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 USSAchernar (AKA-53) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSAchernar |
| Namesake | The starAchernar in the constellationEridanus |
| Builder | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Kearny, NJ |
| Laid down | 6 September 1943 |
| Launched | 3 December 1943 |
| Commissioned | 31 January 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 1 July 1963 |
| Fate | Transferred to Spain; scrapped in 1982 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Andromeda-classattack cargo ship |
| Displacement | 14,200 tons |
| Length | 459 ft 2 in (139.95 m) |
| Beam | 63 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m) |
| Speed | 16.5knots (30.6 km/h) |
| Complement | 429 |
| Armament | |
USSAchernar (AKA-53) was anAndromeda-classattack cargo ship (a cargo ship designed to support amphibious warfare operations) of theUnited States Navy during World War II and after.
For theinvasion of Normandy it was the command post of GeneralOmar Bradley, commander of theUS First Army.
She served as a commissioned ship for 19 years and 5 months.
She was laid down under aMaritime Commission contract on 6 September 1943 atKearney, New Jersey byFederal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., launched on 3 December 1943, named after the starAchernar, sponsored by Mrs. Adela Rogers St. Johns, acquired by the Navy on 29 January 1944, andcommissioned on 31 January 1944.
Following conversion and fitting out at theNew York Navy Yard,Achernar held shakedown in theChesapeake Bay. On 13 March, she arrived atStaten Island, New York – where she loaded cargo and embarkedUnited States Army personnel for transportation to Britain travelling with Convoy CU-18. She arrived atSwansea, Wales on 30 March and spent the next two months transporting cargo and personnel between various ports in the United Kingdom in preparation for theNormandy invasion.
On 1 June 1944, she was designated as First Army's headquarters ship. On 6 June, she steamed from Plymouth across theEnglish Channel and anchored in her preassigned position inBaie de la Seine, France. For the next few days, she acted as a nerve center for troops fighting for a foothold in France. On 11 June, the First Army's headquarters disembarked, andAchernar returned to England. After a three-day respite in Plymouth, the ship moved toRosneath, Scotland to take on the cargo and personnel of twoconstruction battalions. On 19 June, she returned to Plymouth to load materials to repair damaged assault craft and, on 22 June, got underway for the assault area in France. While on station, she underwent several enemy air attacks.Achernar left France on 29 June to return to England and arrived in Plymouth on 1 July. On 5 July, the ship was ordered to sail as a part of Task Group 120.6, which was bound for theMediterranean Sea to support theinvasion of southern France. It arrived atOran, Algeria on 10 July; then six days later sailed toNaples. After loading cargo there, she moved to an anchorage atCastellammare, Italy on 2 August. Here, she embarked personnel of the36th Infantry Division and proceeded to sea on 13 August for the landings in southern France. On the morning of 15 August, her crew commenced discharging her cargo and sending it to the beaches. The next day, after finishing the delivery of cargo, she received casualties on board and embarked 13 Germanprisoners of war before getting underway to return to Naples.
For the next two months,Achernar continued making trips from Naples and Oran to points along the southern coast of France. On 25 October, she sailed from Oran westward through theStrait of Gibraltar towards the United States. She arrived atHampton Roads on 8 November and underwent repairs and overhaul at theNorfolk Navy Yard. On 7 December,Achernar got underway for a brief period of trials and exercises in Chesapeake Bay. The ship returned to Norfolk on 11 December, took on cargo, and got underway on 18 December. She transited thePanama Canal on Christmas Day 1944 and arrived atPearl Harbor on 10 January 1945.
Following tactical maneuvers offOahu from 17 to 19 January, the cargo ship began loading cargo on 12 February and put to sea on 18 February.Achernar stopped atEniwetok on 26 February,Kossol Roads on 4 March, and anchored inSan Pedro Bay,Philippine Islands, from 15 to 20 March, before arriving offOkinawa on 1 April to support the seizure of that key island. At 0043 the next day, a Japanesesuicide plane hit the starboard side; and, almost simultaneously, a bomb exploded on her port side. Fires broke out, and the ship began listing slightly to port.Achernar lost five crew members killed and 41 injured.
