USS Situla (AK-140) was a Crater-class

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...

 in the service 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...

 in 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...

. It was the only ship of the Navy to have borne this name. It is named after the star Situla

Kappa Aquarii

Kappa Aquarii is a double star in the constellation Aquarius. It has the traditional name Situla, a Latin word meaning "bucket" or "water jar"....

.

Situla (AK-140), 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 John Whiteaker

John Whiteaker

John Whiteaker was an American politician, soldier, and judge primarily in Oregon. A native of Indiana, he joined the Army during the Mexican-American War and then prospected during the California Gold Rush. After moving to the Oregon Territory he served as a judge and member of the legislature...

(MC hull 1590), was laid down on 9 January 1943 by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation

Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation

Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation was a World War II emergency shipyard located in Portland, Oregon, United States, that built over 1000 Liberty and Victory ships between 1941 and 1945. It was closed after the war ended....

, Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

; launched on 7 February 1943; sponsored by Miss Anne Whiteaker; and commissioned on 14 January 1944, Lt. Comdr. Dewey F. Anderegg, USNR, in command.

Situla was accepted from the War Shipping Administration on a bare-boat basis on 2 December 1943; converted to a cargo ship at the San Francisco Navy Yard; fitted out at San Pedro, California; held her shakedown cruise from San Diego

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

 on 31 January 1944; and then returned to San Diego on 11 February for further routing. On 17 February, she sailed for Kahului, Hawaii; discharged her cargo; and moved over 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...

 on 29 February.

The cargo ship sailed for 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 21 March and operated from Majuro until 11 May. She returned to Pearl Harbor from 22 May to 19 June and then sailed for Eniwetok, via Kwajalein

Kwajalein

Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...

, to deliver cargo. From 26 September to 21 November, Situla plied between Eniwetok, Kwajalein, 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...

, and 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...

. Following yard availability at Pearl Harbor from 21 November to 10 December 1944, the AK returned to her island resupply duty until sailing for Portland, Oregon, on 5 April 1945 for drydocking and overhaul.

On 30 May, Situla stood out of Portland with a load of army cargo for Guam. She was diverted to Saipan and loaded Army Air Force belly tanks destined for Ie Shima, Okinawa Gunto. The ship arrived at Ie Shima on 10 August and was anchored there when the war ended. She remained there until 7 October when she sailed for Yokohama

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

, 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...

, arriving on 12 October. On the 30 October, Situla sailed for San Francisco

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...

, via Saipan, with all available passenger space filled by Army and Navy discharges.

Situla remained on the west coast from 29 November 1945 until 23 April 1946 when she was ordered back to Pearl Harbor for photographic services and layup. She was decommissioned at the Naval Shipyard there on 23 April 1946. The cargo ship returned to San Francisco on 28 November 1947 for disposal. She was stripped and turned over to the Maritime Commission at Suisun Bay

Suisun Bay

Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary at in northern California, USA. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta...

 on 30 December 1947. Situla was struck from the Navy list on 22 January 1948.

Her crew members were eligible for the following medals:

• American Campaign Medal
  American Campaign Medal
  The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
  
  
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
  Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
  The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
  
  
• World War II Victory Medal
  World War II Victory Medal
  The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II and is awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of...