USS Alcyone (AKA-7)
Encyclopedia
USS Alcyone (AKA-7) was an named after Alcyone
Alcyone (star)
Alcyone is a star system in the constellation Taurus. It is the brightest star in the Pleiades open cluster, which is a young cluster, aged at less than 50 million years. Alcyone is approximately 370 light years from Earth. It is named after the mythological figure Alcyone, one of the...
, the brightest star in the star cluster Pleiades
Pleiades (star cluster)
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
. She served as a commissioned ship for 5 years and 1 month.
The ship was laid down as Mormacgull under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 30) on 12 January 1939 at Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
, by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.
Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.
Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company was a major shipbuilding company in Chester, Pennsylvania, about 15 miles south of Philadelphia on the Delaware River. Its primary product was tankers, but the company built many types of ships over its 70-year history. During World War II, it participated in the...
, Hull 179; launched on 28 August 1939; sponsored by Miss Barbara Ann Moore; delivered 13 October 1939 to owner/operator Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.; purchased by the Navy on 31 May 1941; renamed Alcyone and designated AK-24 on 3 June 1941; converted for naval service by the Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
; and placed in commission
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 15 June 1941, Comdr. Daniel M. McGurl
Daniel M. McGurl
Daniel Michael McGurl was a United States Navy admiral.He was born in Minersville, Pennsylvania and graduated from United States Naval Academy in 1919....
in command.
1941
The cargo ship then reported for duty to Commander, Train, Atlantic Fleet. Following shakedown training, she departed New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 4 September and shaped a course for Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. The vessel arrived at Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
on the 16th and began disembarking passengers and discharging cargo. Upon the completion of this task, she left Icelandic waters on 5 October, sailed southwest-ward across the Atlantic, and arrived at Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, on the 13th. After one month of voyage repairs, the ship moved, via Norfolk, Virginia
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
, to New York City to take on cargo and sailed on 28 November for the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Among her ports of call during the cruise were Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
; San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
and Vieques, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
; and Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
before she arrived back at New York on 27 December.
1942
During the first three months of 1942, Alcyone made two more voyages from New York and Norfolk to various points in the Caribbean. Among her assignments during these trips was the evacuation of civilians from Antigua to the United States. On one occasion, her convoy was attacked by German submarineSubmarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s. Although three consorts fell victim to torpedo attacks, Alcyone completed her trip unscathed and arrived back at Charleston on 12 April where she underwent availability.
Alcyone was assigned to the Naval Transportation Service on 1 June and set sail from Norfolk on the 10th in a convoy bound for New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with troops and equipment of the 1st Marine Division which would land on Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
early in August. 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 18 June, joined the Pacific Fleet, and reached Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
on H July. After discharging her cargo, the ship moved to Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand, to take on material for transportation to advanced bases in the Pacific
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
.
Alcyone sailed independently from Auckland on 31 July and proceeded to Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, and Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
to distribute her cargo. Following these stops, she arrived at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia, on the 28th and underwent voyage repairs. On 8 September, the vessel left Australia; shaped a course for the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
; and reached San Francisco, California, on 29 September. She then entered the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, for conversion to an attack cargo ship. During the yard work, three 30-ton booms, a boat repair shop, and additional berthing space were added. Alcyone was redesignated AKA-7 on 26 November and was reassigned to Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet.
The conversion work was completed early in November, and Alcyone departed San Francisco on the 6th. She was then involved in amphibious exercises and shakedown training off San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. The ship left California on 21 December and headed for the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
.
1943
Alcyone retransited the Panama Canal on 2 March, arrived at the Charleston Navy Yard on the 9th, and underwent repairs for a month before sailing to Norfolk in mid-April. Soon after reaching Norfolk, Alcyone began a period of training exercises 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...
which lasted until early June. She sailed with Task Force 65 on the 8th for the Mediterranean. Her convoy repulsed several enemy attacks en route before arriving safely at Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, Algeria, on 22 June. She took part in amphibious landing exercises and loaded her cargo holds in preparation for the upcoming assault on Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
.
Alcyone got underway on 5 July; arrived off Scoglitti, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, five days later; and began discharging her cargo despite rough seas and frequent enemy air harassment. She landed her equipment and troops with the loss of only a few small boats, left the area on the 13th, and arrived back at Oran on 16 July. From there, the vessel moved on to Norfolk, where she arrived on 3 August.
After a brief period in port, the attack cargo ship proceeded once again to the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal on the last day of August and stopped at San Francisco before continuing on to Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. Alcyone touched at 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...
on 30 September and participated in training exercises off Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
during October. She got underway on 10 November with Task Group (TG) 52.11 to participate in the invasion of Makin Island
Battle of Makin
The Battle of Makin was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought from 20 November to 24 November 1943, on Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.-Japanese invasion and fortification:...
, Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
. On the 20th, the vessel reached the transport area off that island and began unloading her cargo. Members of her crew also assisted other vessels in discharging their passengers and supplies. Despite heavy enemy resistance, Alcyone successfully completed her operations and left the area on the 24th.
After a brief layover at Pearl Harbor, Alcyone continued on to San Diego, where she arrived on 19 December. She remained there through the Christmas holidays.
1944
Alcyone sailed for Hawaii on 13 January 1944. Upon reaching Pearl Harbor, the ship made final preparations for the assault on KwajaleinBattle of Kwajalein
The Battle of Kwajalein was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought from 31 January-3 February 1944, on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Employing the hard-learned lessons of the battle of Tarawa, the United States launched a successful twin assault on the main islands of...
. She sortied from Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
on 22 January and reached the transport area off Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
on the 31st. Alcyone unloaded her cargo and assisted in the landing of troops from other ships as well. Enemy shore fire and dangerous coral reefs somewhat delayed her operations, and Alcyone remained in the area until mid-February.
