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USS Bridge (AF-1)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Bridge (AF-1) was the lead ship
of her class of stores ships for the United States Navy
, and served in both World War I
and World War II
; sponsored by Mrs. Granville Searcy Fleece, a grandniece of Commodore Bridge; and commissioned 2 June 1917, Lieutenant Commander W. K. Riddle in command.
Following her commissioning Bridge loaded stores and provisions, and transported and issued them to the fleet
and shore stations.
, she was assigned to the Train, Atlantic Fleet, and operated between New York, York River
, and the Chesapeake
.
Waters. Remaining a year in that area, she then joined Train, Squadron 1, Base Force, U. S. Fleet, in servicing and provisioning the Fleet from bases on both the east and west coasts of the United States
, the Caribbean
, and Canal Zone
. In 1937–1938 Bridge spent six months on temporary duty with the Asiatic Fleet. In 1940–1941 she made 11 voyages between California
bases and Pearl Harbor
; the tenth trip also included the outlying bases of Midway Island, Guam
and Wake Island
.
Bridge expanded her Pacific voyages to include the Fiji
, Tonga
, and New Caledonia
Islands. Between 10 August and 20 October 1942 she shuttled cargo between San Francisco and Alaska
and then returned to the South Pacific
. Between October 1942 and April 1943 she carried cargo to the Hawaii
, Tonga, Loyalty Islands
, and Samoan Islands
. From 2 April until 3 July 1943 she ferried supplies between Nouméa
, New Caledonia, and Auckland, New Zealand. In July she steamed to San Francisco and thence to Alaska where she operated until October. She returned to Pearl Harbor 3 November and operated between the Hawaii
an and Ellice Islands until April 1944. Between 19 April 1944 and 27 April 1945 Bridge operated exclusively between Pearl Harbor and the Marshall Islands
. During 9-22 May and 11 July-13 August 1945 she landed supplies at Okinawa, returning to Pearl Harbor each time.
On 10 October 1945 Bridge departed Pearl Harbor and steamed to Japan
, via Okinawa, for occupation duty. While operating off Korea
, 1 November, she struck a mine and suffered considerable damage but no personnel casualties. Towed to Japan 21 November by , she underwent repairs at Sasebo
until January 1946. Bridge remained on occupation duty until June 1946. She was decommissioned at Sasebo 27 June 1946; turned over to the Foreign Liquidation Commission for disposal; and sold at Manila
, Philippine Islands, 22 December 1947.
Bridge received one battle star for her World War II service.
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of her class of stores ships for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, and served in both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and 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...
Early career
Bridge was launched 18 May 1916 at the Boston Navy YardBoston 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...
; sponsored by Mrs. Granville Searcy Fleece, a grandniece of Commodore Bridge; and commissioned 2 June 1917, Lieutenant Commander W. K. Riddle in command.
Following her commissioning Bridge loaded stores and provisions, and transported and issued them to the fleet
Naval fleet
A fleet, or naval fleet, is a large formation of warships, and the largest formation in any navy. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land....
and shore stations.
World War I
During 1917–1918 she made four round trips across the Atlantic as a unit of the Naval Overseas Transportation Service. On 1 July 1918, while at New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, she was assigned to the Train, Atlantic Fleet, and operated between New York, York River
York River (Virginia)
The York River is a navigable estuary, approximately long, in eastern Virginia in the United States. It ranges in width from at its head to near its mouth on the west side of Chesapeake Bay. Its watershed drains an area including portions of 17 counties of the coastal plain of Virginia north...
, and the Chesapeake
Chesapeake 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...
.
Interwar period
In 1922 she sailed for Europe and duty with the U. S. Naval Detachment in TurkishTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Waters. Remaining a year in that area, she then joined Train, Squadron 1, Base Force, U. S. Fleet, in servicing and provisioning the Fleet from bases on both the east and west coasts of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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...
, and Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
. In 1937–1938 Bridge spent six months on temporary duty with the Asiatic Fleet. In 1940–1941 she made 11 voyages between California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
bases 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...
; the tenth trip also included the outlying bases of Midway Island, 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...
and Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
.
World War II
With the entry of the United States into 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...
Bridge expanded her Pacific voyages to include the Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, and 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...
Islands. Between 10 August and 20 October 1942 she shuttled cargo between San Francisco and 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...
and then returned to the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. Between October 1942 and April 1943 she carried cargo to the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Tonga, Loyalty Islands
Loyalty Islands
The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. They are part of the French territory of New Caledonia, whose mainland is away. They form the Loyalty Islands Province , one of the three provinces of New Caledonia...
, and Samoan Islands
Samoan Islands
The Samoan Islands or Samoa Islands is an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and the wider region of Oceania...
. From 2 April until 3 July 1943 she ferried supplies between 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, and Auckland, New Zealand. In July she steamed to San Francisco and thence to Alaska where she operated until October. She returned to Pearl Harbor 3 November and operated between the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an and Ellice Islands until April 1944. Between 19 April 1944 and 27 April 1945 Bridge operated exclusively between Pearl Harbor and the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. During 9-22 May and 11 July-13 August 1945 she landed supplies at Okinawa, returning to Pearl Harbor each time.
On 10 October 1945 Bridge departed Pearl Harbor and steamed to 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...
, via Okinawa, for occupation duty. While operating off Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, 1 November, she struck a mine and suffered considerable damage but no personnel casualties. Towed to Japan 21 November by , she underwent repairs at 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...
until January 1946. Bridge remained on occupation duty until June 1946. She was decommissioned at Sasebo 27 June 1946; turned over to the Foreign Liquidation Commission for disposal; and sold at Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippine Islands, 22 December 1947.
Bridge received one battle star for her World War II service.