.gif)
USS Paricutin (AE-18)
Encyclopedia
USS Paricutin (AE-18) was laid down under Maritime Commission Contract, 7 December 1944 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Company
, Wilmington, N.C. as MC hull 1708; launched 30 January 1945; sponsored by Senora Arias De Garcia Jurado, Mexican Embassy, Washington, D.C.
; acquired and commissioned 3 March 1945.
After shakedown she joined the Pacific Fleet and was engaged in the transfer of excess ammunition from the forward areas in the Pacific to Bangor, Washington, and Port Chicago, California
until 20 November 1947 when she was ordered to Mare Island Naval Shipyard
for inactivation. On 30 April 1948, Paricutin was placed out of commission in reserve and berthed with the San Francisco Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Reactivated 24 June 1950, due to the Korean War
, Paricutin recommissioned 28 July 1950 and was assigned to Service Squadron 1. She sailed for the Far East 8 October and arrived Japan
24 October. Operating out of Sasebo she rearmed the carrier task forces off both coasts of Korea
, surface bombardment and blockading forces, and shore based Marine air groups. Paricutin spent 18 months servicing combat units before returning to the States in March 1952. On 31 July she sailed again for operations off Korea, this time spending nearly seven months on the line rearming warships. She returned to San Francisco 19 March 1953 and was stateside when the s:Korean Armistice Agreement was announced in July.
August 1953 saw the beginning of a series of peacetime annual WestPac deployments for Paricutin, as she sailed from San Francisco, bound for Sasebo, Japan, on the 7th. These normally consisted of six or seven months of operations and training with 7th Fleet units with port calls at Hong Kong
, Japan, Korea, the Philippines
, Taiwan
, Guam
and other Pacific islands. Paricutin continued these deployments into the mid-1960’s when she was directed to support American operations in Vietnam
. She has since supplied 7th Fleet units with ammunition on a rotational basis with her sister ships during WestPac deployments, while fulfilling her commitments at home, in coastal operations, assigned by Pacific Service Force Commands.
Into 1970, Paricutin continued a vital service to the U.S. Navy.
The ship was struck from the Navy List on 1 June 1973 and then transferred to MARAD for disposal.
North Carolina Shipbuilding Company
North Carolina Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard in Wilmington, North Carolina, created as part of the U.S. Government's Emergency Shipbuilding Program in the early days of World War II. From 1941 through 1946, the company built 243 ships in all, beginning with the Liberty ship SS Zebulon B....
, Wilmington, N.C. as MC hull 1708; launched 30 January 1945; sponsored by Senora Arias De Garcia Jurado, Mexican Embassy, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; acquired and commissioned 3 March 1945.
After shakedown she joined the Pacific Fleet and was engaged in the transfer of excess ammunition from the forward areas in the Pacific to Bangor, Washington, and Port Chicago, California
Port Chicago, California
Port Chicago was a town on the southern banks of Suisun Bay, in Contra Costa County, California. It was located east-northeast of Martinez, at an elevation of 13 feet...
until 20 November 1947 when she was ordered to Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
for inactivation. On 30 April 1948, Paricutin was placed out of commission in reserve and berthed with the San Francisco Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Reactivated 24 June 1950, due to the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Paricutin recommissioned 28 July 1950 and was assigned to Service Squadron 1. She sailed for the Far East 8 October and arrived 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...
24 October. Operating out of Sasebo she rearmed the carrier task forces off both coasts of 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...
, surface bombardment and blockading forces, and shore based Marine air groups. Paricutin spent 18 months servicing combat units before returning to the States in March 1952. On 31 July she sailed again for operations off Korea, this time spending nearly seven months on the line rearming warships. She returned to San Francisco 19 March 1953 and was stateside when the s:Korean Armistice Agreement was announced in July.
August 1953 saw the beginning of a series of peacetime annual WestPac deployments for Paricutin, as she sailed from San Francisco, bound for Sasebo, Japan, on the 7th. These normally consisted of six or seven months of operations and training with 7th Fleet units with port calls at Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Japan, Korea, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, 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 other Pacific islands. Paricutin continued these deployments into the mid-1960’s when she was directed to support American operations in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. She has since supplied 7th Fleet units with ammunition on a rotational basis with her sister ships during WestPac deployments, while fulfilling her commitments at home, in coastal operations, assigned by Pacific Service Force Commands.
Into 1970, Paricutin continued a vital service to the U.S. Navy.
The ship was struck from the Navy List on 1 June 1973 and then transferred to MARAD for disposal.
External links
- Paricutin Website
- AE Sailors Association
- AE-18 Internet Links
- Photo gallery at navsource.org