By 0100, the fires were out and the list had been corrected. At 1525,Achernar transferred her casualties toUSS Solace and proceeded to anchor off Hagushi beach, where temporary repairs began. On the morning of 3 April,Achernar moved toKerama Retto to begin unloading her cargo. She remained atOkinawa until 19 April, when she sailed for the United States viaUlithi and Pearl Harbor. The vessel arrived at San Francisco on 13 May and began offloading ammunition and fuel. Two days later, she entered drydock for repairs and overhaul. She got underway again on 10 July for shakedown along the California coast. On 4 August,Achernar left San Francisco to return to Pearl Harbor, where she arrived a week later and immediately began discharging her cargo. She was still in Hawaii when hostilities ended on 15 August.Achernar then shuttled personnel and equipment between Japan, various other Pacific islands, and took part in "Magic Carpet" operations, returning veterans to the United States.
On 28 November,Achernar arrived inSeattle, Washington. One week later, SSH. H. Raymond collided with her during a storm. As a result of the damage she sustained in the accident,Achernar entereddry dock on 22 December for repairs.Achernar got underway again on 16 January 1946 and resumed operations between the west coast and various ports in the Far East and the Pacific. AKA 53 made two trips to the Pribiloff Islands bringing back to Seattlefur seal pelts and products for a Fouck Fur Company of Saint Louis. In 1947 she made a trip to the Philippines, Japan and China. Subic Bay, Yokuska, Shanghai, Tsingtao were visited but a scheduled visit toTiensen was curtailed because offighting between the Nationals and the Communists in 1947.
When theMilitary Sea Transportation Service was formed on 1 October 1949, she was one of a group of attack cargo ships selected for service in the new organization. At the outbreak of theKorean War,Achernar was completing overhaul at theHunters Point Naval Shipyard. She got underway on 7 July 1950 and soon began onloading troops and cargo for transportation to the war zone. On 14 July, the ship joined TG 53.7 and sailed for Japan. She unloaded her cargo atKobe,Sasebo, andYokosuka. On 22 September, she left Japan and proceeded to Inchon,Korea, to support nearby ground operations.
After American forces had liberated the territory near Inchon andSeoul, elements of the 1st Marine Division and their equipment were loaded on boardAchernar for landing on the east coast of Korea at Wonsan. She sailed as part of TG 90.2 and arrived in Wonsan on 25 October. She unloaded her passengers and proceeded to Moji, Japan, arriving there on 31 October. There, she took on men of the 2nd Infantry Division for transportation to Wonsan. Following this mission, she returned to Yokosuka on 20 November.
The attack cargo ship was then ordered to report back to the United States. She left Japan on 27 November accompanying thedestroyersUSS Brush andUSS Mansfield – both of which had been damaged bynaval mines – ready to assist them, if necessary. They made brief stops atMidway and Pearl Harbor before reaching San Francisco on 17 December.
Following a short availability period,Achernar went toPort Hueneme, California on 18 January 1951 to onload cargo and personnel for transportation to the Aleutians. After unloading atAmchitka, she visited Adak, Whittier,Alaska, andKodiak Island to pick up cargo to be returned to Seattle. On 17 March,Achernar set course for Norfolk. She transited the Panama Canal on 26 March; paused atMorehead City, North Carolina on 1 April; and finally arrived at Norfolk on 3 April. The ship was assigned to the Amphibious Force,Atlantic Fleet, and took part in various fleet exercises and cargo runs in theCaribbean and along the east coast. On 18 February 1956,Achernar was decommissioned, placed in reserve, and berthed atOrange, Texas.
Achernar was placed back in commission atNew Orleans on 1 September 1961. She arrived at Norfolk on 1 December 1961 and became a unit of Amphibious Squadron 6, Atlantic Fleet.Achernar held shakedown in the Caribbean and spent the remainder of her career conducting various training exercises in theVirginia capes operating area.
Achernar was again placed out of commission on 1 July 1963 and transferred to theMaritime Administration. She was reacquired by the Navy on 29 January 1964 but saw no active service before she was transferred to the government of Spain on 2 February 1965. She served the Spanish Navy asCastilla (TA-21) until scrapped in 1982.
Achernar received threebattle stars forWorld War II service and three battle stars forKorean War service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
 United States Navy |
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 Marina Militare |
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 Spanish Navy |
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