Aitken* in 1945, before being acquired and converted by the U.S. Navy in 1960 as a technical research ship. Commissioned in December 1961, Oxford operated primarily in the Atlantic and Caribbean, conducting electronic intelligence gathering during the height of the Cold War. The ship played a significant role during the Cuban Missile Crisis, collecting crucial signals intelligence about Soviet activities in Cuba. After years of service monitoring international communications and supporting U.S. intelligence operations, USS Oxford was decommissioned in December 1969 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register the following year.