.jpg) USSAra (AK-136), offSan Francisco, California, 11 January 1944. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Daniel Boone |
| Namesake | Daniel Boone |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | American-Hawaiian Steamship Company |
| Ordered | as aType EC2-S-C1 hull,MCE hull 69[1] |
| Builder | California Shipbuilding Corporation,Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California |
| Yard number | 6[1] |
| Way number | 6[1] |
| Laid down | 17 July 1941 |
| Launched | 14 January 1942 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. J. K. Doolan |
| In service | 15 April 1942 |
| Fate | transferred to theUS Navy, 3 December 1943 |
| United States | |
| Name | Ara |
| Namesake | The constellationAra |
| Acquired | 3 December 1943 |
| Commissioned | 4 January 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 26 November 1945 |
| Stricken | 5 December 1945 |
| Identification |
|
| Honors and awards |  1 ×battle star |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 26 October 1971, removed, 6 January 1972 |
| General characteristics[2] | |
| Class and 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 | 13 officers 212 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSAra (AK-136) was aCrater-classcargo ship commissioned by theUS Navy for service in World War II.Ara is named after the constellationAra. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in theAsiatic-Pacific Theater.
Ara was laid down on 17 July 1941, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull No. 69, as theLiberty ship SSDaniel Boone, byCalifornia Shipbuilding Corporation,Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California; launched on 14 January 1942; sponsored by Mrs. J. K. Doolan; acquired by the Navy under abare-boat charter on 3 December 1943; renamedAra (AK-136); and commissioned on 4 January 1944.[3]
Ara sailed on 7 February for theTerritory of Hawaii. Upon her arrival atPearl Harbor, the ship reported toService Squadron 8 for duty. On 4 March,Ara sailed in aconvoy bound for theMarshall Islands and discharged her cargo atMajuro andKwajalein Atolls.Ara left the Marshalls on 14 April; made a brief stop at Pearl Harbor on 28 April; and then the ship got underway forPort Hueneme, California. After loading new cargo,Ara was back in Pearl Harbor on 29 May. The ship sailed on 7 June, withTask Group (TG) 51.6, bound forEniwetok; anchored there on 18 June; and remained through 23 July.[3]
On 23 July,Ara was ordered to proceed toGuam to deliverUS Army personnel to that island. She remained offshore until 3 August, and then disembarked troops and unloaded equipment.Ara got underway for Eniwetok on 20 August, and arrived four days later. After a reprovisioning period, the transport sailed for Hawaii and moored at Pearl Harbor on 9 September.[3]
At Pearl Harbor, she loaded cargo destined forRoi Namur and Majuro and sailed on 19 September, for the Marshalls. From 4 October to 20 November, supplies were discharged and taken on board at Majuro and Kwajalein. On 25 November, the ship headed forUlithi. Five days later,Ara arrived at theatoll. She sailed again on 8 December, for theMarianas to unload the remainder of her provisions at Guam andSaipan. Ara called at Eniwetok on 23 December, and then continued on toTarawa. There, she refilled her cargo holds and sailed on 4 January 1945, forMakin Island.[3]
During the first two months of 1945,Ara repeated her cargo shuttle services. Her ports of call included Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Ulithi, Guam,Tinian, and Saipan. From Saipan,Ara headed for Hawaii and reached Pearl Harbor on 20 March. Two days later,Ara sailed forSan Pedro, Los Angeles, where she arrived on 1 April, for repairs. After successfully completing trials,Ara sailed on 6 May, toTacoma, Washington, to load cargo and remained there until 23 May, when she began steaming independently for thePhilippines.[3]
Ara began discharging cargo atSamar, Philippines, on 25 June. She then received orders to sail toNew Zealand and got underway on 6 July.Ara moored atAuckland on 21 July, and commenced loading supplies earmarked forMarines stationed on Saipan. She departed Auckland on 27 July, and arrived at Saipan on 14 August. The next day, while she was still there, Japan capitulated on 15 August.Ara set a course for the west coast on 21 August, enteredSan Francisco Bay on 9 September, and began voyage repairs.[3]
The transport left the west coast on 6 October, bound, via thePanama Canal, forNorfolk, Virginia, and arrived there on 27 October.[3]
She was decommissioned on 26 November, and turned over to theWar Shipping Administration (WSA) in whose custody she resumed the nameDaniel Boone. The name,Ara, was struck from theNavy List on 5 December.[3]Ara was placed in the MARCOMNational Defense Reserve Fleet, and was laid up in theJames River,Lee Hall, Virginia.[4]
On 26 October 1971, she was sold toHierros Ardes, S.A., ofBilbao, Spain, for $71,520, to be scrapped. She was removed from the fleet 6 January 1972.[4]
Ara won onebattle star for her World War II service. Her crew was eligible for the following medals and campaign ribbons:[2]
Online resources
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