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USS Lassen (AE-3)
Encyclopedia
USS Lassen (AE-3) ex-SS Shooting Star, was an ammunition cargo ship of the U.S. Navy during World War II
. Like many Naval ships of this category that carried large amounts of explosive cargo, she was named for a volcano (or a volcanic island). In this case, the ships was named for Lassen Peak
, a volcano in northern California
that erupted heavily in 1914-17.
, under a Maritime Commission contract, as the SS Shooting Star. She was launched on 10 January 1940, christened by Mrs. Fred C. Cone. The ship was acquired by the Navy on 15 November 1940, and commissioned four days later for transfer to a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama
, for conversion to a Naval ammunition ship, with Lt. Cmdr. A. B. Kerr in command. She was re-commissioned in her modified form on 27 March 1941, with Commander Russell S. Berkey
of the U.S. Navy in command.
, Hawaii
, and then returned to the Atlantic Coast. On 22 November 1941, she departed from Norfolk, Virginia
, en route to San Francisco, her homeport, and War broke out during this voyage.
After round-trip delivery voyages to the Samoa Islands, the Fiji Islands, and Pearl Harbor, the Lassen began duty as an advanced base supply ship. Departing from San Francisco on 26 August 1942, the Lassen replenished naval ships in New Caledonia
from 19 September to 17 January 1943. The Lassen arrived back at San Francisco on 23 January 1943 for repairs, the installation of radar equipment, and an upgrade in her air-defense armament.
On 18 May 1943, the Lassen arrived at Espiritu Santo
, in the New Hebrides
, to resume dispensing war ammunition to the Navy fleet in the South Pacific
. She also resupplied warships from to port of Efate
, New Hebrides, and Noumea
, New Caledonia, before returning to San Francisco on 24 November. An overhaul period in a drydock was but a prelude to a more extensive stay in the war zone supplying the American warships that were battling the Imperial Japanese Navy.
As a part of Vice-Admiral W. L. Calhoun’s 7th Force, Pacific Fleet, the USS Lassen arrived at Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands
on 2 February 1944. She replenished ships both in the Marshall Islands and at Manus Island
in the Admiralty Islands
. As part of the supply train of the fleet at Kossol Passage, Palau Islands, from 25 September to 2 October and at Ulithi Atoll from 4 October to 18 November 1944, she earned her first battle star. During the latter period, the USS Lassen rode out a severe typhoon, and she also battled against her first enemy air attack.
Upon returning to the western Caroline Islands
on 23 February 1945, the Lassen, along with her sister ammunition ships, worked out techniques for transferring large quantities of ammunition to warships while underway at sea. The Lassen exhibited this new ability and mobility by accompanying aircraft carrier
Task Group 50.8 in raids from 13 March to 14 June 1945, while supporting the conquest of Okinawa
campaign. The Lassen's third battle star was earned while accompanying carrier Task Group 30.8 from 8 July to 6 August off the coasts of Japan itself.
, Leyte. On the 25th of October, she departed the former war zone at last for the United States, via Eniwetok Atoll, where she embarked 112 passengers, for their transportation to the West Coast
.
There was little need for ammunition ships like the USS Lassen during the period of huge peacetime demobilization of the Navy fleet that followed World War II
. The Lassen was noted for carrying out her dangerous ammunition delivery and handling duties without any serious incidents during the War in the Pacific
. She was held in port first at Port Discovery, Washington
, from 20 November 1945 to 2 March 1946, and then she proceeded down the West Coast in stages, arriving at San Diego on 27 March 1946. The USS Lassen was decommissioned on 15 January 1947 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She remained a part of this reserved fleet until she was struck from the Navy list on 1 July 1961 for disposal.
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...
. Like many Naval ships of this category that carried large amounts of explosive cargo, she was named for a volcano (or a volcanic island). In this case, the ships was named for Lassen Peak
Lassen Peak
Lassen Peak is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range. It is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc which is an arc that stretches from northern California to southwestern British Columbia...
, a volcano in northern 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...
that erupted heavily in 1914-17.
