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USS Whidbey (AG-141)
Encyclopedia
USS Whidbey (AG-141) was a Whidbey-class miscellaneous auxiliary acquired from the U.S. Army where it was known as USAT FS-395 during World War II Army operations. She was transferred to the United States Navy
in 1947, and the Navy assigned her to support the needs of the Pacific Ocean Trust Territory
created as a result of the war.
Whidbey served the medical needs of natives and military personnel in the Trust Territory, and, when war broke out during the Korean War
, Whidbey turned her attention to the tropical diseases contracted by American military personnel, treating their diseases before releasing them to return stateside.
, by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. -- was subsequently inspected by the Navy and accepted for service at the Naval Operating Base (NOB), Subic Bay
, Philippine Islands, on 22 February 1947.
FS-395 was later given the name Whidbey and classified a miscellaneous auxiliary, AG-141; she was commissioned at Naval Operating Base (NOB), Guam
, while moored alongside SS Hamilton Victory on 8 August 1947, Chief Boatswain
J. W. Jamieson in command.
, who was given the collateral duty of High Commissioner of the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands, assigned by the United Nations
to the United States after World War II. Whidbey carried passengers, provisions, and mail to the islands in the territories, returning to Guam with copra
and other native products.
of 1947. At 0945 on 22 December, the ship began doubling up all lines in anticipation of an approaching storm, while she was moored alongside the district oiler, YO-104, at Tomil Harbor, Yap Island; and at 1605 got underway for Guam, standing out to sea as the wind and sea began to rise menacingly. By 2200, the ship was maneuvering at various courses and speeds to keep headed into the wind; by 2330 the situation looked critical—all hands were ordered to don life jackets!
Whidbey fought the sea into the next morning. At 0042, a fire broke out in the bilge
s. Shutting down the port main engine, the auxiliary's crew battled the small fire for only a short time before they succeeded in putting it out, while, topside, heavy seas carried away one of the snip's lifeboats. The craft's port engine came to life only briefly before it had to be secured—leaving the ship operating on only one engine.
By 0413, heavy waves were breaking over the port and starboard sides of the ship; changing course at that instant, Whidbey suddenly ground onto a reef at 0418. All hands manned their abandon ship stations to prepare for any eventuality should the ship have foundered; but soundings were taken, and it looked as if the ship was on an even keel and not taking any water.
arrived safely at Guam on the afternoon of the 31st.
Once repaired, Whidbey received a new task—a humanitarian mission. In an effort to look into the health and welfare of the inhabitants of all of the populated islands within the two and one-half million square miles of the Trust Territory, the Navy began a medical survey of those isles in 1948.
, Whidbey's medical technicians "surveyed" thousands of islanders—men, women, and children—conducting parasitology
tests, providing dental care, and taking blood tests and X-rays. Her medical teams not only provided those services on board ship, but also ashore as well, visiting the sick and the aged. Whidbey's performance of duty enabled the Navy to ascertain a complete picture of both the common and the rare diseases that occurred in the territories.
Whidbeys duties as a floating clinic came to an end with the completion of her last survey in late April 1951. Not only had Whidbey performed significant and helpful medical services to and for the islanders of the Trust Territories, but she had also gathered useful hydrographic
data in the course of her cruises throughout the many isles of the territories.
that had broken out in the summer of 1950.
Whidbey, the value of her past service as a mini-hospital ship
proved by experience in the Trust Territories, was overhauled at Yokosuka and converted from a medical survey vessel to a Fleet epidemiological disease control ship, becoming, in effect, a modern floating laboratory, with equipment and trained technicians capable of analyzing the most minute organism.
Deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, a port through which United States Marines
were being rotated back to the United States from the combat zones in Korea
, Whidbey's embarked Fleet Epidemiological Disease Control Unit No. 2 processed the homeward-bound marines for dysentery
, malaria
, or any other parasites contracted at the front. After the ship's medical team had obtained the samples, the marines sailed for the United States.
Working almost 24-hour shifts to obtain the results in minimum time, Whidbey's technicians then dispatched a report of results to the port of embarkation for each individual processed. As each transport arrived at her destination, quarantine
officials there would thus be ready to treat whatever parasitical disease any marine had brought back from Korea. That process enabled those who had contracted malaria
or any dormant infections to be cured before they returned to stateside posts or civilian life.
