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USS Akutan (AE-13)
Encyclopedia
USS Akutan (AE-13) was laid down on 20 June 1944 at Tampa, Fla., by the Tampa Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 17 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Rosswell B. Daggett, the wife of Capt. Daggett, USN, the supervisor of shipbuilding at Tampa; and commissioned on 15 February 1945, Comdr. R.C. Brown in command. She is named after Akutan Island
, an active volcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska
.
, the ammunition ship entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for an availability. In early April, she moved to Earle, N.J., to take on ammunition and cargo. On the 9th, Akutan shaped a course for the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal
on 16 April and proceeded independently to Ulithi
, Caroline Islands
. Upon reaching that advanced base on 11 May, the ship reported to Service Squadron 10, Service Force, Pacific Fleet.
On 15 May, Akutan got underway with Task Group (TG) 50.8, bound for Okinawa. The ship arrived there on the 21st and operated from that island during the next four weeks, supplying ammunition to various units of the fleet. She sailed for Ulithi on 18 June and weathered a typhoon before arriving there on the 22d. Two days later, the vessel shaped a course for Leyte, Philippine Islands.
Akutan reached San Pedro Bay
on 26 June and was assigned to Service Squadron 8 for duty. She remained in Philippine waters until mid-August discharging and receiving ammunition. On 14 August the ship got underway with TG 30.8 to replenish ammunition for vessels of the 3d Fleet. The following day, Japan
capitulated. Akutan returned to San Pedro Bay on 10 September and operated there until 28 October, when she sailed for the east coast of the United States. The ship paused en route at Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor
, retransmitted the Panama Canal, and reached Norfolk in December.
Following a brief stay there, Akutan sailed to Earle, N.J., to discharge her ammunition. When her cargo had been unloaded, the ship got underway for Orange, Tex., in January 1946. She left Texas
on 10 March and proceeded to New Orleans, Louisiana
, to undergo repairs. [Docked at Algiers, Akutan took on 3,000 tons of gas shells—causing the crew to be issued gas masks for the duration.] Five days later, the vessel set sail for Houston, Tex., disposing of her cargo of gas shells off the Florida
coast, en route. and upon arriving there, entered a shipyard for further repairs. On 26 April, the ship returned to Orange, Tex., and began preparations for deactivation. Akutan was decommissioned on 19 October 1946. her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 July 1960, and the ship was transferred to the Maritime Administration for layup at Beaumont, Tex.
service.
Akutan Island
Akutan Island is an island in the Fox Islands group of the eastern Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state of Alaska. The island is approximately 18 mi in length. It contains the Mount Akutan volcano, which had a major lava eruption in 1979...
, an active volcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Service history
Following shakedown training in the Chesapeake BayChesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, the ammunition ship entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for an availability. In early April, she moved to Earle, N.J., to take on ammunition and cargo. On the 9th, Akutan shaped a course for the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
on 16 April and proceeded independently to Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
, Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
. Upon reaching that advanced base on 11 May, the ship reported to Service Squadron 10, Service Force, Pacific Fleet.
On 15 May, Akutan got underway with Task Group (TG) 50.8, bound for Okinawa. The ship arrived there on the 21st and operated from that island during the next four weeks, supplying ammunition to various units of the fleet. She sailed for Ulithi on 18 June and weathered a typhoon before arriving there on the 22d. Two days later, the vessel shaped a course for Leyte, Philippine Islands.
Akutan reached San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
on 26 June and was assigned to Service Squadron 8 for duty. She remained in Philippine waters until mid-August discharging and receiving ammunition. On 14 August the ship got underway with TG 30.8 to replenish ammunition for vessels of the 3d Fleet. The following day, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
capitulated. Akutan returned to San Pedro Bay on 10 September and operated there until 28 October, when she sailed for the east coast of the United States. The ship paused en route at Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, retransmitted the Panama Canal, and reached Norfolk in December.
Following a brief stay there, Akutan sailed to Earle, N.J., to discharge her ammunition. When her cargo had been unloaded, the ship got underway for Orange, Tex., in January 1946. She left Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
on 10 March and proceeded to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, to undergo repairs. [Docked at Algiers, Akutan took on 3,000 tons of gas shells—causing the crew to be issued gas masks for the duration.] Five days later, the vessel set sail for Houston, Tex., disposing of her cargo of gas shells off the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
coast, en route. and upon arriving there, entered a shipyard for further repairs. On 26 April, the ship returned to Orange, Tex., and began preparations for deactivation. Akutan was decommissioned on 19 October 1946. her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 July 1960, and the ship was transferred to the Maritime Administration for layup at Beaumont, Tex.
Awards and honors
Akutan earned two battle stars and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon for her World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service.
External links
- Photo gallery at navsource.org