The cargo ship made a port call at Pearl Harbor before continuing on to the California coast. She reached San Pedro on 26 February and proceeded to a shipyard at Terminal Island
Terminal Island
Terminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...
for overhaul. A series of amphibious landing exercises followed the completion of the yard work, and Alcyone left the West Coast on 18 April, bound for Hawaii. She reached Pearl Harbor and joined forces preparing to attack Guam in the Marianas.
The cargo ship anchored off that island on 22 July and commenced unloading operations. Upon completing this assignment, she got underway to return to Hawaii. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 10 August and, shortly thereafter, entered drydock for minor repairs. The ship got underway again on 15 September and sailed to Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
. After approximately a month of preparations and training, she sailed on 14 October as a member of TG 79.2, which was scheduled to begin the liberation of the Philippine Islands.
The attacking force reached waters off the beaches of Leyte on the 20th and began the landing operations
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
that same day. Alcyone discharged her cargo while undergoing enemy air attack and mortar fire from shore batteries. She completed her unloading operations on the 22d and proceeded to Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, to reprovision. On 14 November, the ship sailed for Leyte to resupply the beachhead which had been established there.
After unloading her cargo at Leyte, she retired to the Admiralties and reached Manus on the 24th. From that island, she moved to Cape Gloucester
Cape Gloucester
Cape Gloucester is a headland, in the northwest of the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea, at . During World War II, the Japanese captured New Britain, and had driven most of Cape Gloucester's native population out to construct two airfields...
, New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
, to take on units of the 40th Infantry Division. The ship carried these troops back to Manus, where she joined TG 79.4. On 16 December the group sailed to Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea, at . It is bordered by Huon Peninsula in the north. Both are named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Huon Gulf is a part of the Solomon Sea. Lae, capital of the Morobe Province is located on the northern coast of the...
, New Guinea, for a series of amphibious landing exercises. Upon their completion, the ships returned to Manus for final loadout prior to the invasion of Luzon
Battle of Luzon
The Battle of Luzon was a land battle fought as part of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony The Philippines, and Mexico against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S. and Filipino victory...
, the largest island of the Philippines.
1945
On the last day of 1944, Alcyone sortied with TG 79.4, for the assault on the Lingayen beachesInvasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
which began on 9 January 1945. The task of unloading her cargo was made more difficult by rough seas, Japanese
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
suicide boat attacks, and enemy air raids. Alcyone remained in the area for five days before she finished emptying her holds. On the 13th, she set a course for Leyte where she replenished her stores before returning to Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on the 29th with a small attacking force for a landing at Zambales
Zambales
Zambales is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Iba. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north, Tarlac and Pampanga to the east, and Bataan to the south. The province lies between the South China Sea and the Zambales Mountains. With a land area of...
. The assault was unopposed, and operations were completed on 31 January.
Alcyone left Philippine waters on 11 February, bound for the United States. She made port calls at Manus and at Pearl Harbor before reaching San Francisco on 12 March. The ship then entered the Moore Dry Dock Company
Moore Dry Dock Company
Moore Dry Dock Company was a ship repair and shipbuilding company in Oakland, California. It was started in San Francisco in 1905 as the Moore & Scott Iron Works, but was destroyed by fire in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It reopened soon and in 1909 purchased the Boole Shipyard in Oakland....
, Oakland, California, for overhaul. During this yard period, her kingposts were replaced by quadruped masts, her troop berths were removed, and temporary cargo storage cages were installed.
Upon completion of the yard work on 2 June, the ship was assigned to Service Forces, Pacific Fleet. On the 8th, Alcyone was routed to Seattle, Washington, for loading. She departed Seattle on 21 June and shaped a course for 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...
. After pausing there briefly on 9 July, she got underway to rendezvous with logistic support ships provisioning the warships of the Fast Carrier Task Force in waters off the Japanese home islands.
Alcyone completed unloading at sea on 2 August and set sail for Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
to replenish. While the ship was in the Marianas, Japan capitulated
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
. Alcyone rejoined the logistics group on 23 August; and, three days later, she and her consorts entered Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
. After unloading, Alcyone left Japan and returned to Guam to take on more cargo and supplies. She arrived back in Tokyo Bay on 1 October and began replenishing ships of the occupation forces
Occupied Japan
At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power...
.
1946
Alcyone remained in Japanese waters through early March 1946. She shuttled supplies and equipment among the ports of Yokosuka, Ominato, AomoriAomori, Aomori
is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :...
, Otaru, Wakayama, Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
, and Kure
Kure, Hiroshima
is a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 240,820 and a population density of 681 persons per km². The total area is 353.74 km².- History :...
. The ship departed Yokosuka on 11 March and headed back to the United States. She arrived at San Francisco on 29 March and began a period of upkeep. On 15 May, the vessel proceeded to San Diego where she remained for two weeks. Alcyone continued sailing southward and transited the Panama Canal on 9 June. Five days later, she made port at Norfolk, Virginia.
Preparations to deactivate the ship soon began. Alcyone was decommissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, on 23 July 1946 and was transferred to the War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
on 24 July 1946 for disposal. Her name was struck from the Navy List on 15 August 1946.
The ship was sold to the Johnson Line
Johnson Line
Johnson Line was a Sweden-based shipping line founded in 1904 as a subsidiary of Rederi AB Nordstjernan. In 1982 Johnson Line absorbed Rederi AB Svea, another Rederi AB Nordstjernan -owned company, hence becoming a member of the Finnish-Swedish Silja Line consortium...
on 17 March 1947, and refitted for service as the merchant vessel Star Alcyone, and later scrapped in 1969.
Alcyone earned eight battle stars for her World War II
World 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.