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USS Trinity (AO-13)
Encyclopedia
USS Trinity (AO-13) was laid down on 10 November 1919 at Newport News, Va., by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.; launched on 3 July 1920; and commissioned on 4 September 1920, Comdr. Harry M. Bostwick, USNRF, in command.
on 11 February 1921, bound for the Mediterranean. She arrived at Malta
and delivered general stores for USS Pittsburgh (CA-4) before proceeding for Split
, (now Croatia
, then Kingdom of Yugoslavia
), with fuel oil for American ships operating in the Adriatic. After a three-day layover at Split, she got underway on 8 March for Venice
, where she arrived on the 12th. She eventually called at Pula
(now in Croatia, then in Italy
), before making port at Brindisi
to take on fuel oil and general supplies for the naval base at Constantinople
, Turkey
, and American naval forces operating in Turkish waters. Following the delivery of this cargo, Trinity sailed from Gibraltar
on 4 April and arrived at Tompkinsville, Staten Island
, New York
, on the 17th. Subsequently based at Norfolk and assigned to the Naval Transportation Service, the oiler operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean
until she was decommissioned on 22 December 1923 and laid up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
, and the Panama Canal Zone
.
, for use by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. In the summer, she turned her attention to the Far East and conducted voyages from ports on the west coast of the United States
and in the Netherlands East Indies to the Philippine Islands, delivering fuel oil to storage facilities such as those on Sangley Point, near Cavite
. Late in 1940, the oiler was assigned to the Asiatic Fleet.
She departed Manila Bay
on 28 February 1941 to commence the first of eight round-trip voyages from Manila
, in that year, to ports in oil-rich Borneo
and the Netherlands East Indies. As war clouds gathered on the horizon in the boreal summer of 1941, an organization plan was drawn up which designated Trinity as part of the Manila-based Task Force 2.
that "Japan has commenced hostilities—govern yourselves accordingly."
, and seaplane tender USS Langley (AV-3) south from Manila Bay. Later that day, these three valuable auxiliaries, shepherded by USS Pope (DD-225)
and USS John D. Ford (DD-228)
, departed in a hastily assembled convoy. Two days later, while the American ships sailed for Borneo, 80 Japanese bombers and 52 fighter planes attacked the American navy yard at Cavite, destroying it as a base for the Asiatic Fleet. Trinity had departed the area just in time.
, Borneo, on 14 December; and Trinity now commenced her wartime operations with the hard-pressed Asiatic Fleet
. After a one-month stay there fueling Allied warships, she steamed first to Koepang Bay, Timor
, and then to Kebola Bay, at Amor Island, in the Netherlands East Indies. Standing out of Kebola Bay on 17 January 1942, Trinity set course for Australia, escorted by USS Alden (DD-211)
and USS Edsall (DD-219)
. Shortly after 0630, a Japanese submarine fired three torpedoes at the oiler. All missed their target. Alden then searched for the enemy, made contact, and dropped a pattern of depth charges. In the resulting confusion, however, the American destroyer lost contact with the enemy and abandoned the search.
Upon her arrival at Darwin
, Trinity filled the depleted fuel bunkers of USS Holland (AS-3)
and USS Otus (AS-20), the tenders to the Asiatic Fleet submarine forces operating in the Malay Barrier. USS Canopus (AS-9)
had been left at Manila Bay to provide for the Manila-based submarines.) When she had delivered this "liquid gold," orders came for Trinity, Otus, and Holland to accompany USS Black Hawk (AD-9)
and four destroyers on a voyage to the south coast of Java to establish a base there.
, Commander, United States Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific (COMSOWESPAC), dispatched her to Iran
to obtain refined fuel oil to relieve the critical fuel shortage in the war zone. Departing Tjilatjap on 17 February in company with Edsall, she proceeded independently after her escort was ordered back to port and arrived at Abadan, Iran, on 9 March.
The first United States warship in local memory to have visited this part of the world, Trinity gathered valuable intelligence material on local conditions in Iraq
and Iran, including observations of the port-of-entry (Abadan) for war materials slated for use by the Soviet Union
. She also collected oceanographic data on the Persian Gulf
. After loading her vital cargo, she headed for Fremantle
on 17 March.