(formerly Formosa
) and carried out port visits to Keelung
and Kaohsiung
. She then shifted to the Nationalist Chinese naval base at Tsoying where, as "an ambassadress of good will and good health" she remained from 28 January to 5 May, her doctors working with those of the Chinese Navy. After touching at the Chinese naval base in the Pescadores
, at Makung
, until 15 May, Whidbey stopped briefly at Kaohsiung before she visited Hong Kong
, en route to Sasebo
. Whidbey again operated at Nationalist Chinese naval installations on Taiwan that summer.
Whidbey remained in the Far East, principally at Kobe
and Yokosuka, through December 1953 and, placed in reserve on 1 July 1954, was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet for overhaul and inactivation.
group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet, she remained there into the late 1950s. Struck from the Navy List
on 1 May 1959, the unique craft was sold to Albert Heller on 31 May 1960 and subsequently scrapped.
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 1947, and the Navy assigned her to support the needs of the Pacific Ocean Trust Territory
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1986.-History:...
created as a result of the war.
Whidbey served the medical needs of natives and military personnel in the Trust Territory, and, when war broke out during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Whidbey turned her attention to the tropical diseases contracted by American military personnel, treating their diseases before releasing them to return stateside.
Built for the U.S. Army in Alabama
FS-395 -- an inter-island freighter and cargo vessel completed for the United States Army on 2 January 1945 at Decatur, AlabamaDecatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
, by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. -- was subsequently inspected by the Navy and accepted for service at the Naval Operating Base (NOB), 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...
, Philippine Islands, on 22 February 1947.
FS-395 was later given the name Whidbey and classified a miscellaneous auxiliary, AG-141; she was commissioned at Naval Operating Base (NOB), 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...
, while moored alongside SS Hamilton Victory on 8 August 1947, Chief Boatswain
Boatswain
A boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
J. W. Jamieson in command.
Supporting World War II Trust Territory
Later assigned to Service Division 51, Service Force, Pacific Fleet, Whidbey initially performed service under the auspices of the Commander in Chief, Pacific FleetUnited States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
, who was given the collateral duty of High Commissioner of the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands, assigned by the 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...
to the United States after World War II. Whidbey carried passengers, provisions, and mail to the islands in the territories, returning to Guam with copra
Copra
Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil extracted from it has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.-Production:...
and other native products.
Caught and damaged in a storm
A highlight of Whidbey's first year in commission occurred shortly before ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
of 1947. At 0945 on 22 December, the ship began doubling up all lines in anticipation of an approaching storm, while she was moored alongside the district oiler, YO-104, at Tomil Harbor, Yap Island; and at 1605 got underway for Guam, standing out to sea as the wind and sea began to rise menacingly. By 2200, the ship was maneuvering at various courses and speeds to keep headed into the wind; by 2330 the situation looked critical—all hands were ordered to don life jackets!
Whidbey fought the sea into the next morning. At 0042, a fire broke out in the bilge
Bilge
The bilge is the lowest compartment on a ship where the two sides meet at the keel. The word was coined in 1513.-Bilge water:The word is sometimes also used to describe the water that collects in this compartment. Water that does not drain off the side of the deck drains down through the ship into...
s. Shutting down the port main engine, the auxiliary's crew battled the small fire for only a short time before they succeeded in putting it out, while, topside, heavy seas carried away one of the snip's lifeboats. The craft's port engine came to life only briefly before it had to be secured—leaving the ship operating on only one engine.
By 0413, heavy waves were breaking over the port and starboard sides of the ship; changing course at that instant, Whidbey suddenly ground onto a reef at 0418. All hands manned their abandon ship stations to prepare for any eventuality should the ship have foundered; but soundings were taken, and it looked as if the ship was on an even keel and not taking any water.
