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USS Rainier (AE-5)
Encyclopedia
USS Rainier (AE-5), the second US Navy vessel named after Mount Rainier
, was laid down on 14 May 1940 by the Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa, Fla., as Rainbow (MC hull 124); launched 1 March 1941; sponsored by Mrs. Robert E. Anderson; transferred to the US Navy on 16 April 1941; converted for use as an ammunition auxiliary; and commissioned as Rainier (AE-5) on 21 December 1941 at Norfolk, Va., Capt. William W. Meek in command.
n waters, Rainier transited the Panama Canal
and reported to Commander, Service Force, Pacific Fleet. Between February and May 1942, she made two ammunition runs from Port Chicago, Calif., to Pearl Harbor
, whence, on 10 May, she steamed for Tongatapu
. There, through the battles of the Coral Sea
and Midway
, she offloaded her cargo for transfer to shore depots and issued ammunition to Allied ships, particularly task forces 18, 15, and 16.
At the end of July, she shifted to the Fiji
s to supply ships preparing for Operation Watchtower, the assault on the Solomon
s. Then, on 5 August, she continued on to Noumea
, New Caledonia
, where she remained through the initial phases of the Guadalcanal
campaign.
On 24 September, Rainier moved southeast to Auckland
and on the 27 September headed back to the United States
. For the remainder of the year and into 1943, she made ammunition and general cargo runs between the west coast and Hawaii
. At the end of February, she sailed once more for the South Pacific.
She arrived at Espiritu Santo
in the New Hebrides
on 17 March and remained until 5 May. She then shifted to Efate
where she offloaded her remaining torpedoes and ammunition; took on empty shell cases and damaged ammunition; and on the 14th got underway to return to San Francisco and another 5 months of west coast-Hawaii shuttle operations.
On 25 October, she headed back to Efate. Arriving on 11 November, just prior to the Gilbert Islands
campaign, she discharged general and ammunition cargo in Havannah Harbor into December. On the 21st, she shifted to Espiritu Santo; thence proceeded to Funafuti
in the Ellice
group. There, she issued ammunition to ships of the fast carrier forces, to the defense forces of the occupied areas, and to the forces preparing for the Marshall
s offensive.
On 31 January 1944, Majuro
was occupied and work was begun to turn the atoll into a major advance base. Rainier arrived in the lagoon three day later. In mid-April, she returned to San Francisco. At the end of May, she was back at Majuro to rearm the fast carrier forces prior to strikes supporting the initial assault on Saipan
. On 11 June, as the assault force moved toward Saipan, Rainier shifted to Eniwetok, whence, in mid-July, she steamed to Saipan. On 30 July, she sailed east again; completed an abbreviated overhaul at San Francisco; filled her holds at Port Chicago; and returned to Eniwetok on 31 October.
The Philippine
campaign had started and the fast carrier forces were striking at Japanese positions and shipping from Indochina
to the Ryukyus. Rainier moved west, to the western Carolines. On 5 November, she arrived at Ulithi
, where she remained until after Okinawa operations were well underway. On 25 May 1945, the ammunition ship headed for the Philippines
, where she served the Allies from the 28th until after the signing of the surrender documents.
Assigned to support occupation forces, Rainier steamed for Okinawa in mid-September. On 6 December, she sailed for the United States, arriving at Port Angeles
, on the 23 December. With the new year, 1946, she began preparations for inactivation. In the spring she shifted to San Diego; decommissioned there on 30 August, and was berthed with the Pacific Reserve Fleet through the end of the decade.
). United States and other United Nations forces deployed to bolster South Korean forces attempting to slow the advance of the Communists. Supplies, however, were inadequate. Munitions depots in the Far East and in Micronesia
were limited in quantity and type. USS Mount Katmai (AE-16)
was the only ammunition ship active in the Pacific.
Ammunition facilities on the west coast were expanded. As the Military Sea Transportation Service and the Maritime Administration were pressed for cargo space, reserve fleet ships were ordered activated.
Rainier recommissioned 25 May 1951, but remained in the eastern Pacific for 6 months. On 3 November, she sailed west.
Through December of that year and into the summer of 1952, she operated out of Sasebo, carrying her vital cargo to replenishment areas off the coast of the embattled Korean peninsula and to shore facilities at Pohang
and Pusan. In September, she returned to California
for overhaul, but was back in Korean waters to resupply United Nations
naval forces in early February 1953.
The end of July 1953 brought an uneasy truce, and in August Rainier headed back to the United States. In November, however, she returned to the Far East on her first, peacetime, 6-month WestPac deployment. Through 1955, her annual deployments included shuttle runs between Japanese ports and 7th Fleet replenishment areas in waters off Japan
and Korea. In 1956, her operating schedule was expanded and into the 1960s included operations in the Philippine area out of Subic Bay
.
expanded, Subic Bay became the focal point of Rainier’s 7th Fleet support activities. There when the Tonkin Gulf crisis occurred, 4-5 August, she put to sea immediately and steamed to the gulf to rearm carriers conducting strikes on North Vietnamese bases.
