%2c_circa_in_1944.jpg) USSAristaeus (ARB-1), overhead view while underway, date and location unknown. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | Aristaeus |
| Builder | Philadelphia Navy Yard,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Laid down | 12 November 1942 |
| Launched | 1 February 1943 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Arthur Taylor |
| Commissioned | 18 May 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 15 January 1947 |
| Reclassified | Battle Damage Repair Ship, 26 January 1943 |
| Stricken | 1 July 1961 |
| Identification |
|
| Honors & awards | 1 ×battle stars (World War II) |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 14 March 1962 |
| General characteristics[1] | |
| Class & type |
|
| Displacement | |
| Length | 328 ft (100 m)oa |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft | 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.6 kn (21.5 km/h; 13.3 mph) |
| Complement | 20 officers, 234 enlisted men |
| Armament | |
USSAristaeus (ARB-1) was planned as aUnited States NavyLST-1-classtank landing ship, but was redesignated as one of twelveAristaeus-class battle damage repair ships built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. The lead ship in her class, she was named forAristaeus (inGreek mythology, the son ofApollo and the huntressCyrene), the only US Naval vessel to bear the name.
The ship was laid down asLST-329 on 12 November 1942, at thePhiladelphia Navy Yard; reclassified ARB-1 on 25 January 1943; launched on 1 February 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Arthur Taylor; converted atFairfield, Maryland, by theMaryland Drydock Company for service as a battle damage repair ship; and commissioned on 18 May 1943.[2]
On 1 June, the ship got underway forNorfolk, Virginia. During the next six weeks, she conductedshakedown training out of Norfolk and in theChesapeake Bay. On 23 July, she left the east coast and shaped a course for thePacific. The vessel transited thePanama Canal and joined thePacific Fleet on 1 August. She then continued on viaBora Bora, theSociety Islands, andTutuila,American Samoa toNouméa,New Caledonia.[2]
Aristaeus reached Nouméa on 14 September, and operated in its immediate vicinity through the remainder of 1943, and the first six months of 1944. Early in July 1944, she anchored atSydney, Australia. After upkeep at that port, the repair ship journeyed toNew Guinea, in late September, and provided battle damage repairs to vessels in this area into April 1945. On 1 May, she anchored atKerama Retto in theRyukyu Islands.[2]
The vessel remained at Kerama Retto during the next two months. As a member ofService Squadron (ServRon) 10, she performed battle damage and voyage repairs to various ships of the fleet. On 2 July, the ship moved her base of operations toBuckner Bay,Okinawa, where she provided routine repair services. On 13 August, she was ordered to assist in repairing thetorpedoedbattleshipPennsylvania. Many ofPennsylvania's compartments were flooded, and she had settled heavily by the stern.Aristaeus' repair efforts, however, enabled the battleship to get underway forPearl Harbor on 24 August, nine days after theJapanese capitulation ended hostilities.[2]
Aristaeus remained at Buckner Bay until early December. She left Okinawa on 3 December, and shaped a course for the west coast of the United States. The ship reachedSan Francisco, California, on 27 December, and entered a period of upkeep and repairs. She remained at San Francisco until 22 May 1946, when she got underway forSan Diego. Upon her arrival there, the vessel reported to the San Diego Group, 19th Fleet, for inactivation.Aristaeus was decommissioned on 15 January 1947, and was placed in thePacific Reserve Fleet. Her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 July 1961. The vessel was sold to Brown Industries, Inc. ofOakland, California on 14 March 1962, and was subsequently scrapped.[2]
Aristaeus earned onebattle star for her World War II service.[2]
Online resources
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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