Construction and commission
USS Lassen was built by the Tampa Shipbuilding Company in Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, under a Maritime Commission contract, as the SS Shooting Star. She was launched on 10 January 1940, christened by Mrs. Fred C. Cone. The ship was acquired by the Navy on 15 November 1940, and commissioned four days later for transfer to a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, for conversion to a Naval ammunition ship, with Lt. Cmdr. A. B. Kerr in command. She was re-commissioned in her modified form on 27 March 1941, with Commander Russell S. Berkey
Russell S. Berkey
Russell Stanley Berkey was an Admiral in the United States Navy during World War II.Admiral Berkey was a native of Indiana and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1916. Following graduation he served on board the battleship...
of the U.S. Navy in command.
World War II
In the months previous to the outbreak of World War II for the United States, the USS Lassen made ammunition deliveries along both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts of the U.S., and in July 1941, she steamed to Pearl HarborPearl 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...
, 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...
, and then returned to the Atlantic Coast. On 22 November 1941, she departed from 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....
, en route to San Francisco, her homeport, and War broke out during this voyage.
After round-trip delivery voyages to the Samoa Islands, the Fiji Islands, and Pearl Harbor, the Lassen began duty as an advanced base supply ship. Departing from San Francisco on 26 August 1942, the Lassen replenished naval ships in 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...
from 19 September to 17 January 1943. The Lassen arrived back at San Francisco on 23 January 1943 for repairs, the installation of radar equipment, and an upgrade in her air-defense armament.
On 18 May 1943, the Lassen arrived at 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....
, in the 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...
, to resume dispensing war ammunition to the Navy fleet in the South Pacific
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. She also resupplied warships from to port of Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
, New Hebrides, and Noumea
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, before returning to San Francisco on 24 November. An overhaul period in a drydock was but a prelude to a more extensive stay in the war zone supplying the American warships that were battling the Imperial Japanese Navy.
As a part of Vice-Admiral W. L. Calhoun’s 7th Force, Pacific Fleet, the USS Lassen arrived at Majuro Atoll in 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...
on 2 February 1944. She replenished ships both in the Marshall Islands and at Manus Island
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...
in the 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...
. As part of the supply train of the fleet at Kossol Passage, Palau Islands, from 25 September to 2 October and at Ulithi Atoll from 4 October to 18 November 1944, she earned her first battle star. During the latter period, the USS Lassen rode out a severe typhoon, and she also battled against her first enemy air attack.
Upon returning to the western 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...
on 23 February 1945, the Lassen, along with her sister ammunition ships, worked out techniques for transferring large quantities of ammunition to warships while underway at sea. The Lassen exhibited this new ability and mobility by accompanying aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
Task Group 50.8 in raids from 13 March to 14 June 1945, while supporting the conquest of Okinawa
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...
campaign. The Lassen's third battle star was earned while accompanying carrier Task Group 30.8 from 8 July to 6 August off the coasts of Japan itself.
Post-war
The end of the war at V-J Day found the Lassen operating out of San Pedro BaySan 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...
, Leyte. On the 25th of October, she departed the former war zone at last for the United States, via Eniwetok Atoll, where she embarked 112 passengers, for their transportation to the West Coast
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...
.
There was little need for ammunition ships like the USS Lassen during the period of huge peacetime demobilization of the Navy fleet that followed 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...
. The Lassen was noted for carrying out her dangerous ammunition delivery and handling duties without any serious incidents during the War in the Pacific
War In The Pacific
War in the Pacific is a 2004 two-player turn-based computer war game published by Matrix games. It is a very large, complex, and detailed simulation of the Pacific Theatre of World War II, at both the operational and strategic level....
. She was held in port first at Port Discovery, Washington
Port Discovery, Washington
Port Discovery, Washington is the historical name of what is now called Discovery Bay, a bay in the U.S. state of Washington on the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. It was also called Port Discovery Bay for some time, a name that can be found on maps from...
, from 20 November 1945 to 2 March 1946, and then she proceeded down the West Coast in stages, arriving at San Diego on 27 March 1946. The USS Lassen was decommissioned on 15 January 1947 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She remained a part of this reserved fleet until she was struck from the Navy list on 1 July 1961 for disposal.