For the next months, Rainier operated between Subic Bay and replenishment areas off Vietnam. In late October, she sailed for Japan and in December, she arrived back at her homeport, Concord, California
In the late spring of 1965, she resumed 7th Fleet operations and by January 1966, had transferred at sea almost 12,000 tons of ammunition, 83 tons of freight, and 11,500 pounds of mail. In February, she returned to Concord. In April, she moved to San Francisco for overhaul and, in August, began refresher training with new equipment aboard which increased her underway replenishment capabilities.
In February 1967, Rainier resumed her annual deployments to provide underway logistic support to the 7th Fleet. By 16 September, the date of her last at-sea munitions transfer on that tour, she had transferred 13,000 tons during 204 underway replenishments.
Departing Subic Bay on 25 September for her homeport, Rainier touched at Yokosuka, and Pearl Harbor
before arriving at Concord on 25 October. Throughout the remainder of 1967 and the first half of 1968, Rainier conducted independent underway replenishment exercises and participated in fleet exercises along the southern California coast.
On 29 June, she departed Concord for the western Pacific, arriving at Subic Bay on 21 July. Following a week in port, Rainier got underway for her first replenishment cycle. It was during this first cycle that she was awarded the Battle Efficiency "E" for fiscal year 1968. On 21 November, during her sixth line cycle, Rainier established her best underway replenishment record by transferring 826 tons to USS Camden (AOE-2)
in a 5-hour period.
By the end of the year the converted World War II C-2 cargo ship had transferred more than 11,000 tons in support of carriers, their escorts, and SAR
vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin
and to gunfire support and coastal surveillance units operating along South Vietnam's coast.
Rainier returned to Concord in February 1969 and following 6 months of operations along the west coast, once again deployed for the western Pacific. Upon completion of her last tour off Vietnam in January 1970, Rainier sailed for home and preparation for inactivation. She was decommissioned and struck from the Navy list on 7 August 1970.
Rainier (AE-5) earned four battle stars during the Korean War and eight off Vietnam.
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...
, was laid down on 14 May 1940 by the Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa, Fla., as Rainbow (MC hull 124); launched 1 March 1941; sponsored by Mrs. Robert E. Anderson; transferred to the US Navy on 16 April 1941; converted for use as an ammunition auxiliary; and commissioned as Rainier (AE-5) on 21 December 1941 at Norfolk, Va., Capt. William W. Meek in command.
World War II
After a 6-week shakedown in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n waters, Rainier 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...
and reported to Commander, Service Force, Pacific Fleet. Between February and May 1942, she made two ammunition runs from Port Chicago, Calif., to 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...
, whence, on 10 May, she steamed for Tongatapu
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
. There, through the battles of the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
and Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
, she offloaded her cargo for transfer to shore depots and issued ammunition to Allied ships, particularly task forces 18, 15, and 16.
At the end of July, she shifted to 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...
s to supply ships preparing for Operation Watchtower, the assault on the Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
s. Then, on 5 August, she continued on to 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
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...
, where she remained through the initial phases of the 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...
campaign.
On 24 September, Rainier moved southeast 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...
and on the 27 September headed back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. For the remainder of the year and into 1943, she made ammunition and general cargo runs between the west coast and 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...
. At the end of February, she sailed once more for the South Pacific.
She 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...
on 17 March and remained until 5 May. She then shifted to 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...
where she offloaded her remaining torpedoes and ammunition; took on empty shell cases and damaged ammunition; and on the 14th got underway to return to San Francisco and another 5 months of west coast-Hawaii shuttle operations.
On 25 October, she headed back to Efate. Arriving on 11 November, just prior to the 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...
campaign, she discharged general and ammunition cargo in Havannah Harbor into December. On the 21st, she shifted to Espiritu Santo; thence proceeded to Funafuti
Funafuti
Funafuti is an atoll that forms the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 4,492 , making it the most populated atoll in the country. It is a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres wide, encircling a large lagoon 18 km long and 14 km wide, with a surface of...
in the Ellice
Ellice
Ellice is a former provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1979 and eliminated in 1989.The riding was located in west-central Winnipeg, in the area of the future Minto and St...
group. There, she issued ammunition to ships of the fast carrier forces, to the defense forces of the occupied areas, and to the forces preparing for the Marshall
George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense...
s offensive.
On 31 January 1944, Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
was occupied and work was begun to turn the atoll into a major advance base. Rainier arrived in the lagoon three day later. In mid-April, she returned to San Francisco. At the end of May, she was back at Majuro to rearm the fast carrier forces prior to strikes supporting the initial assault on Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
. On 11 June, as the assault force moved toward Saipan, Rainier shifted to Eniwetok, whence, in mid-July, she steamed to Saipan. On 30 July, she sailed east again; completed an abbreviated overhaul at San Francisco; filled her holds at Port Chicago; and returned to Eniwetok on 31 October.
The Philippine
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...
campaign had started and the fast carrier forces were striking at Japanese positions and shipping from Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
to the Ryukyus. Rainier moved west, to the western Carolines. On 5 November, she arrived at 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...
