USS Triangulum (AK-102)
Encyclopedia
USS Triangulum (AK-102) was an Crater-class
cargo ship
commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II
. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
Triangulum (AK-102) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 1669) on 14 May 1943 as SS Eugene B. Daskam at Wilmington, California, by the California Shipbuilding Corp.; renamed Triangulum on 27 May 1943; launched on 6 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. D. H. Mann; acquired by the Navy on 19 June 1943 from the War Shipping Administration
on a "bareboat" basis; converted to Navy use at the Destroyer Base, San Diego, California
; and commissioned on 30 July 1943, Comdr. Eugene J. Kingsland, USNR, in command.
, and stood out to sea with a convoy on 28 August, bound for the New Hebrides
. She arrived at Espiritu Santo
on 2 October and, for the next five months, shuttled troops and cargo between ports in Australia
and New Guinea
.
of U.S. Army combat engineers at Lae
and sortied on 14 April 1944 with Task Group
(TG) 77.1, the Western Attack Group, for the invasion of Hollandia
. On the morning of 22 April, she began landing her 700 troops on the beaches of Humboldt Bay. The ship completed discharging cargo by 1800 the next day and departed in a convoy
bound, via Buna
, for Milne Bay
. She then resumed her supply runs between Australia
and New Guinea
.
and got underway for Hollandia
on 7 November to rendezvous with a convoy proceeding to the Philippines
. She arrived at Leyte Gulf
on the 19th and began discharging supplies.
planes frequently attacked Allied shipping; and, during a raid on Thanksgiving Day, four of her men were wounded by friendly antiaircraft fire.
and, after calling at Hollandia
, arrived at Brisbane, Australia, on 17 December 1944. Triangulum shuttled supplies from Australia to South Pacific bases, mostly in New Guinea, for the next year. The supply runs were broken by three voyages to the Philippines
: in January, May, and August 1945. On 8 November, she stood out of Leyte
to load cargo at Hollandia
, Biak
, Milne Bay
, and Manus to be transported to the United States
.
, where she was stripped for inactivation and ordered to join the Reserve Fleet
in Hawaii
. Triangulum arrived at Pearl Harbor
on 23 February 1946 and was decommissioned there on 15 April. In May 1947, she was towed back to San Francisco and returned to the Maritime Commission on 2 July. Triangulum was struck from the Navy list
on 17 July 1947. Her final fate is unknown.
service. Her crew was eligible for the following medals:
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...
commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service 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...
. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
Triangulum (AK-102) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 1669) on 14 May 1943 as SS Eugene B. Daskam at Wilmington, California, by the California Shipbuilding Corp.; renamed Triangulum on 27 May 1943; launched on 6 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. D. H. Mann; acquired by the Navy on 19 June 1943 from the War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
on a "bareboat" basis; converted to Navy use at the Destroyer Base, San Diego, California
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...
; and commissioned on 30 July 1943, Comdr. Eugene J. Kingsland, USNR, in command.
World War II Pacific Theatre operations
Assigned to the Naval Transportation Service, the auxiliary cargo ship moved up the coast to load cargo at San Francisco, CaliforniaSan 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...
, and stood out to sea with a convoy on 28 August, bound for 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...
. 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....
on 2 October and, for the next five months, shuttled troops and cargo between ports in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
.
Landing troops at Humboldt Bay
Triangulum embarked part of a battalionBattalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of U.S. Army combat engineers at Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
and sortied on 14 April 1944 with Task Group
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
(TG) 77.1, the Western Attack Group, for the invasion of Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
. On the morning of 22 April, she began landing her 700 troops on the beaches of Humboldt Bay. The ship completed discharging cargo by 1800 the next day and departed in a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
bound, via Buna
Buna, Papua New Guinea
Buna is a village in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. It was the site in part, of the Battle of Buna-Gona during World War II, when it constituted a variety of native huts and a handful of houses with a airstrip...
, for Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
. She then resumed her supply runs between Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
.
Supplying the troops during the Philippine invasion
The ship loaded combat cargo at ManusManus 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...
and got underway for Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
on 7 November to rendezvous with a convoy proceeding to 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...
. She arrived at 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...
on the 19th and began discharging supplies.
Crew members wounded by friendly fire
During her visit there, JapaneseEmpire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
planes frequently attacked Allied shipping; and, during a raid on Thanksgiving Day, four of her men were wounded by friendly antiaircraft fire.
End-of-war activity
On 4 December, she departed the area for AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and, after calling at Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, arrived at Brisbane, Australia, on 17 December 1944. Triangulum shuttled supplies from Australia to South Pacific bases, mostly in New Guinea, for the next year. The supply runs were broken by three voyages to 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...
: in January, May, and August 1945. On 8 November, she stood out of Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
to load cargo at Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, Biak
Biak
Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
, Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
, and Manus to be transported to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Post-war decommissioning
On the last day of 1945, the ship arrived at San Francisco, CaliforniaSan 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...
, where she was stripped for inactivation and ordered to join the Reserve Fleet
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
in 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...
. Triangulum arrived at 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 23 February 1946 and was decommissioned there on 15 April. In May 1947, she was towed back to San Francisco and returned to the Maritime Commission on 2 July. Triangulum was struck from the Navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 17 July 1947. Her final fate is unknown.
Military awards and honors
Triangulum received two battle stars for World War IIWorld 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. Her crew was eligible for the following medals:
- Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive)
- American Campaign Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2)
- World War II Victory Medal
- Philippines Liberation Medal