Salvaging the grounded ship
Whidbey remained aground off the east coast of Yap, with no hope in sight until the afternoon of Christmas Day, when hove in sight at 1229. After spending the afternoon in trying to pull Whidbey off the reef, Tawakoni secured salvage operations that evening, but resumed them the next morning. Ultimately, Tawakoni succeeded in her task, towing Whidbey approximately 22 feet (6.7 m) and moving her astern on the 27th. On the 28th, the fleet tug set out for Guam at 1836 with the crippled auxiliary in tow. The little convoyConvoy
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...
arrived safely at Guam on the afternoon of the 31st.
Once repaired, Whidbey received a new task—a humanitarian mission. In an effort to look into the health and welfare of the inhabitants of all of the populated islands within the two and one-half million square miles of the Trust Territory, the Navy began a medical survey of those isles in 1948.
Converted to a mini-hospital
Converted from a small cargo vessel to a specially equipped floating clinicClinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
, Whidbey's medical technicians "surveyed" thousands of islanders—men, women, and children—conducting parasitology
Parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life...
tests, providing dental care, and taking blood tests and X-rays. Her medical teams not only provided those services on board ship, but also ashore as well, visiting the sick and the aged. Whidbey's performance of duty enabled the Navy to ascertain a complete picture of both the common and the rare diseases that occurred in the territories.
Whidbeys duties as a floating clinic came to an end with the completion of her last survey in late April 1951. Not only had Whidbey performed significant and helpful medical services to and for the islanders of the Trust Territories, but she had also gathered useful hydrographic
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
data in the course of her cruises throughout the many isles of the territories.
Conversion to epidemiological disease control ship
When the Navy relinquished its administrative duties to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Whidbey's role changed; her operations took on a different complexion in light of the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
that had broken out in the summer of 1950.
Whidbey, the value of her past service as a mini-hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
proved by experience in the Trust Territories, was overhauled at Yokosuka and converted from a medical survey vessel to a Fleet epidemiological disease control ship, becoming, in effect, a modern floating laboratory, with equipment and trained technicians capable of analyzing the most minute organism.
Deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, a port through which United States Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
were being rotated back to the United States from the combat zones in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Whidbey's embarked Fleet Epidemiological Disease Control Unit No. 2 processed the homeward-bound marines for dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
, malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, or any other parasites contracted at the front. After the ship's medical team had obtained the samples, the marines sailed for the United States.
Working almost 24-hour shifts to obtain the results in minimum time, Whidbey's technicians then dispatched a report of results to the port of embarkation for each individual processed. As each transport arrived at her destination, quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
officials there would thus be ready to treat whatever parasitical disease any marine had brought back from Korea. That process enabled those who had contracted malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
or any dormant infections to be cured before they returned to stateside posts or civilian life.
China area operations
On 3 January 1952, Whidbey sailed for TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(formerly Formosa
Formosa
Formosa or Ilha Formosa is a Portuguese historical name for Taiwan , literally meaning, "Beautiful Island". The term may also refer to:-Places:* Formosa Strait, another name for the Taiwan Strait...
) and carried out port visits to Keelung
Keelung
Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It borders New Taipei and forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with the Taipei and New Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport...
and Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
. She then shifted to the Nationalist Chinese naval base at Tsoying where, as "an ambassadress of good will and good health" she remained from 28 January to 5 May, her doctors working with those of the Chinese Navy. After touching at the Chinese naval base in the Pescadores
Pescadores
The Penghu Islands, also known as Pescadores are an archipelago off the western coast of Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait consisting of 90 small islands and islets covering an area of 141 square kilometers....
, at Makung
Makung
Makung is the county seat of Penghu, in Taiwan Province, Taiwan . Makung is on the western part of the main Penghu Island....
, until 15 May, Whidbey stopped briefly at Kaohsiung before she visited Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, en route to Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
. Whidbey again operated at Nationalist Chinese naval installations on Taiwan that summer.
Whidbey remained in the Far East, principally at Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
and Yokosuka, through December 1953 and, placed in reserve on 1 July 1954, was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet for overhaul and inactivation.
Post-Korean War decommissioning
She was decommissioned on 15 November 1954. Placed in the Columbia RiverColumbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet, she remained there into the late 1950s. 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 1 May 1959, the unique craft was sold to Albert Heller on 31 May 1960 and subsequently scrapped.