_4_May_1945.jpg) USSCarina (AK-74), anchored after a Japanese suicide boat attack at Okinawa, 4 May 1945. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake |
|
| Ordered | as aType EC2-S-C1 hull,MCE hull 502[1] |
| Builder | Permanente Metals Corporation,Richmond, California |
| Cost | $1,174,563[2] |
| Yard number | 502[1] |
| Way number | 7[1] |
| Laid down | 30 September 1942 |
| Launched | 6 November 1942 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. A. R. Olds |
| Acquired | 20 November 1942 |
| Commissioned | 1 December 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 16 October 1945 |
| Stricken | 1 November 1945 |
| Identification |
|
| Honours and awards | 3 ×battle stars |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 1 February 1952, scrapping completed, 20 March 1953 |
| General characteristics[3] | |
| Class & type | Crater-classcargo ship |
| Type | Type EC2-S-C1 |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m) |
| Draft | 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | 195 |
| Armament |
|
USSCarina (AK-74) was aCrater-classcargo ship, and the only ship of theUS Navy to have this name. She was named for the southernconstellationCarina, with most of her sister ships being named for constellations or stars.
Carina was laid down 30 September 1942, as theliberty ship SSDavid Davis under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 502, launched on 6 November 1942, byPermanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 1,Richmond, California.[3] She was sponsored by Mrs. A. R. Olds; transferred to the Navy on 20 November 1942, and commissioned on 1 December 1942.[4]
Carina departed from San Francisco Bay on 14 December 1942, laden with cargo forEspiritu Santo andGuadalcanal in theSouth Pacific Ocean. At Guadalcanal, she unloaded her cargo between 23 January and 4 February 1943, bringing support to the last phases of the campaign for that island. Operating to aid in the consolidation of the southernSolomon Islands, she steamed between the main port of Espiritu Santo andPurvis Bay,Tulagi,Tongatapu, and Tagoma Point. On 3 March, while she was unloading atTulagi, she endured two air attacks. Several near misses with bombs occurred, spraying her with shrapnel and wounding six of her crewmen.[4]
After repairs at Espiritu Santo,Carina resumed her cargo runs until May 1943, when she steamed toAustralia, arriving on 30 May for engine repairs and to replenish at the ports ofTownsville,Sydney, andMelbourne. She next carried cargo forUS Marine Corps units that were training inNew Zealand, arriving at the port ofAuckland in August. Next, she returned to her supply runs closer to the combat zone in the South Pacific. She added theFiji Islands, theRussell Islands,New Guinea, theAdmiralty Islands andNorfolk Island to her list of Pacific Island delivery ports.Carina continued her cargo missions until 12 July 1943, when she departed from Espiritu Santo and steamed home for an overhaul and crewmen's leave atSan Francisco, California.[4]
This shipyard overhaul preparedCarina for service with distant voyages in support of theLiberation of the Philippines. Among other tasks, she carried pontoons fromPearl Harbor toUlithi Atoll between 2 October 1944 and 31 December 1944. Returning to San Francisco for further repairs and upgrades, she went towards the combat areas again on 9 March 1945.
She arrived in the dangerous combat waters offOkinawa on 26 April, and on 4 May, she became the target of a determined Japanesesuicide boat, which successfully rammedCarina. The impact produced a violent explosion on her port side, knocked out one of her boilers, and flooded one of her holds. Six crewmen were injured by the explosion. Skillful damage control saved bothCarina and her cargo, and she was able to complete the unloading of her cargo at Okinawa before departing for temporary repairs at the Navy base at Ulithi Atoll.Carina returned to theWest Coast of the United States for an overhaul in July, and the war ended in August before she saw service again.[4] On 17 October 1945,[5] she was decommissioned atSuisun Bay,California, and was delivered to theWar Shipping Administration for long-term storage.[4]
Carina was sold toNational Metal and Steel Corporation, for $171,711.17 on 1 February 1952,[6] for scrapping. She was removed from theSuisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California, 7 April 1952.[5] Her scrapping was completed 20 March 1953.[3]
Carina received threebattle stars for her World War II service.[4]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