Unfortunately, Java fell even before Trinity arrived at her destination. Although Allied forces had been driven out of the Malay Barrier, they gathered in Australia to begin building for the long road back. COMSOWESPAC retained Trinity for the Persian Gulf-Fremantle run, calling at such varied ports as Basra
, Iraq; Bahrein, Arabia; Diego Garcia
, Chagos Archipelago
; Bombay, India
; and Geraldton
and Albany
, Australia; as well as the now-familiar ports of Abadan and Fremantle. On one occasion, in November 1942, the ship encountered a typhoon in which heavy seas, whipped by 70 knots (137.2 km/h) winds, enveloped the ship and destroyed two motor whaleboats.
secured and the Buna
-Gona
campaign successfully resolved, Trinity moved her base to Milne Bay
, New Guinea
, where she arrived on 13 August 1943 and came under the control of Commander, Base Force, 7th Fleet. Attached to this command for the remainder of the year, Trinity plied the Milne Bay-Brisbane
route, while also touching at Cairns and Townsville, Australia. When anchored at Milne Bay, she provided oil for miscellaneous Allied ships. She subsequently moved north to commence operations in the Buna-Cape Cretin vicinity, an area in which she remained until early March.
During the next few months, she proceeded back to Milne Bay and thence to Port Moresby
before heading for Cairns and completing the round trip to Milne Bay on 24 July 1944. Operating out of the New Guinea area, she worked as shuttle tanker and harbor feeder, anchoring at such places as Manus
in the Admiralties, Humboldt Bay
and Hollandia
on the north coast of New Guinea, and at Biak
in the Schouten Islands
.
, she arrived at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard
on 22 February and reported to Commandant, 12th Naval District. The oiler remained there until decommissioned on 28 May. Struck from the Navy list on 3 July, she was delivered to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration on 5 September 1946. Sold to the Colonial Steamship Corp. in 1951, the veteran tanker was renamed Seabeaver.
Initial Cruise
Following shakedown, Trinity got underway from Chesapeake BayChesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
on 11 February 1921, bound for the Mediterranean. She arrived at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and delivered general stores for USS Pittsburgh (CA-4) before proceeding for Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, (now Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, then Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
), with fuel oil for American ships operating in the Adriatic. After a three-day layover at Split, she got underway on 8 March for Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, where she arrived on the 12th. She eventually called at Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
(now in Croatia, then in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), before making port at Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
to take on fuel oil and general supplies for the naval base at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and American naval forces operating in Turkish waters. Following the delivery of this cargo, Trinity sailed from Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
on 4 April and arrived at Tompkinsville, Staten Island
Tompkinsville, Staten Island
Tompkinsville is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. Though the neighborhood sits on the island's eastern shore, along the waterfront facing Upper New York Bay — between St...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on the 17th. Subsequently based at Norfolk and assigned to the Naval Transportation Service, the oiler operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
until she was decommissioned on 22 December 1923 and laid up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Recommissioning
She remained there, inactive, until growing tension in both Europe and the Far East prompted the Navy to enlarge its building programs, and to recondition and recommission old ships. Accordingly, Trinity was re-commissioned at Philadelphia on 21 June 1938. She transported cargoes of oil from ports on the Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
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...
, and the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
.
Pacific Fleet
Transferred to the Pacific Fleet early in 1939, Trinity carried oil to Dutch Harbor, AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, for use by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. In the summer, she turned her attention to the Far East and conducted voyages from ports on the west coast of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in the Netherlands East Indies to the Philippine Islands, delivering fuel oil to storage facilities such as those on Sangley Point, near Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
. Late in 1940, the oiler was assigned to the Asiatic Fleet.
She departed Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
on 28 February 1941 to commence the first of eight round-trip voyages from Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, in that year, to ports in oil-rich Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and the Netherlands East Indies. As war clouds gathered on the horizon in the boreal summer of 1941, an organization plan was drawn up which designated Trinity as part of the Manila-based Task Force 2.