, where she remained until after Okinawa operations were well underway. On 25 May 1945, the ammunition ship headed for 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...
, where she served the Allies from the 28th until after the signing of the surrender documents.
Assigned to support occupation forces, Rainier steamed for Okinawa in mid-September. On 6 December, she sailed for the United States, arriving at Port Angeles
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
, on the 23 December. With the new year, 1946, she began preparations for inactivation. In the spring she shifted to San Diego; decommissioned there on 30 August, and was berthed with the Pacific Reserve Fleet through the end of the decade.
Korean War
In June 1950 the North Korean Army crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded the Republic of Korea (South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
). United States and other United Nations forces deployed to bolster South Korean forces attempting to slow the advance of the Communists. Supplies, however, were inadequate. Munitions depots in the Far East and in Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
were limited in quantity and type. USS Mount Katmai (AE-16)
USS Mount Katmai (AE-16)
USS Mount Katmai was a Mount Hood-class ammunition ship of the United States Navy, that saw service in the Korean War and the Vietnam War....
was the only ammunition ship active in the Pacific.
Ammunition facilities on the west coast were expanded. As the Military Sea Transportation Service and the Maritime Administration were pressed for cargo space, reserve fleet ships were ordered activated.
Rainier recommissioned 25 May 1951, but remained in the eastern Pacific for 6 months. On 3 November, she sailed west.
Through December of that year and into the summer of 1952, she operated out of Sasebo, carrying her vital cargo to replenishment areas off the coast of the embattled Korean peninsula and to shore facilities at Pohang
Pohang
Pohang is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River...
and Pusan. In September, she returned to 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...
for overhaul, but was back in Korean waters to resupply United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
naval forces in early February 1953.
The end of July 1953 brought an uneasy truce, and in August Rainier headed back to the United States. In November, however, she returned to the Far East on her first, peacetime, 6-month WestPac deployment. Through 1955, her annual deployments included shuttle runs between Japanese ports and 7th Fleet replenishment areas in waters off 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...
and Korea. In 1956, her operating schedule was expanded and into the 1960s included operations in the Philippine area out of Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
.
Vietnam War
In 1964, as the war in VietnamVietnam
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 –...
expanded, Subic Bay became the focal point of Rainier’s 7th Fleet support activities. There when the Tonkin Gulf crisis occurred, 4-5 August, she put to sea immediately and steamed to the gulf to rearm carriers conducting strikes on North Vietnamese bases.
For the next months, Rainier operated between Subic Bay and replenishment areas off Vietnam. In late October, she sailed for Japan and in December, she arrived back at her homeport, Concord, California
Concord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
In the late spring of 1965, she resumed 7th Fleet operations and by January 1966, had transferred at sea almost 12,000 tons of ammunition, 83 tons of freight, and 11,500 pounds of mail. In February, she returned to Concord. In April, she moved to San Francisco for overhaul and, in August, began refresher training with new equipment aboard which increased her underway replenishment capabilities.
In February 1967, Rainier resumed her annual deployments to provide underway logistic support to the 7th Fleet. By 16 September, the date of her last at-sea munitions transfer on that tour, she had transferred 13,000 tons during 204 underway replenishments.
Departing Subic Bay on 25 September for her homeport, Rainier touched at Yokosuka, 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...
before arriving at Concord on 25 October. Throughout the remainder of 1967 and the first half of 1968, Rainier conducted independent underway replenishment exercises and participated in fleet exercises along the southern California coast.
On 29 June, she departed Concord for the western Pacific, arriving at Subic Bay on 21 July. Following a week in port, Rainier got underway for her first replenishment cycle. It was during this first cycle that she was awarded the Battle Efficiency "E" for fiscal year 1968. On 21 November, during her sixth line cycle, Rainier established her best underway replenishment record by transferring 826 tons to USS Camden (AOE-2)
USS Camden (AOE-2)
The USS Camden is the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of Camden, New Jersey that lies on the Delaware River across from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
in a 5-hour period.
By the end of the year the converted World War II C-2 cargo ship had transferred more than 11,000 tons in support of carriers, their escorts, and SAR
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
and to gunfire support and coastal surveillance units operating along South Vietnam's coast.
Rainier returned to Concord in February 1969 and following 6 months of operations along the west coast, once again deployed for the western Pacific. Upon completion of her last tour off Vietnam in January 1970, Rainier sailed for home and preparation for inactivation. She was decommissioned and struck from the Navy list on 7 August 1970.
Rainier (AE-5) earned four battle stars during the Korean War and eight off Vietnam.
External links
- USS Rainier Reunion Association
- Deck Log: USS Denver (CL-58)USS Denver (CL-58)USS Denver was a Cleveland-class light cruiser. Denver launched on 4 April 1942 by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.; sponsored by Miss L. J. Stapleton, daughter of the Mayor of Denver; and commissioned on 15 October 1942, Captain Robert Carney in command...
(Condensed)