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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSSebec |
| Namesake | Sebec River in Maine |
| Builder | Marinship,Sausalito, California |
| Laid down | 20 May 1943 |
| Launched | 29 July 1943 |
| Commissioned | 29 March 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 7 February 1946 |
| Stricken | 26 February 1946 |
| In service | 1950, asUSNSSebec (T-AO-87) |
| Out of service | 22 December 1955 |
| Stricken | 22 December 1955 |
| Reinstated | 28 April 1950 |
| Reinstated | 21 July 1956 |
| In service | 1956 |
| Out of service | 3 September 1957 |
| Stricken | 3 September 1957 |
| Honors & awards | 6battle stars (World War II) |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Escambia-classreplenishment oiler |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 523 ft 6 in (159.56 m) |
| Beam | 68 ft (21 m) |
| Draft | 30 ft 10 in (9.40 m) |
| Propulsion | Turbo-electric,single screw, 8,000 shp (5,966 kW) |
| Speed | 15knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Capacity | 140,000 barrels (22,000 m3) |
| Complement | 267 |
| Armament |
|
USSSebec (AO-87) was aEscambia-classfleet oiler acquired by theUnited States Navy for use during World War II. She had the dangerous but necessary task of providing fuel to vessels in combat and non-combat areas primarily in the Pacific Ocean. For her valiant efforts, she received sixbattle stars during the war.
Sebec, a typeT2-SE-A2 tanker hull, was laid down under aMaritime Commission contract (MC hull 1266) on 20 May 1943 by theMarinship Corp. ofSausalito, California. Launched on 29 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. E. B. Fox, she was delivered to theKaiser Swan Island Yard,Portland, Oregon, for completion and conversion to an oiler, and accepted and commissioned by the Navy on 29 March 1944.
Aftershakedown offSan Diego, California,Sebec steamed toSan Pedro, California, arriving on 16 June. Two days later, she departed theU.S. West Coast and arrivedPearl Harbor on the 24th.
On 28 June,Sebec's task unit got underway for theMarshall Islands. Anchoring atEniwetok on 6 July,Sebec loaded a cargo offuel oil,diesel oil,gasoline, and light freight before standing out of the harbor on 15 July. After refueling units ofTask Force 58 on 22 July,Sebec's unit arrived offAgat, Guam, on the 24th. On the 27th, after discharging the remainder of her cargo fuel oil, diesel oil, and part of her gasoline,Sebec got underway on the 28th and arrived at Eniwetok on 1 August.
Sebec departed Eniwetok on 20 August and arrived atSeeadler Harbor,Manus island,Admiralty Islands, on the 28th. She set out the next day, fueled vessels on 3 September, and returned to the harbor on the 6th. She spent the next two months performing similar assignments.
On 2 November,Sebec anchored atUlithi, WestCarolines. On 20 November,Mississinewa (AO-59) exploded in her berth 2,500 yards fromSebec, hit by a Japanese "Kaiten"manned torpedo, launched from an enemysubmarine nearby.
The next morningSebec got underway forKossol Roads,Palau Islands, anchoring atKossol Passage on the 22nd. On the 30th, all ships were ordered underway at various speeds and courses to avoid air attack.Sebec's crew sighted bomb splashes, but saw no aircraft. The oiler spent the remainder of 1944 on fueling tasks, including a 24-hour fueling assignment of anescort carrier division on 30 and 31 December.
Sebec arrived at Ulithi on 4 January 1945. On the 12th, she soundedgeneral quarters afterMazama (AE-9) was hit by atorpedo while in berth there. Four times that day, the crew was ordered to general quarters in response to reports of enemy submarines nearby.
On 20 January,Sebec got underway in aconvoy bound for Eniwetok. On the 24th, she left the convoy and proceeded independently toHawaii. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 1 February for emergency repairs.
Sebec departed Pearl Harbor on 19 March bound for Ulithi, carrying a cargo of fuel oil, diesel oil, andaviation gasoline. After arrival on 1 April,Sebec resumed her fueling operations.
On 4 May,Sebec received orders to proceed independently toHagushi Beach,Okinawa. From 8 to 12 May, she fueled screening vessels off the transport area before returning to Ulithi on the 16th.
During atyphoon on 5 June, two of her gasoline pumps were damaged. The following evening, the oiler got underway for Okinawa, arriving at Hagushi Beach on 7 June.
From 8 June through 26 September,Sebec participated in additional fueling operations. On the 27th, she received orders to report toTokyo Bay.
Sebec remained in Tokyo Bay from 2 to 11 October. On the 12th, she got underway withLackawanna (AO-40) forSan Francisco,California, anchoring on the 24th. On 29 October, she unloaded all herammunition at theMare Island Ammunition Depot and returned to the anchorage.
Sebec was decommissioned on 7 February 1946 and was struck from theNavy List on 26 February. On 1 July, she was transferred to the Maritime Commission, but was reinstated on the Navy List on 28 April 1950, and assigned to Military Sea Transportation Service as the non-commissioned naval vesselUSNSSebec (T-AO-87), manned by a civilian crew.
She shuttled betweenAlaskan and Caribbean waters until January 1951 when she departed theWest Indies for a round-the-world cruise via theSuez Canal and thePanama Canal, returning toAruba on 16 October. During the latter part of theKorean War,Sebec carried fuel oil fromBahrain,Persian Gulf, to Okinawa and Japan.
Sebec arrived atLong Beach, California, onChristmas Eve 1953, but began the new year getting underway for Pearl Harbor. After returning to San Pedro, California,Sebec sailed again, arriving atKaohsiung,Taiwan, on 4 June; thence she proceeded toManila, the Persian Gulf, and Japan before returning to the West Coast. In the next year,Sebec operated in Alaska as well as in theFar East.
On 22 December 1955,Sebec was placed in theNational Defense Reserve Fleet atSuisun Bay, California, and struck from the Navy List. She was reinstated on the Navy List on 21 June 1956 and operated for MSTS by the Joshua Hendy Corp.
Sebec was returned to theMaritime Administration (MARAD) and struck from theNavy List on 3 September 1957. She was acquired to theUnited States Army on 9 June 1966, and converted to a floating power station at Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co.,Mobile, Alabama, before seeing service inVietnam.
Title toSebec was transferred to MARAD for the US Army, the ship was subsequently sold for scrapping, toDongkuk Steel Co., Ltd.,Seoul,South Korea, on 9 September 1974.
Sebec received six battle stars for World War II service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.