_underway%2c_in_the_1950s_(USN_1106623).jpg) USSLuzon (ARG-2) in the 1950s | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | |
| Ordered | as aType EC2-S-C1 hull,MCE hull 981[1] |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland |
| Yard number | 2131[1] |
| Laid down | 8 April 1943 |
| Launched | 14 May 1943 |
| Acquired | 24 May 1943 |
| Commissioned | 12 October 1943 |
| Recommissioned | 20 September 1950 |
| Decommissioned |
|
| Stricken | 1 September 1961 |
| Identification |
|
| Honors & awards | 1 ×battle stars for Korean War service |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 26 August 1974 |
| General characteristics[2] | |
| Class & type | Luzon-class Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship |
| Type | Type EC2-S-C1 |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m) |
| Draft | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) (ship's trials) |
| Complement | 31 officers, 552 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSLuzon (ARG-2) was aninternal combustion enginerepair ship in service with theUnited States Navy from 1943 to 1947 and from 1950 to 1960. She was thelead ship in a class of twelve ships and was scrapped in 1974.
Luzon was laid down 8 April 1943, asliberty shipSSSamuel Bowles, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 981, by theBethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Inc., inBaltimore, Maryland; launched 14 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. H. E. Sigman; acquired by the Navy and renamedLuzon 24 May 1943; commissioned 12 October 1943.[3] She was named for theisland of Luzon, the chief island in the northernPhilippines and site of the capital city ofManila. She was the second U.S. naval vessel to bear the name.
Aftershakedown inChesapeake Bay, she departedNorfolk, Virginia 28 November, for duty in the Pacific. She transited thePanama Canal 6 December, and arrived theEllice Islands 3 January 1944. Assigned toService Squadron 4, she operated atFunafuti and provided repair facilities for amphibious, patrol, and landing craft. Following the invasion of theMarshall Islands on 31 January, she steamed forKwajalein Atoll on 23 February, and arrived there on 4 March. During the next 5 months, she served there as repair ship and tender for harbor craft.[3]
As American seapower spearheaded the Allied advance across the Pacific,Luzon steamed toGuam after the conquest of theMarianas. Departing Kwajalein on 2 September, she sailed viaEniwetok and reachedApra, Guam, on 11 September. As a unit of Service Squadron 10, she maintained a busy repair schedule there until 1 March 1945, when she steamed toSaipan for 6 months of duty at that important harbor.[3]
Following thesurrender of Japan to theAllied Powers,Luzon departed the Marianas on 1 October, for Japanese waters. After touching atIwo Jima, she reachedWakanoura Wan,Honshū on 8 October. She proceeded toNagoya, Honshū, 19 December until 22 December, she provided fleet and repair services to ships supporting occupation operations in Japan. She then departed for the United States, and, after touching at Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal, she arrived atOrange, Texas, on 9 February 1946. Assigned to theAtlantic Reserve Fleet, she was decommissioned on 24 June 1947.[3]
In response to the outbreak of theKorean War,Luzon was recommissioned on 20 September 1950. After steaming to Norfolk in early in October, she departed for theWest Coast on 15 November. She reachedSan Diego on 6 December, proceeded to San Francisco on 11 December, and sailed for theFar East on 26 December. She arrived atSasebo,Kyūshū on 23 January 1951, and during the remainder of the year, she provided valuable repair services for ships of theUS 7th Fleet. She departed Japan for the west coast 19 January 1952; after reaching San Francisco on 9 February, she operated out of San Francisco, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, andLong Beach during the next 15 months.[3]
Departing Long Beach on 2 May 1953,Luzon deployed to the western Pacific and arrived at Sasebo on 2 June. Except for a run toPusan, South Korea, and back in mid-July, she provided repair facilities at Sasebo until sailing toYokosuka on 15 January 1954. She departed the Far East for home on 2 February, and arrived at Long Beach on 28 February. She was placed in commission, in reserve on 15 March 1955, while undergoing repair atMare Island. After returning to San Diego on 29 April, she was placed in service, in reserve.[3]
Luzon was recommissioned at San Diego on 3 November. After completing training offsouthern California, she sailed for the Far East on 9 March 1956. She arrived at Sasebo on 9 April, and began duty as station repair ship for Service Squadron 3. During the next 4 years she remained in the western Pacific, supporting peacekeeping operations of the 7th Fleet. Although based at Sasebo, she steamed toOkinawa,Taiwan,Hong Kong, and to various Japanese ports while carrying out her assigned tasks.Luzon returned to San Diego on 31 May 1960, then steamed to Mare Island on 3 June, for deactivation. She was decommissioned there on 1 July 1960, and her name was struck from theNaval Register on 1 September 1961.[3]
Luzon was laid up in theSuisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California, on 25 August 1960, after being transferred toMaritime Administration (MARAD).[2]
On 26 August 1974, she was sold for $555,625.50[4] to Seangyong Trading Company, Ltd.,Seoul, South Korea, for scrapping.[2]
Luzon received onebattle stars for her Korean war service.[3]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
