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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSCowanesque |
| Namesake | Cowanesque River in Pennsylvania |
| Builder | Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.,Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Launched | 11 March 1943 |
| Acquired | 25 March 1943 |
| Commissioned | 1 May 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 30 January 1946 |
| Honors and awards | 2battle stars (World War II) |
| Fate | Sunk, 23 April 1972 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Suamico-class fleetreplenishment oiler |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 523 ft 6 in (159.56 m) |
| Beam | 68 ft (21 m) |
| Draft | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Propulsion | Turbo-electric, single screw, 8,000 hp (5,966 kW) |
| Speed | 15.5knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) |
| Capacity | 140,000 barrels (22,000 m3) |
| Complement | 232 to 251 |
| Armament |
|
USSCowanesque (AO-79) was aType T2-SE-A1Suamico-classfleet oiler of theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II.
The ship was built by theSun Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. inChester, Pennsylvania as hull number 315 and USMC number 308 in 1943. Launched on 11 March 1943, as SSFort Duquesne, sponsored by Mrs. M. Hitchner, the ship was acquired by the Navy on 25 March 1943 and commissioned on 1 May 1943.
From 15 June 1943 to 1 March 1944,Cowanesque carried gasoline from the Texas oil ports to east coast bases. She departedNorfolk on 4 March on the first of two convoy voyage toCasablanca andMers El Kébir. Sailing from Norfolk on 14 July, she arrived atOran on 30 July and remained at Mers El Kébir until 4 September, fueling United States and Allied shipping. She returned to Norfolk on 19 September.
Cowanesque put to sea from Norfolk on 22 October 1944 and arrived atPearl Harbor on 28 November. She continued to the forward area calling atEniwetok,Ulithi, andHollandia, and arrived inSan Pedro Bay, Philippines, on 1 January 1945 to fuel units of the7th Fleet.
The next day her task group underwent a severe air attack.Cowanesque fired at several planes and shot down at least two before a single-engine fighter crashed into her port side and disintegrated violently (believed to be a kamikaze attack), spreading burninggasoline over the deck.Damage control parties dumped the unexploded bomb from the plane over the side, brought the fires under control and repaired the damage enablingCowanesque to continue her mission. Her casualties were two dead, two wounded.Cowanesque fueled ships atMindoro,Lingayen Gulf, and San Pedro Bay until 25 February when she sailed for Ulithi.
From 19 March to 4 July 1945Cowanesque operated out of Ulithi refueling ships of the5th Fleet at sea in support of theIwo Jima andOkinawa operations. She reported to Okinawa on 8 July for convoy duty between that island and Ulithi until the end of the war, and continued to base on Okinawa as she supported the occupation. Among her duties was refueling ships sweeping mines in theYellow Sea. On 28 October, she sailed for San Francisco, arriving on 15 November.Cowanesque was placed out of commission 30 January 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission.
Reacquired by the Navy, and reinstated on theNaval Vessel Register, on 18 January 1948, she served with the Naval Transportation Service asCowanesque (AO-79). Transferred to theMilitary Sea Transportation Service on 1 October 1949, the ship was placed in service in noncommissioned status asUSNSCowanesque (T-AO-79) on 18 July 1950. She was reclassified as Transport Oiler (T-AOT-79) (date unknown). The ship was sunk off Okinawa on 23 April 1972.
Cowanesque received twobattle stars for World War II service.
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons
Top Row – Combat Action Ribbon (3 Jan 45) – American Campaign MedalSecond Row – Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal – Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) – World War II Victory MedalThird Row – Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) – National Defense Service Medal – Philippines Liberation Medal
Personnel Awards
Purple Heart (2-KIA, 2WIA 3 January 1945)
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1972 | |
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