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USS Valencia (AKA-81)
Encyclopedia
USS Valencia (AKA-81) was a 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...
named after Valencia County, New Mexico
Valencia County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*73.2% White*1.4% Black*3.8% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.0% Two or more races*17.0% Other races*58.3% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. She was designed to carry military cargo and landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
, and to use the latter to land weapons, supplies, and Marines on enemy shores during amphibious operations
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
. She served as a commissioned ship for 15 months.
Valencia was laid down as a Type C2-S-AJ3 ship
Type C2 ship
Type C2 ships were designed by the United States Maritime Commission in 1937-38. They were all-purpose cargo ships with five holds, and U.S. shipyards built 173 of them from 1939-1945. Compared to ships built before 1939, the C2s were remarkable for their speed and fuel economy. Their design speed...
under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1389) on 20 May 1944 at Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 22 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. C. L. Merritt; acquired by the Navy on 18 August 1944; converted for Navy use by the Bethlehem Steel shipyard, Key Highway plant, Baltimore, Maryland; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
there on 9 January 1945, Lt. Comdr. Rodney A. Blake, USNR, in command.
World War II, 1944–1945
Following fitting out, shakedown, and initial exercises in the Hampton RoadsHampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
area, Valencia got underway from the Naval Operating Base
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
, Norfolk, Virginia, at 0938 on 10 February, in company with , bound for the 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...
. The ships 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...
on the 17th and proceeded on to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, making port 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 2 March.
Shifting to Honolulu on the 8th, Valencia moored at the Army Transport Dock and loaded a total of 145 officers and enlisted men before getting underway on the 14th for the Marshalls
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...
. Escorted by up to a point 30 miles from Pearl Harbor, the attack cargo ship proceeded independently for the remainder of her passage and arrived at Eniwetok on 22 March. Again traveling singly, Valencia got underway for the southern Carolines
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
three days later and arrived off 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...
after a week's voyage. However, a typhoon prevented her from entering the harbor; and she steamed away from the storm center at slow speeds until early on the following day, when quieter seas and improved visibility permitted her to reach her destination.
She remained at Ulithi from 1 to 13 April, preparing for participation in her first operation. Valencia got underway for Okinawa at 1617 on the 13th, in Division "Able" of Task Group 55.8, in company with , , , , SS Kelso Victory, and SS Typhoon. The four-day passage was highlighted by a suspected submarine contact which sent all ships to general quarters and by the sighting of a stray mine which escort vessels destroyed.
Valencia anchored off Hagushi
Hagushi
Hagushi bay was the primary unloading point for American supplies during the invasion of Okinawa during World War II. The bay, at the mouth of the Bishi River , was the dividing line between the First and Sixth US Marine divisions, which landed on the Hagushi beaches to the north, and the Seventh...
beach, Okinawa, at 0921 on 17 April, commenced discharging cargo at 1815, and ceased at 1945. All ships began making smoke at 2024, upon receipt of an air raid alert, completely covering the anchorage area within a few moments. Valencia later observed antiaircraft fire from the forces ashore and noted reports of enemy aircraft being in the vicinity two or three times, before securing from general quarters
General quarters
General Quarters or Battle Stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the crew to prepare for battle or imminent damage....
at 2239. Due to prevailing heavy surf conditions, the beaches were closed to landings on the 19th, as high winds kicked up heavy seas which greatly hampered unloading. Heavy swells continued to hinder operations into subsequent days, as rough seas made it difficult to hold boats alongside, sweeping them against the steel hide of the ship. Despite this handicap and two "red alerts" on the evenings of 20 and 21 April, the crew, aided by a force of 83 marines (two officers and 81 enlisted men) managed to unload the ship's cargo by evening on the 21st.
Valencia engaged in hoisting in her boats and making ready for sea throughout the night of the 21st and commenced disembarking her marine stevedoring party at 0620 on the 22nd. Another "red alert" interrupted the boat-hoisting process at 0710, but the resumption of the task at 0900, when the "all clear" was sounded, enabled the ship to soon be ready for sea. Accordingly, the ship got underway at 1317 on 22 April for the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
in Task Unit 51.29.20.