Second World War
At the end of the eighth voyage, Trinity arrived at Manila on 3 December. On 8 December, she lay alongside the fuel docks at Sangley Point, discharging oil to the storage tanks ashore, when she received word from Admiral Thomas C. HartThomas C. Hart
Thomas Charles Hart was an admiral of the United States Navy, whose service extended from the Spanish-American War through World War II. Following his retirement from the Navy, he served briefly as a United States Senator from Connecticut.-Life and career:Hart was born in Genesee County, Michigan...
that "Japan has commenced hostilities—govern yourselves accordingly."
1941 - Escape from Manila
With Japanese air attacks expected momentarily, Hart decided to send the two Navy oilers, Trinity and USS Pecos (AO-6)USS Pecos (AO-6)
thumb|right|300px|USS Pecos in portUSS Pecos was laid down as Fuel Ship No. 18 on June 2, 1920 by the Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.; reclassified AO–6 on July 17, 1920; launched April 23, 1921; sponsored by Miss Anna S. Hubbard; and commissioned August 25, 1921...
, and seaplane tender USS Langley (AV-3) south from Manila Bay. Later that day, these three valuable auxiliaries, shepherded by USS Pope (DD-225)
USS Pope (DD-225)
USS Pope was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first ship named for John Pope....
and USS John D. Ford (DD-228)
USS John D. Ford (DD-228)
USS John D. Ford was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Rear Admiral John Donaldson Ford....
, departed in a hastily assembled convoy. Two days later, while the American ships sailed for Borneo, 80 Japanese bombers and 52 fighter planes attacked the American navy yard at Cavite, destroying it as a base for the Asiatic Fleet. Trinity had departed the area just in time.
South Pacific
The convoy reached BalikpapanBalikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...
, Borneo, on 14 December; and Trinity now commenced her wartime operations with the hard-pressed Asiatic Fleet
United States Asiatic Fleet
The United States Asiatic Fleet was part of the U.S. Navy. Preceding the World War II era, until 1942, the fleet protected the Philippines.Originally the Asiatic Squadron, it was upgraded to fleet status in 1902. In 1907, the fleet became the First Squadron of the Pacific Fleet. However, on 28...
. After a one-month stay there fueling Allied warships, she steamed first to Koepang Bay, Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
, and then to Kebola Bay, at Amor Island, in the Netherlands East Indies. Standing out of Kebola Bay on 17 January 1942, Trinity set course for Australia, escorted by USS Alden (DD-211)
USS Alden (DD-211)
USS Alden was a Clemson-class destroyer of the United States Navy . Serving during World War II, Alden is the only ship of the US Navy to have been named for Rear Admiral James Alden, Jr...
and USS Edsall (DD-219)
USS Edsall (DD-219)
USS Edsall , named for Seaman Norman Eckley Edsall , was a Clemson-class destroyer of the United States Navy....
. Shortly after 0630, a Japanese submarine fired three torpedoes at the oiler. All missed their target. Alden then searched for the enemy, made contact, and dropped a pattern of depth charges. In the resulting confusion, however, the American destroyer lost contact with the enemy and abandoned the search.
Upon her arrival at Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Trinity filled the depleted fuel bunkers of USS Holland (AS-3)
USS Holland (AS-3)
USS Holland was a submarine tender that served in the United States Navy before and during World War II.Holland was launched by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, on 12 April 1926, sponsored by Miss Elizabeth Saunders Chase, daughter of Admiral J. V. Chase, and commissioned on...
and USS Otus (AS-20), the tenders to the Asiatic Fleet submarine forces operating in the Malay Barrier. USS Canopus (AS-9)
USS Canopus (AS-9)
USS Canopus was a submarine tender in the United States Navy, named for the star Canopus.Canopus was launched in 1919 by New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, New Jersey, as the passenger liner SS Santa Leonora for W. R. Grace and Company, but taken over by the Navy upon completion in July 1919...
had been left at Manila Bay to provide for the Manila-based submarines.) When she had delivered this "liquid gold," orders came for Trinity, Otus, and Holland to accompany USS Black Hawk (AD-9)
USS Black Hawk (AD-9)
USS Black Hawk was launched in 1913 as by William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; purchased by the U.S. Navy on 3 December 1917; and commissioned 15 May 1918, Commander R. C...
and four destroyers on a voyage to the south coast of Java to establish a base there.
