USNS Kingsport (T-AG-164) was built as SS Kingsport Victory, a United States Maritime Commission VC2-S-AP3 (Victory) type cargo ship. During the closing days of World War II the ship was operated by the American Hawaiian Steamship Company under an agreement with the War Shipping Administration. After a period of layup the ship was operated as USAT Kingsport Victory by the Army under bareboat charter effective 8 July 1948. When Army transports were transferred to the Navy's Military Sea Transportation Service the ship continued as USNS Kingsport Victory (T-AK-239), a cargo transport . On 14 November 1961, after conversion into the first satellite communication ship, the ship was renamed Kingsport, reclassified as a general auxiliary, and operated as USNS Kingsport (T-AG-164). The ship was sent to Lagos, Nigeria as the control station for Syncom 2 becoming the site of the first two way call by satellite by heads of state. The call was between Nigerian Prime Minister Abubakar Balewa aboard the Kingsport and President John F. Kennedy on 23 August 1963. In 1967 the ship underwent conversion and became a bathymetric and acoustic survey ship for the installation and maintenance of the then classified Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) under the unclassified name of Project Caesar, Construction Kingsport Victory, a United States Maritime Commission VC2-S-AP3 (Victory) type cargo ship, was laid down 4 April 1944 with launch on 29 May and completion on 12 July 1944 with delivery to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) on the same day at Los Angeles. She was built under the Emergency Shipbuilding program under cognizance of the U.S. Maritime Commission. Basic dimensions, not counting modifications for satellite communications, were length (LBP), beam and . World War II and Army service Kingsport Victory was immediately placed in operation by the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, under a War Shipping Administration general agency agreement, supplying troops in the Pacific. She made trips between California and Pearl Harbor. On 17 October 1944 she steamed from California, arriving at Milne Bay in New Guinea on 2 November. She carried cargo to US troops and ships at Eniwetok, Iwo Jima, Guam, Ulithi atoll and Okinawa. Kingsport Victory was active delivering support for the Battle of Iwo Jima from 19 February to 26 March 1945. In battle she had to use her deck guns to defend against air attacks. Kingsport Victory received one Battle star for her service. After the war, in December 1945