| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | |
| Launched | 6 November 1943 |
| Commissioned | 26 November 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 17 May 1946 |
| Fate | Reverted to the Maritime Commission |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 14,500 tons |
| Length | 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m) |
| Draught | 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m) |
| Speed | 10 knots |
| Complement | 103 officers and men |
| Armament |
|
USSElk (IX-115), anArmadillo-class tanker designated anunclassified miscellaneous vessel, was the second ship of theUnited States Navy to be named for theelk, a largedeer of the northern forests ofEurope,Asia, andNorth America. Her keel was laid down byCalifornia Shipbuilding Corporation, inWilmington, Los Angeles, asWilliam Winter for the Maritime Commission. She waslaunched on 6 November 1943 sponsored by Mrs. H. H. Hall, delivered direct to the Navy 26 November 1943, andcommissioned the same day.
Elk sailed fromSan Pedro, Los Angeles, on 12 January 1944 forKwajalein where she served from 19 February to 19 April as station tanker to fuel ships in the assault and occupation of theMarshall Islands. Mooring toMajuro, she fueled combatant ships at this base until June, then carried petroleum products betweenMajuro,Kwajalein, andEniwetok to support the Marianas operation. From 26 June she was based again on Majuro, providing fuel for destroyers of the Security Patrol who guarded the waters around the bypassed, enemy-held islands ofWotje,Mili, andJaluit.
After a fueling assignment atTarawa in September 1944,Elk reported to the advance fleet base atUlithi on 15 October and there began the vital task of fueling the ships of the fast-movingThird Fleet andFifth Fleet for their far-ranging air and surface strikes against Japanese bases. In April 1945 she arrived atOkinawa to fuel thedestroyers of theradar picket line. When hostilities ceased,Elk was atLeyte preparing to sail with a convoy toOkinawa. In September she arrived atSasebo, Japan, to serve in the occupation.Elk returned to the United States in early 1946, wasdecommissioned atNorfolk, Virginia, on 17 May 1946, and reverted to the Maritime Commission 20 May 1946.Elk received onebattle star forWorld War II service.
She was purchased in 1949 by Maris Transportation System withT. J. Stevenson & Company as the operator. In 1951 was sold and renamedSeapearl, in 1953 was sold and renamedKorthi, in 1957 was sold and renamedAandros County, in 1960 was sold and renamedKalamas, on Sept. 3, 190 ran ashore nearCape Arago Lighthouse, Oregon. In 1962 scrappedOakland, California.[1]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.