1942 - Middle East
Dropping anchor at the congested port of Tjilatjap, she remained there a week before Vice Admiral William A. GlassfordWilliam A. Glassford
Vice Admiral William A. Glassford was a U.S. Navy officer who served during World War II. He commanded naval forces of the Asiatic Fleet during the first month of the war, and then relocated to Java to combine his forces with the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command . His most notable battle...
, Commander, United States Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific (COMSOWESPAC), dispatched her to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
to obtain refined fuel oil to relieve the critical fuel shortage in the war zone. Departing Tjilatjap on 17 February in company with Edsall, she proceeded independently after her escort was ordered back to port and arrived at Abadan, Iran, on 9 March.
The first United States warship in local memory to have visited this part of the world, Trinity gathered valuable intelligence material on local conditions in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Iran, including observations of the port-of-entry (Abadan) for war materials slated for use by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. She also collected oceanographic data on the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. After loading her vital cargo, she headed for Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
on 17 March.
Unfortunately, Java fell even before Trinity arrived at her destination. Although Allied forces had been driven out of the Malay Barrier, they gathered in Australia to begin building for the long road back. COMSOWESPAC retained Trinity for the Persian Gulf-Fremantle run, calling at such varied ports as Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, Iraq; Bahrein, Arabia; Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....
, Chagos Archipelago
Chagos Archipelago
The Chagos Archipelago , is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean; situated some due south of the Maldives archipelago. This chain of islands are the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge a long submarine mountain range...
; Bombay, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
; and Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
and Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
, Australia; as well as the now-familiar ports of Abadan and Fremantle. On one occasion, in November 1942, the ship encountered a typhoon in which heavy seas, whipped by 70 knots (137.2 km/h) winds, enveloped the ship and destroyed two motor whaleboats.
1943-1944
In 1943, with Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
secured and the 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...
-Gona
Gona
-History:Gona was the site of an Anglican church and mission.During World War II, Imperial Japanese troops invaded on 21–22 July 1942 and established it as a base. Three missionaries were captured at Gona, Father James Benson, May Hayman and Mavis Parkins. The two women and a six year old boy were...
campaign successfully resolved, Trinity moved her base to 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....
, 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...
, where she arrived on 13 August 1943 and came under the control of Commander, Base Force, 7th Fleet. Attached to this command for the remainder of the year, Trinity plied the Milne Bay-Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
route, while also touching at Cairns and Townsville, Australia. When anchored at Milne Bay, she provided oil for miscellaneous Allied ships. She subsequently moved north to commence operations in the Buna-Cape Cretin vicinity, an area in which she remained until early March.
During the next few months, she proceeded back to Milne Bay and thence to Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
before heading for Cairns and completing the round trip to Milne Bay on 24 July 1944. Operating out of the New Guinea area, she worked as shuttle tanker and harbor feeder, anchoring at such places as Manus
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 Admiralties, Humboldt Bay
Teluk Yos Sudarso
Yos Sudarso Bay also known earlier as Humboldt Bay is a small bay in Indonesia. It is on the north coast of New Guinea, about 50 kilometers west of the border between Indonesia's province of Papua and the country of Papua New Guinea...
and 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 north coast of New Guinea, and at 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...
in the Schouten Islands
Schouten Islands
The Indonesian Schouten Islands are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea...
.
1945
By January 1945, as the war progressed steadily towards the Japanese homeland, Trinity continued her unglamourous but vital job of plying the triangular New Guinea-Shouten Islands-Admiralty Islands route, shuttling cargoes of oil needed to keep the warships of the Fleet in operation. Arriving at Leyte, Philippines, in May 1945, she returned to waters from which she had been driven so unceremoniously in those dark days of December 1941. For the remainder of her active service, she operated in the western Pacific through the end of the war and the early months of the occupation.End of service
Trinity departed Samar on 12 January 1946, bound for home. After stops at Eniwetok and 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...
, she arrived at the 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...
on 22 February and reported to Commandant, 12th Naval District. The oiler remained there until decommissioned on 28 May. Struck from the Navy list on 3 July, she was delivered to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration on 5 September 1946. Sold to the Colonial Steamship Corp. in 1951, the veteran tanker was renamed Seabeaver.