Arriving at 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 1 May, Valencia transferred most of her landing craft (LCVP
LCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
's, LCPL
LCPL
The Landing Craft Personnel was a landing craft used extensively in the Second World War. Its primary purpose was to ferry troops from transport ships to attack enemy-held shores. The craft derived from a prototype designed by the Eureka Tug-Boat Company of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
's, and LCM
Landing Craft Mechanized
The Landing Craft Mechanized or Landing Craft Mechanical was a landing craft designed for carrying vehicles. They came to prominence during the Second World War when they were used to land troops or tanks during Allied amphibious assaults....
's) to the boat pool and got underway for Nouméa
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...
, on the 3d. She loaded Army equipment; Navy construction battalion vehicles and equipment; and embarked passengers for destinations on the cargo ship's itinerary. Valencia, got underway at 1508 on 20 May and, between that time and her arrival at Eniwetok on the 30th, called at 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...
and Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
, embarking and debarking passengers and picking up new boats. She remained at Eniwetok from 1 to 26 June, awaiting orders, before getting underway for the Marianas. She reached 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...
at 1900 on 29 June to unload LCVP's, vehicles, and general cargo at Apra Harbor.
The attack cargo ship then shifted to Tanapag
Tanapag
Tanapag is a settlement on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is located close to Tanapag Beach on the northwest coast, just to the north of Capital Hill, the island group's centre of government...
Harbor, Guam, to finish unloading before proceeding on to the West Coast of the United States, dropping anchor in San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
on 31 July. Valencia remained at anchor until the 9th, when she shifted to Pier 90-B, San Francisco, to begin loading general cargo earmarked 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...
. During this time, the war in the Pacific came to an end after Japan, reeling from the steady Allied pounding and two atomic bombs
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
, capitulated on 15 August 1945.
Post-war activities, 1945–1946
Sailing for the Philippines on 18 August, Valencia arrived off SamarSamar
Samar, formerly and also known as Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catbalogan City and covers the western portion of Samar as well as several islands in the Samar Sea located to the west of the mainland...
on 6 September, unloaded all holds by the 19th, and subsequently moved on to 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...
, 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...
, and Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
in succession. Subsequently, the attack cargo ship embarked men and equipment of the 25th Division of the 6th Army for occupation duty in Japan. On 1 October, she got underway for Wakayama as part of TU 54.8.1. Detached from the convoy for a brief period on 6 October to destroy a floating unidentified object, she expended 292 rounds of 20 millimeter ammunition before resuming her passage with the group — her mission completed.
Arriving off Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
on the 7th, Valencia remained in the Wakayama area until the 25th. During this period, a typhoon passed just west of the anchorage area of Wakanoura Wan on 10 October and 11 October. Winds up to 90 knots swept across the bay, forcing Valencia to ride out the typhoon by using her anchors and main engines. Her mission at Wakayama completed by the 25th, the attack cargo vessel got underway on that date for Nagoya, Japan. After transiting the swept channel to the ship's destination, she anchored first off Yokkaichi Ko — the transport anchorage — and then shifted to alongside a pier where she discharged cargo, troops, and eight Army LCM's, and remained until the 14th. Having embarked 268 men for transportation to the United States on the 13th, the ship got underway on the 14th for San Francisco.
While en route, the destination of the ship was changed to Portland, Oregon, and she made port there on 28 November. Remaining at Portland until 17 December, the ship shifted to San Francisco and then conducted one round-trip voyage to Pearl Harbor and back before departing the West Coast on 14 February 1946 for the East Coast. Transiting the Panama Canal on the 24th, Valencia arrived at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 3 March, via Little Creek, Virginia, before proceeding back to the Hampton Roads vicinity and arriving at the Norfolk Navy Yard on the 7th.
Decommissioning and Sale
Decommissioned on 8 May 1946, the ship was delivered to the War Shipping AdministrationWar 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....
, Maritime Commission, five days later. Her name was struck from the Navy List
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 21 May 1946.
Acquired by the Lykes Lines, the vessel was renamed SS Genevieve Lykes and entered mercantile service soon thereafter. Acquired by T. J. Stevenson and Co., Inc., of New York City, in 1947, the vessel was renamed Garden City. She remained in service with this firm until her name disappeared from the merchant registers in 1971.