.gif)
USS Hyperion (AK-107)
Encyclopedia
USS Hyperion (AK-107), a Crater-class
cargo ship
, is the only ship of the United States Navy
to have this name.
Hyperion, formerly Liberty ship
SS Christopher C. Andrews, was launched 24 June 1943 by Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, California; sponsored by Mrs. Percy Lindt; acquired by the Navy from WSA 10 July 1943; and commissioned 25 August 1943 at San Diego, Lt. Comdr. C. C. Newman in command.
With gasoline barge YOG-85 in tow, Hyperion sailed for the Pacific 18 September on what was to be a memorable voyage. During the 42-day trip, the tow was lost twice; lightning struck the mainmast; a crewman was lost in high seas; and emergency flares were spotted but nothing was found. Hyperion finally reached Espiritu Santo
, New Hebrides
on 30 October 1943. The following half year saw the cargo ship shuttling among the Solomon Islands
bringing valuable supplies — gasoline, diesel oil, rolling stock, foodstuffs — to the staging area for some of the Pacific's most hard-fought campaigns.
On 5 April 1944 Hyperion steamed from the Solomons with 45 passengers in addition to her usual cargo of oil and supplies. Arriving 10 April at Emirau Island
in the Bismarcks, occupied only three weeks earlier
, Hyperion discharged cargo by day and steamed out to safety at night. She then returned to her valuable work in the staging areas, operating between New Caledonia
, Guadalcanal
, New Zealand
, and the Bismarcks.
In the fall of 1944, as the war advanced steadily across the Pacific and culminated in the climactic Battle of Leyte Gulf
, one of the greatest naval engagements of all time, Hyperion had her first taste of battle. Departing Espiritu Santo 22 September, Hyperion picked up stores at Tulagi
and joined TG 78.8's reinforcement group which supported Admiral Daniel Barbey's Northern Attack Force TF 78. She sailed into Leyte Gulf
in a 33-ship convoy 29 October, only three days after the conclusion of that great battle. During the next fortnight, Hyperion went to general quarters 87 times, fought off 37 Japanese air attacks, and splashed 2 enemy planes.
Another tour of duty shuttling cargo in the staging area between New Zealand and New Caledonia ended in late April 1945 as Hyperion loaded 6,500 tons of Army
engineering equipment at Nouméa
and steamed for Okinawa, still the scene of bloody fighting
. During the 18 days it took her to discharge cargo at Okinawa beginning 8 May, Hyperion witnessed naval bombardments of the Japanese positions on the island, the battles of Naha and Shuri, and countless kamikaze
attacks — she was anchored less than 500 yards from when two suicide planes damaged the battleship 12 May.
As the war drew to a close, Hyperion sailed for San Francisco, California
on 4 August 1945 ending two years of continuous service in the Pacific. The cargo ship had steamed some 75225 nautical miles (139,316.7 km), carried 150,000 tons of cargo, transported over 1,000 passengers, made 62 voyages to 29 islands and 37 ports, and had fought at Leyte and Okinawa, Hyperion had crossed the equator
six times and the international date line
four times.
After minor repairs at San Francisco, which she reached 24 August, Hyperion sailed for the East Coast via the Panama Canal
. Reaching Norfolk, Virginia
on 24 October 1945, she decommissioned 16 November and was returned to WSA the following day. Hyperion was placed in the Maritime Commission National Defense Reserve Fleet, and was berthed in the James River
until she was scrapped in 1961.
Hyperion received three battle stars for World War II
service.
Crater class cargo ship
Crater-class cargo ship is a category of freighter that was constructed for use by the United States Navy during World War II under Maritime Commission EC2-S-C1 type....
cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
, is the only ship of 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...
to have this name.
Hyperion, formerly Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
SS Christopher C. Andrews, was launched 24 June 1943 by Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, California; sponsored by Mrs. Percy Lindt; acquired by the Navy from WSA 10 July 1943; and commissioned 25 August 1943 at San Diego, Lt. Comdr. C. C. Newman in command.
With gasoline barge YOG-85 in tow, Hyperion sailed for the Pacific 18 September on what was to be a memorable voyage. During the 42-day trip, the tow was lost twice; lightning struck the mainmast; a crewman was lost in high seas; and emergency flares were spotted but nothing was found. Hyperion finally reached 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....
, New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
on 30 October 1943. The following half year saw the cargo ship shuttling among the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
bringing valuable supplies — gasoline, diesel oil, rolling stock, foodstuffs — to the staging area for some of the Pacific's most hard-fought campaigns.
On 5 April 1944 Hyperion steamed from the Solomons with 45 passengers in addition to her usual cargo of oil and supplies. Arriving 10 April at Emirau Island
Emirau Island
Emirau Island, also called Emira, is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago located at . It is currently part of the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea. The local language is a dialect of the Mussau-Emira language...
in the Bismarcks, occupied only three weeks earlier
Landing on Emirau
The Landing on Emirau was the last of the series of operations that made up Operation Cartwheel, General Douglas MacArthur's strategy for the encirclement of the major Japanese base at Rabaul. A force of nearly 4,000 United States Marines landed on the island of Emirau on 20 March 1944. The island...
, Hyperion discharged cargo by day and steamed out to safety at night. She then returned to her valuable work in the staging areas, operating between 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, and the Bismarcks.
In the fall of 1944, as the war advanced steadily across the Pacific and culminated in the climactic Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
, one of the greatest naval engagements of all time, Hyperion had her first taste of battle. Departing Espiritu Santo 22 September, Hyperion picked up stores at Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
and joined TG 78.8's reinforcement group which supported Admiral Daniel Barbey's Northern Attack Force TF 78. She sailed into Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
in a 33-ship convoy 29 October, only three days after the conclusion of that great battle. During the next fortnight, Hyperion went to general quarters 87 times, fought off 37 Japanese air attacks, and splashed 2 enemy planes.
Another tour of duty shuttling cargo in the staging area between New Zealand and New Caledonia ended in late April 1945 as Hyperion loaded 6,500 tons of Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
engineering equipment at 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,...
and steamed for Okinawa, still the scene of bloody fighting
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
. During the 18 days it took her to discharge cargo at Okinawa beginning 8 May, Hyperion witnessed naval bombardments of the Japanese positions on the island, the battles of Naha and Shuri, and countless kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attacks — she was anchored less than 500 yards from when two suicide planes damaged the battleship 12 May.
As the war drew to a close, Hyperion sailed for San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on 4 August 1945 ending two years of continuous service in the Pacific. The cargo ship had steamed some 75225 nautical miles (139,316.7 km), carried 150,000 tons of cargo, transported over 1,000 passengers, made 62 voyages to 29 islands and 37 ports, and had fought at Leyte and Okinawa, Hyperion had crossed the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
six times and the international date line
International Date Line
The International Date Line is a generally north-south imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, passing through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that designates the place where each calendar day begins...
four times.
After minor repairs at San Francisco, which she reached 24 August, Hyperion sailed for the East Coast via 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...
. Reaching Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
on 24 October 1945, she decommissioned 16 November and was returned to WSA the following day. Hyperion was placed in the Maritime Commission National Defense Reserve Fleet, and was berthed in the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
until she was scrapped in 1961.
Hyperion received three battle stars for 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.