.jpg) USSRotanin (AK-108) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake |
|
| Ordered | as aType EC2-S-C1 hull,MCE hull 1872[1] |
| Builder | California Shipbuilding Corporation,Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California |
| Yard number | 243[1] |
| Way number | 5[1] |
| Laid down | 24 July 1943 |
| Launched | 18 August 1943 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Andrew R. Bone |
| Commissioned | 23 November 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 5 April 1946 |
| Stricken | 17 April 1946 |
| Identification |
|
| Honors and awards |  1 ×battle star |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics[2] | |
| 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 | 16 officers 190 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSRotanin (AK-108) was aCrater-classcargo ship commissioned by theUnited States Navy for service inWorld War II.Rotanin, which is a misspelling of the name "Rotanen", was named after the starBeta Delphini, a star located in the constellationDelphinus. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in theAsiatic-Pacific Theater.
Rotanin was laid down 24 July 1943, underUnited States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull No. 1872, as theLiberty shipSS William Kelly, byCalifornia Shipbuilding Corporation,Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California; launched 18 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Andrew R. Bone; and commissioned 23 November 1943.[3]
Completingshakedown 5 December,Rotanin loaded her first combat cargo and embarked her first military passengers atPort Hueneme, California, and on 12 December, sailed forNouméa. Arriving 5 January 1944, she carried troops and cargo toGuadalcanal, then, on 27 December, continued on to theRussell Islands. By 2 February, she had discharged all cargo and was underway back to the Guadalcanal-Florida Island area. From then until March, she carried cargo and personnel throughout theBismarck Archipelago, theSolomons, theFijis, and theNew Hebrides. In April, she completed a run toAuckland,New Zealand, and in May, she moved supplies toManus. She then resumed runs in the Solomons-New Hebrides-Fiji area.[3]
In August,Rotanin shifted to theMarshalls-Marianas area and at the end of the month she moved further west, toUlithi. In October, she carriedUnited States Army units to thePalaus, embarkedMarines there, and transported them to the Russells. In November, she returned to operations in the Marianas, extended them to theCarolines, and in January 1945, returned to Nouméa. February and March took her back toMicronesia andNew Zealand. In April, she was in the Solomons, and, in May, she took on Army supplies and reinforcements for theOkinawa campaign. Arriving off theHagushi beaches on 21 May, she completed offloading by the end of the month and on 31 May, she steamed east.[3]
During June and July,Rotanin again operated in the Marshalls and Marianas. On 28 July, she headed forHawaii and the west coast. En route when hostilities ceased, she arrived atSan Francisco, California, on 17 August. In October, she joined the ships assigned to transpacific operations to ferry occupation troops toJapan andKorea and to return veterans to theUnited States.[3]
On 2 February 1946,Rotanin arrived at San Francisco and reported to the Commander,12th Naval District for inactivation. She was decommissioned on 5 April 1946, and returned to MARCOM. Her name was stricken from theNavy List on 17 April 1946.[3]
She was placed in theNational Defense Reserve Fleet,Suisun Bay Group, until purchased byNicolai Joffe Corporation, 29 April 1966, for $50,165.[4] She was removed from the fleet on 5 May 1966, and her scrapping was completed 30 August 1966, atNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO).[2]
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Rotanin earned onebattle star during World War II.[3] Her crew was eligible for the following medals:[2]
The novelMr. Roberts and its stage and cinematic adaptations, may have been inspired in part byRotanin andVirgo, the two Navy cargo vessels on whichThomas Heggen, author of the novel, served during World War II.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
